How to Fix + Repair a Digicam that’s not turning on

AA Battery powered digital Camera not turning on? Don't throw it in the trash! Watch this video to learn how to fix a point and shoot digicam powered by AA batteries! Prickly Pear Camera goes through how to troubleshoot, clean, fix, and repair three AA battery cameras; a Nikon Coolpix, a Canon Powershot, and a Samsung, but the principles will apply to many more brands of compact point and shoot cameras including Sony Cybershot, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Olympus, Pentax, Kodak, Polaroid, Sanyo, and more. Battery leak? Acid in the battery compartment that lead to corrosion? Don't worry, this video covers repairing the issue and hopefully getting it to work. We've fixed hundreds of cameras using these methods and hopefully they will work for you too!

[@klaudiusz6233]

Thanks so much! I found my new Yashica Zoomate 70 in a customers car. After asking him, he told me to trash is as it wasn't working but I had this feeling that its fixable... Thanks to you, it was!

[@pricklypearcamera]

Nice! Glad to hear that!

[@jocelyn2848]

found this camera again after years of not using it and it wasn't working but this totally helped and it started working again thank you!

[@pricklypearcamera]

Awesome, glad to have helped!

[@sammyyy7228]

This worked!!! Thank you so much! My camera was lost for 14 years & this video got it to turn it on again !

[@pricklypearcamera]

Glad it helped!

[@LebzaD]

Really helpful, my grandma's old camera wasn't working and after watching this video, it instantly turned on, the camera is called the BENQ dc C1430, I'm so excited to see my old pics with her

[@pricklypearcamera]

Great to hear!

[@Rono_vfx07]

Bro my camera is showing a green flash while I am holding the power button but when I put my finger away it stops flashing and doesn't turn on plz help

[@Charlie-up2sh]

@@Rono_vfx07same , did you find a soloution ?

[@Rono_vfx07]

@@Charlie-up2sh yes I replaced the batteries

[@Charlie-up2sh]

@@Rono_vfx07ah, unfortunately not working for me thanks anyway

[@cocopops9616]

Thank you so much! I thought my camera was dead but this totally helped a lot and started working again thank you!

[@pricklypearcamera]

Very cool!

[@SkyeAchter]

Thank you so much! I finally be able to turn my parents' old camera on after trying soo many ways, you're the best!

[@eamoroso56]

NC Picker directed me to your channel, I’m in the process of selling a Canon 40D with several lens & accessories and a Coolpix & a couple other point & shoots all in excellent condition so thought I might learn something about their value here. Either way happy to support!

[@pricklypearcamera]

Well that is amazing! NCpicker is an awesome guy! Happy to help with estimates, the 40d body in “good” overall working condition is worth around $100, lenses will vary, let know what brand/model they are and what model the coolpix and others are and could tell you a pretty accurate estimate as I have a database of my own 24,000 camera sales over the last years to get data from

[@eamoroso56]

@@pricklypearcamera thanks, I’ll get back to you tomorrow, it’s about bedtime on the east coast

[@eamoroso56]

@@pricklypearcamera ok here goes CANON POWERSHOT ELPH 3400HS. Excellent cond. NIKON COOLPIX S230 excellent cond CANON POWERSHOT SD1000 good cond. SONY HANDYCAM DVD305. Excellent cond CANON EOS REBEL X 35mm with 35-80mm lens good condition-no battery CANON 40D with battery/charger and all accessories & books as well as very large canon padded bag in like new condition SPEEDLITE 200 E 28-135 image stabilizer lens-CANON-excellent 80-200mm-CANON-excellent CANON COMPACT MACRO EF 50mm-excellent Except for 35mm camera I have battery/chargers for each camera and they all work Would I make more money if I listed the lens I have for the 40D separately? Appreciate your help, thanks so much.

[@pricklypearcamera]

@@eamoroso56 So sorry for the delay! I didn't see the notification - I have sold all of those myself and have everything in a spreadsheet to track used prices- Canon Elph 340 in excellent condition- $90-125 depending upon color, Purple is on the higher end. Nikon S230 $25-40. SD1000 value has gone up alot over the last year. Was a $20 camera, and now it sells for $75-100 in good condition. DVD305 $40-60 depending upon what accessories are included. Rebel X 35MM with lens if tested, you're looking at $60-70. I would sell everything separately for the 40D kit. 28-135mm lens in ex condition is around $100. 200E not worth much, $10-15. 80-200mm lens is $30-40. Macro 50mm if it's an F2.5 you're looking at around $100-125.

[@eamoroso56]

@@pricklypearcamera thanks so much

[@lex-gy9gj]

What if the corrosion is omitted the inside where the vatteries have stayed?

