So mine was having the same issue, I sprayed some W-40 on the inside where the two metals are in the back. Not sure if it needed it. But the only way it took the picture with flash was when I held the photo button down for about 3-4 seconds and it took the photo. The red light never turned green, it was showing red the whole time until it takes the picture. The photos all came out with a slightly purple hue though.