[fancyqtr]

Can anyone tell me how to fix a camera that won't turn on? I tried cleaning the battery connections but it still won't turn on. I saw something on taking the batteries out, then holding the on/off button (doesn't have a button, but I did hold the on/off) and that didn't work. There is no place in Colorado that repairs Pentax and no place that sells them anymore. I don't even know if it's worth the cost of trying to send for repairs to an out of state repair place so I am trying to get it to work myself. (I can get full packages of other cameras for less than it would cost to fix if I mailed it out for fixing)

[jatrax]

What camera?

[Alex645]

Can anyone tell me how to fix a camera that won't turn on? I tried cleaning the battery connections but it still won't turn on.
There is no place in Colorado that repairs Pentax and no place that sells them anymore. I don't even know if it's worth the cost of trying to send for repairs to an out of state repair place so I am trying to get it to work myself. (I can get full packages of other cameras for less than it would cost to fix if I mailed it out for fixing)

How do you know that your battery is good? If you have a volt or multimeter, you can check the voltage. It's possible that either the battery is dead or that the chip in the battery that communicates with the camera is dead. Make sure that the battery has a full charge before assuming the problem is with the camera.

What is the model of your camera? How many lenses do you have for that camera? The decision to repair or replace is going to depend on what you already have invested in that system and how well you like that camera.

Pentax are hard to find in brick and mortar stores, but there are camera stores that will order them for you if you don't want to order online from B&H, Adorama, Samy's, Amazon, the Ricoh Imaging Store online in Japan or used on KEH.

What exactly can you "get full packages of other cameras for less than it would cost" to repair yours? KEH does DSLR repairs for around $300 plus $12 shipping.

[aslyfox]

What camera?

it appears a K 100D or an unknown Pentax slr

about fancyqtrCountry
United States
Pentax Cameras
K100D, Pentax Film SLRs

Description:
The 6 MP K100D is a very capable camera and introduced in-camera shake reduction to the entry level cameras back in 2006. The shake reduction works with all lenses, new as well as old. The K100D shares most of its technical data with the *istDS2 but in order to be able to reduce its price Pentax removed TTL flash support and changed the viewfinder from a pentaprism with 95% magnification to a pentamirror with 85% magnification. As a consequence the viewfinder looks smaller and darker than the viewfinder of the *istDS2.

Camera Manuals:

http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/support/man-pdf/k100d.pdf

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/camerareviews/pentax-k100d.html#ixzz6lLEZOgcA

businesses that might help with repairs:

US
KEH.com (GA, Most current and vintage gear)
Eric Hendrickson (Vintage cameras, Current and vintage lenses)
Precision Camera (Authorized to perform warranty service, NC)
Advance Camera (Most current and vintage gear, Portland, OR)
General Camera Repair (LA, CA)
Garry's Camera Repair (IL, select film SLRs)
International Camera Repair (LA, CA)
Halcyon Cameras | Vintage Camera Restoration (Vintage film cameras, San Diego, CA)
Camera Repair Japan (Services Sigma lenses and more, Atlanta, GA)
Allied Camera (MN, manual film cameras)
Bill Rogers Camera (LV, NV, film-era cameras and lenses)
Phototronic (Topeka, KS, film and digital camera repair)
Lezot's Camera Center (VT, film SLRs / medium format)

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/189-repairs-warranty-service/316284-pent...#ixzz6lLFBU25Y

I have used phototronic here in Topeka KS

http://www.phototronictopeka.com/

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Last edited by aslyfox; 02-02-2021 at 12:01 PM.

[Alex645]

it appears a K 100D or an unknown Pentax slr

IF it's the K100D, that camera has been around since 2007 and rechargeable batteries do not have an unlimited life.
As noted by @jatrax IF it is a K100D and you're using AA batteries, you'll want to make sure all battery cells have proper voltage. I've bought brand new disposable batteries that were DOA.

If it's a film SLR, there were some Pentax SLRs that are worth saving, and others not.

[jatrax]

it appears a K 100D or an unknown Pentax slr

My assumption was K100D but not everyone list all their gear or updates the list. So it could be anything.

If it is the K100D then AA batteries. So it could be old batteries, or it could be the owner put them in backwards. I did that many times with my k-x. Best thing is to test the batteries or use a new set of "known good". If its not the batteries then having a shop take a look at it would be the next step, which might or might not be worth it. I personally would not send it to a Pentax repair facility due to the age of the camera but I might ask a local shop to take a look just to see if I missed something.

Bottom line the camera is 12 to 15 years old. A lot has changed in that time. If I was in that situation, had a number of decent Pentax lenses and was budget restricted I would be looking for a used k-5. Assuming the owner has more than the kit lens. If not, then buy whatever brand makes you happy.

[Just1MoreDave]

It may help to leave a set of fully charged AAs in the camera overnight. The system that maintains the clock and settings in AA-powered cameras is one of the first things to age out, and make the camera reluctant to start up again.