[@zanzon2866]

i have the same question

[@iam.aarisaa]

Thanks mann, the last step really helpful

[@pricklypearcamera]

Glad it helped!

[@beatriznunes36]

Hello there! I have a Canon PowerShot A460 with some green rust and corrosion on the external part of the camera, can i use vinegar or other stuff to take it off? What do you recommend? Also, the vinegar can be alcohol vinegar? Thank you so much

[@pricklypearcamera]

Hi, any acid like vinegar/lemon juice would work. The type doesn't matter. Let it sit for 30 seconds to a minute and if it's quite corroded you can use a wire brush to remove the built up areas.

[@jensiyajunis7617]

Hi I have an old samsung s760 and I wanted to see if it still worked and when I switched it on it said 'slelet usb printer or computer' but it wasn't plugged in to either so I figured something was in the usb port and when I looked in to it it looked corroded so cleaned it up and then when I tried to restart it's just a grey/black screen. There's no noise but the little green light flashes on and leaves me with an empty screen. No noise from the lens. Any advise?

[@pricklypearcamera]

Is the battery compartment clean or also corroded?

[@SandhraKP]

Hi! I need help fixing an old finepix a345. it doesn't have corrosion in the battery compartment, but I do notice that one of the batteries (with positive terminal that goes inside) sits lower than the other battery. I looked inside the battery compartment and notices that one of them has the spring, but on the other side, I don't notice a spring, so what do I nudge? I'm pretty sure because of poor connection, it's not working (when i close the battery door and shake it, there is sound! so I'm guessing there is indeed a gap between the terminals). also does it matter what voltage the batteries are? I noticed on the attery door it says 3V, but my batteries are 1.5V. Would that be an issue?

[@pricklypearcamera]

It might be that it’s 2*1.5= 3 volts, but most AA batteries are 1.5v, so I don’t think thats your issue. I’ve encountered this before on older fujifilm cameras, and have seen a number of times where the bottom metal “spring” has sheared off leaving no connection possible. If that is the case, the camera may unfortunately not be fixable 😔

[@SandhraKP]

@@pricklypearcamera oh noo so both sides are supposed to have spring? no other metal soldered could do the trick? I couldn;t see clearly inside the battery compartment in the video

[@SandhraKP]

thank you so much for replying tho! @@pricklypearcamera

[@SandhraKP]

Hey! i fixed it! So basically I put pieces of crumpled aluminium foil , and that was enough for the connection and it powered on!!!! what a save, thanks to this video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/lanJiGx6oJlkitk @@pricklypearcamera

[@ahyaflorencesagsagat1612]

I have a Nikon Coolpix, I drop the camera and it does not broke but I cannot open the camera anymore, what can I do

[@TheArma95]

So... What's the right kind of batteries i need? I have a Samsung Digimax S600, i bought Energizer AA6 batteries, it worked for a couple of minutes but its not working anymore, i just see the green light once i try to turn it on

[@pricklypearcamera]

Those should work.. did you try adjusting the battery post/spring?

[@TheArma95]

@@pricklypearcamera Well, i think they are just fine, maybe the camera still needs more cleaning, It had some corrosion and I cleaned it with isopropyl alcohol, but maybe it has a little left.

[@pricklypearcamera]

Gotcha, good luck!

[@arox1834]

one of my post snapped off trying that screwdriver thing, be careful, now i can stop messing with it knowing it’s fully broken

[@gopiabilash]

Even kid could lift the lef spring 😂

[@MaryLunar188]

Thank you sm for the help!! Worked like a charm

[@DanoneInc]

in the battery compartment of my camera, there is a white plastic, i dont know if the plastic is obstructing the passage of energy from the batteries, should i remove the plastic? and there is corrosion too, if i put vinegar into it, will it damage the compartment?

[@xelspawn240]

HELLO, i have this old digital KingCom DS-5060S it was my families first ever camera, and i was hoping if you could help me fix it by giving me some pointers Its old so i put the new batteries and the place where the batteries are supposed to be it was really clean and it wasnt what i expected, but i still push the bottom thingy with a flathead screwdriver, and when i put the batteries and started it on it didnt do nothing, so i press it again and still nothing but i notice a faint small noise inside the camera and idk what it could be

[@pricklypearcamera]

Hmm tough to say, might be drawing just a bit of charge and just not enough to power on and function normally...

[@lizvel.espino]

hey! I have the same exact camera but right in the inside where batteries are placed at the very end there’s corrosion, do I still put vinegar in there with like a q-tip, I don’t wanna damage it even more… let me know!

[@pricklypearcamera]

Vinegar itself shouldn't damage anything as long as it's used in moderation. I've used it on the internal posts as well as the posts on the battery door.

