Help! Camera not recognizing batteries!

[Golf4food]

We have a Pentax istDL that is just about 1.5 years old. No problems with it until recently. I was using a set of batteries (it runs on 4-AA batteries), and when those ran down I took them out and put in another set of rechargables - camera just flashes the no battery display signal and won't turn on. So I took those out and put in the other set of rechargables - same thing. So I took those out and put in 4 brand new regular, non-rechargable AA's and met with the same exact result - camera says there is no battery!

What can we do?

 

[Master Mason]

Your camera probably has a small disk type battery that runs the memory for things like time and settings. Perhaps that battery has gone dead?

 

[Golf4food]

Your camera probably has a small disk type battery that runs the memory for things like time and settings. Perhaps that battery has gone dead?

Good thought... so I unscrewed the bottom plate of the camera for a look-see and saw nothing. I didn't want to go digging any farther than that, and just that piece was enough of a pain to get back on (springs and hinges and all).

Any other ideas?

 

[MICKEY88]

did you look in the battery compartment to see if everything looks ok

 

[Master Mason]

http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/manual/istD_IB.pdf

Look at page 23

 

[andromedaslove]

You wanna know how nosey I am?! Even though i don't own a Pentax, and don't have to worry about this problem. I actually had to go to the manual that Master Mason linked to, just so I could see what was going on. Pretty sad, huh??!

Dana

 

[Master Mason]

I don't own one either Dana, but hoping it is a simple fix like that for the OP

 

[Golf4food]

Thanks for the link, MM. I was just about to head to the Pentax sight to look for that, but you saved me the trouble.

Alas, that particular manual isn't for our model. It would be this one instead:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/manual/istDL_web.pdf

(DL insetad of just the D)

Unfortuantely the manual doesn't help. The batteries should be fine, they are installed correctly, and nothing works. The only help the manual gives is to make sure there are batteries, make sure the batteries are charged, and to make sure they are all oriented properly - all of which they are.

I sent a contact to Pentax customer service - we'll see what they say.

 

[MICKEY88]

years ago when I worked for Ritz Camera, we fixed many a dead camera with this simple technique,
it's worth a try...

open the battery compartment, using a pencil eraser...gently rub the battery connections inside the camera to remove any possible corrosion..then gently blow out the battery compartment, insert batteries..cross fingers ..turn on camera...

 

[Golf4food]

years ago when I worked for Ritz Camera, we fixed many a dead camera with this simple technique,
it's worth a try...

open the battery compartment, using a pencil eraser...gently rub the battery connections inside the camera to remove any possible corrosion..then gently blow out the battery compartment, insert batteries..cross fingers ..turn on camera...

Thanks. I'll try that and hope for the best. I tried blowing in it already but not the eraser trick.

 

[AndrewWG]

You wanna know how nosey I am?! Even though i don't own a Pentax, and don't have to worry about this problem. I actually had to go to the manual that Master Mason linked to, just so I could see what was going on. Pretty sad, huh??!

Dana

I don't know why, but I immediately clicked on that link and checked it out too! Not a Canon 30D but my curiosity just took over.

 

[Golf4food]

Thanks. I'll try that and hope for the best. I tried blowing in it already but not the eraser trick.

Tried the eraser - nothing.

So now it looks like we have to send the camera to Pentax for repairs, which will likely take at least a month and leave us without a camera for all of the November festivities, which really stinks. God only knows how much it will cost us.

 

[Master Mason]

D100 Super for sale body for about $350 I think Groucho said last.... Might be close to repair cost and you get an upgraded body.... something to think about...

 

[ukcatfan]

Tried the eraser - nothing.

So now it looks like we have to send the camera to Pentax for repairs, which will likely take at least a month and leave us without a camera for all of the November festivities, which really stinks. God only knows how much it will cost us.

Before doing that, I would try some brand new lithiums just to rule out bad luck with batteries. It only takes one of the four to be bad to keep it from coming on at all.

Kevin