[fancyqtr]

Sorry, I have some problems with figuring out what I am doing on here. Hopefully replying to my original post on Camera Won't turn on.

Yes, the camera is a K100D. I have the 80-200 and 18-55 lenses. The batteries in the camera are new Energizer Lithiums and were checked by the camera store the last time the camera wouldn't turn on.

The camera packages I saw were Canon and Nikon and came with the standard lens, 70-300 lens, 2x lens extension (not sure what that is called), wide angle lens, filters, and verious accessories including the bag and tripod. They started at $699 and went up from there. I just really can't afford them.

[aslyfox]

Sorry, I have some problems with figuring out what I am doing on here. . . .

you are doing fine



I suggest calling Phototronic here in Topeka and see if he might be able to help without seeing the camera

he is open noon to 6 PM Mon to Friday

(785) 233 0231

Camera Repair - phototronic.biz

[ disclaimer - my only relationship to Phototronic is that of a satisfied customer ]

what are your photographic " goals " and what is your budget ?

do you want new or is " experienced " ok

if experienced then check out the forums' marketplace which can be sorted by country

The Pentax Marketplace | Buy & Sell Pentax Cameras and Lenses (United States) - PentaxForums.com

be sure to use the " user " and " in depth " reviews as well as the " camera comparison tool " under " cameras ": above to do your research

[Alex645]

The batteries in the camera are new Energizer Lithiums and were checked by the camera store the last time the camera wouldn't turn on.

Lithium and Alkaline batteries have similar voltage but not the same amperage as measured in mAh. I've had situations where devices made before lithium cells were available work fine with lithium batteries and others that didn't.

I'd recommend trying alkaline batteries next.

[jatrax]

The camera packages I saw were Canon and Nikon and came with the standard lens, 70-300 lens, 2x lens extension (not sure what that is called), wide angle lens, filters, and verious accessories including the bag and tripod. They started at $699 and went up from there. I just really can't afford them.

Perhaps not related to the battery issue but in case you do consider one of those packages:
standard lens? An 18-55 something most likely. OK
70-300 - also OK
2x extension - doubles the focal length of your lens. Which sounds great but is (IMHO) useless on either of those lenses because it will degrade the image quality and reduce the light
wide angle lens - this is most likely not a real 'lens' but a filter that screws on the front. Do yourself a favor and throw it away.
various accessories - in my experience junk that doesn't deserve the time and waste of material to make them
bag and tripod - bag might be OK if you don't have one. The tripod will most likely be barely strong enough to support a cell phone.

---------- Post added 02-03-21 at 05:50 PM ----------

They started at $699 and went up from there. I just really can't afford them.

Your K-100D is 6mp.
A quick check on auction site shows:
k-r - 12mp for roughly $200 -300 often with lens
k-5 - 16mp for roughly $350 - 500 often with lens
And you can use your existing lenses as well.

[tibbitts]

Anything is possible but I think the K100 was well established to work with non-rechargeable Lithium batteries. Now if you had NiMH I can see where maybe with the camera being older the voltage might be more sensitive. Hopefully you have a device to test the AAs without going to a store - at least another device you can try them in and verify that they are working. If so, well, it's an old camera. You might want to explain the type of photos you want to take, which might help people recommend the next step (which might be just using your phone for a camera, if the budget is tight.)

[fancyqtr]

I want to be able to get photos of birds and wildlife, plus the horse show type photos I used to take (reining, cutting mainly). I wanted to learn more about the different things that can be done on that kind of camera. I know that the latter would probably have to be trial and error since every webinar I find or classes at camera stores, libraries, etc. are always for Canon or Nikon users, only. I didn't really get too far into learning everything on the digital camera. Actually, got my best photos with an SP.

[aslyfox]

I want to be able to get photos of birds and wildlife, plus the horse show type photos I used to take (reining, cutting mainly). I wanted to learn more about the different things that can be done on that kind of camera. I know that the latter would probably have to be trial and error since every webinar I find or classes at camera stores, libraries, etc. are always for Canon or Nikon users, only. I didn't really get too far into learning everything on the digital camera. Actually, got my best photos with an SP.

you might want to check these articles, there may be something of interest

Guide to Camera and Autofocus Settings for Shooting Sports
High-speed photography: horse show jumping
By beholder3 in Articles and Tips on Apr 26, 2017

Read more at: Guide to Camera and Autofocus Settings for Shooting Sports - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

DSLR Guide for Shooting Sports II: Horse Racing
How to set up autofocus and other DSLR settings
By beholder3 in Articles and Tips on Sep 11, 2017

Read more at: DSLR Guide for Shooting Sports II: Horse Racing - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

[fancyqtr]

Thank you all. I think we have it working for now. Just hoping it keeps working. One of the battery contacts got some corroding on it and a guy at a camera store near me scraped that off. I had finally took it to see if I had the batteries in wrong or what, though I had tried both ways. With the 85-200 zoom I should be able to get outdoor sports or horse shows (I know it won't do indoor clearly), just not far enough for birds. The camera store does have used lenses, just not long enough at this time.