[@samantaalam9197]

Please help!! I got a fujifilm finepix E510 it had corrosion i cleaned it still not turning on but it shows green light and turns off pls helppp

[@pricklypearcamera]

Sounds like still an issue with the battery connection and it's not drawing enough power to actually function and operate. If you have already gone through the steps, there are some additional things to try (foil can help). There are some videos that go over that. Or you could find a replacement E510 on eBay for example in the $30-50 range I think.

[@MillieG26]

My Olympus stylus epic zoom 115 turns on when i open the lens and then immediately turns off and flashes green and orange. I’ve put in new batteries. I’m not sure what’s going on…might you have an idea?😢

[@pricklypearcamera]

It might be a lens error? If the lens isn't opening or engaging. Sorry to hear that! I have had some flash issues with similar models where the lights blinked, but the camera still took pictures (just without flash).

[@simplesamosa27]

Thanks brother, it helped me turn on my Nikon Coolplix L830

[@pricklypearcamera]

Great, glad to hear!

[@bracegolton]

THIS WORKED, THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@pricklypearcamera]

Glad to hear!

[@dumbage]

bought a 10$ nikon coolpix 4600 digicam didn’t work :( i’ll try to fix it hopefully it works

[@lyssithadoll]

i have a kodak easyshare cd93 that’s isn’t turning on. what batteries do you recommend?

[@pricklypearcamera]

My 2 favorites from a price/performance perspective are the Amazon basics AA batteries or the ACdelco AA battery.

[@MrDoobie17]

Did you ever get it to turn on? I have one that is not turning on either. Despite the fact that I had new batteries.

[@etiqcl]

please help!! i have a olympus digital camera c-740 and there’s something wrong with the parts where you insert the batteries. i don’t know what the word is in english. i put in new batteries that aren’t from the dollar store but it won’t go all the way in. i know this because i’m pushing the batteries inside and it’s going down but it won’t stay down. i hope i’m explaining it okay, if you need pics then i can send them! to make it easier to understand.

[@pricklypearcamera]

It sounds like something is broken or a post/metal is obstructing the battery compartment. When you take batteries out and look inside, is there metal or plastic piece stuck in the bottom? Sometimes the metal post can break off and become stuck at a strange angle and won't allow the battery door to shut.

[@lunna_chan9510]

Hey! I have a Kodak Easyshare C530 and it doesn't work. I've already cleaned the corrosion on the terminal door and changed the springs, but it still won't turn on. Maybe there is a little corrosion on the inside, in which case, should I continue with the vinegar? The light on top of the screen blinks green twice and then blinks red, then the camera turns off. I already checked the batteries, do you know what it could be?

[@pricklypearcamera]

Bummer to hear that! I have had this happen a lot with the Kodak C series cameras. It's drawing a bit of power, but not enough to actually operate. I have tried tear downs to access the inner AA metal connection, but it's a time consuming process and a bit difficult. Even then I found that even fully clean the camera when closed back up still didn't work.

[@gwynvrss]

Hello, i have a Canon PowerShot a720 and i replaced a new batteries to it but still it doesnt turn on, maybe its burnt on the inside but i dont a tools for it😢

[@sheesshashmi9704]

hey, i have an digimax s600. one of the plastic sliding bar thingies is broken on the battery compartment door and theres a little y shaped piece that comes behind teh metal part. ik im sorry its a little finicky to understand what im saying but could you please show the the platic part of the door slid off of the door so i could see how it is on the inside? thanks

[@samajen9079]

Are you talking about an orange plastic thing ? ( I know nothing about cams) If that's what you're talking about it's also damaged in my cam if you fixed it please tell me

[@lilsaff8759]

the connector that need spring thing is broken 😢 how can i fix it?

[@Maneatermissa]

I have this exact camera and problem, I just realised one of the things at the bottom of the charger holes is missing! Does anyone know what they’re called so I can get it replaced

[@giolovesstarwars]

Thank you so much it worked!!!

[@pricklypearcamera]

Glad it helped!

[@kurokitomoko7773]

I have a samsung s630 camera and it won't turn on. It only does a sound 3 times and the green led will turn on but the screen won't. Please help It's not corroded in any way

[@pricklypearcamera]

Sounds like a potential lens error. Or internal electronics issue. I come across pretty often with older Samsung digicams. Might not be fixable...

[@ilovesweettarts]

thank you so much. i have a camera from 04’ and it had soo much baby pictures of me and my siblings, even ones i never got to see until now 😊❤

[@pricklypearcamera]

Glad I could help! And great to hear you were able to salvage those photos!

[@luisjesus8436]

Hi, I have a kodak easyshare C1530, In the part where the batteries are inserted there are what looks like some small rubbers, one of them makes it not close the cover completely and opens with the minimum contact, is it normal to have those rubbers?

