Blank Display Panel

• The most common reason for this is that the camera is off. But, because of the age of the camera, you should also take a look at how well the battery is holding its charge. Batteries can deteriorate over time and it's possible that the battery is becoming exhausted earlier than it used to. Charge the camera and see if the display comes on when you switch the camera on and take photographs. If it works, but not for the expected period, then replace the battery. The battery life should be 90 minutes at a room temperature of 68 degrees, assuming you're taking shots using the zoom, flash in a third of the shots and FULL image quality set to NORMAL. The battery is lithium-ion, which should perform better than the older ni-cads. If you bought the MB-E5700 battery pack that was available separately, then you can use six AA batteries in an emergency. Other things to check are that the battery cover is fully closed, the AC adapter is properly connected and that the camera isn't in sleep mode. Press the shutter half way to wake it up.
  
  

The Monitor is Blank

• Check that the lens cap isn't still on, and remove it if it is. Check for cables attached. Make sure the USB or the audio/video cable isn't connected. Make sure that the optional remote cable MC-EU1 isn't attached or is in standby. If the monitor is hard to read, you can use the viewfinder on this camera, or move to a darker location. The older LCDs didn't have as good displays in bright sun as today's cameras.
  
  

No Photograph Is Captured

• Make sure you're pressing the shutter-release button all the way down. Check that the camera isn't in playback mode. Again, check the battery. Make sure there's a memory card in the camera. Make sure you still have memory left. If the memory card has been in the camera for some time, you may want to re-format it to gain space. The cards can get cluttered with redundant data after a while. Use the camera to re-format the card rather than a PC, for best results.
  
  

Photographs Are Too Dark

• Check the flash isn't off or blocked. Make sure the subject is in range of the flash. Make sure the exposure compensation isn't set too low. You can tell if the F number is too high because the aperture indicator will flash. If the shutter speed is set too fast, the shutter speed indicator will flash.
  
  

Photographs Are Too Bright

• Again, check the shutter speed and also the aperture. The indicators should flash if the settings are set too slow in the case of the shutter speed, and if the F number is too low in the case of the aperture.