Canon EOS Rebel T5

[cfsdays]

The error in my camera is- err 05 the built in flash could not be raised. Turn the camera off and in again.  But the flash WAS flipped up.  I was in A+ Scene Intelligent Auto mode, trying to shoot a band in a dark bar setting.  I tried doing what it said several times, but kept getting the same error.  What could be causing the error?  Back in my house with the lights on, I was able to get the flash to work in the same setting.

[ebiggs1]

There is a micro switch that is probably dirty and not telling the camera that the flash is ready.  You might try cleaning that switch with a tiny amount of alcohol.

[TCampbell]

It's almost certainly the switch that Ernie mentioned.  The flash is raised by a spring.  To raise it, the camera has a catch-hook which normally holds it down... but a solinoid releases the catch hook so that the flash can flip up.  The spring raises it.  There's a tiny micro-switch (sort of like the button on your refridgerator door that turns the light on when you open it) that notices the flash is up.  If that switch is stuck then the camera will think the whole flash is stuck.

Any gunk can make it stick.  Don't use "oil" on your camrea (oil will attract dust and make things worse.)

Denatured alcohol (just a drop is likely enough... dip a toothpick in it and use that to "gently" work the alcohol into the button while the camera is powered off.  

The advantage of using alcohol as a solvent is that alcohol will evaporate so you wont have a residue to collect more gunk.

[cfsdays]

Thanks, guys.  So just where is this switch located so that I can try cleaning it?

[ebiggs1]

In the top right under where the flash is when it is closed.