[@pricklypearcamera]

Hmmm, it should be just metal contact points, are you talking about the rear (internal) connection point?

[@atifabdulazeez3639]

Hey so i have a nikon coolpix l18 it take good photos and suddenly it stoped turning on please help me on this

[@pricklypearcamera]

The likely culprits here are a poor battery connection (check the posts on both sides), or a lens issue. The lens issue could be harder to fix, because it could be just a few microns of non-allignment that are causing the camera to not even power on.

[@YamAsher]

It worked thank you sir

[@avasadventure7072]

hiii my pb is that i found an old samsung S500 in my parent's room, it wasnt working because there weren't AA battery into it. So i bought new ones and it won't turn un but there's that indicator light who keeping turning on when I try to turn the digicam. It's the indicator above the effect button sorry for the bad english tho

[@xx_iheartgirlz.mp3_xx]

im having the same problem with a samsung digimax 370

[@avasadventure7072]

@@xx_iheartgirlz.mp3_xx it turned out it was the wrong AA, I took small ones but i needed bigger one. It’s working now for me

[@Emofevansnsn]

What if it’s not those type of batteries but it’s the flat one made for it

[@pricklypearcamera]

If it's a single lithium ion rechargable battery, then you can disregard this information as this video is meant for cameras with AA or AAA batteries.

[@dannyweiner3178]

@@pricklypearcamera Any suggestions for a digital camera using a single lithium ion rechargable battery that won't turn on?

[@dannyweiner3178]

@@pricklypearcamera Any suggestions for a digital camera that won't turn on using a fully charged single lithium ion battery?

[@sudhaanoop8383]

@@dannyweiner3178did you get an answer for your problem? I have one with the same problem. Any suggestions would help. thanks

[@tazzerooski]

Heyo, I have a Kodak EasyShare C310 and even after doing all this, it still isn't powering on. Any advice?

[@pricklypearcamera]

Hey! If the post bending didn't work, then the camera connection may have been so marred by corrosion that there's not enough of a contact point for the batteries to power on the camera. So unfortunately if that's the case, it simply may not be usable. Sorry to be the bearer of potentially bad news.

[@MarifeC.Lusabio]

hi! my camera’s nudge is stucked inside and i can’t lift them up 😭

[@samajen9079]

Could anyone help me my family doesn't use a canon a2200 PowerShot because it's not turning on anymore I've been looking at camera repair videos all day but can't figure out what's the source of the problem

[@pricklypearcamera]

Hi, the Canon A2200 uses the NB-8l battery I believe which is a lithium ion battery, not AA. So the issue with the camera could be a few different things, lens errors are the most common. Unfortunately a lot of these issues that aren't battery related are a lot harder or sometimes impossible to fix.

[@patriciayanez3081]

Gracias! Me funcionó

[@pricklypearcamera]

Hola! Happy to hear!

[@venugopal7387]

Can you show how to fix canon pc 1468

[@Dogislife101]

What am i supposed to nudge up? My Samsung S860 has lopsided ones and I'm not sure which way I'm supposed to nudge anything.

[@pricklypearcamera]

It sounds like the posts could possibly be broken, but if you shine a light in the battery compartment, you should be able to see which direction the post bends.

[@tbasu04]

What if i change battery aa type to anything my sister change type of battery and now this is not opening with aa type what i can do

[@masroorgul8503]

how much volt battery this camera need

[@pricklypearcamera]

Just regular AA batteries, which are 1.5V

[@rismadwihandayani3600]

My digicam olympus c160 is not turning on, when I put on the battery how can i fix it?

[@pricklypearcamera]

Did the battery tray have corrosion?

[@rismadwihandayani3600]

​@@pricklypearcamerayeah the tray battery had corrosion. How can i fix it?😭😭

[@rkpatell792]

What is battery name And how to bought 3.3v battery

[@pricklypearcamera]

I prefer Amazon branded AA batteries, but your market may differ in terms of what is available.

[@citgosoulja]

ty

[@AryanSiam-yq5ft]

It work.. 😊

[@jiaying4065]

Hi i hsve a sanyo xacti CA100 thats not turning on

[@lucaFLU]

I don't know to fix my PhotoSmart HP E337 😓 Please, help me.

[@pricklypearcamera]

Is there corrosion internally? Did you try the tactic to bend the battery post upward a little bit?

[@MakaelaMozeke]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE my camera isnt turning on after turning it off mid photo...can you help?v PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

[@BUMMIAISYAH]

my kodak pixpro fz45 wont turn on after i change new batteries :(

[@pricklypearcamera]

Bummer, sorry to hear that!

[@BUMMIAISYAH]

do you have any suggestions to what i should do?

[@uundertyle]

Good bro

[@Tiwariji2010]

I have an wespro dv532 it's screen is not turning on

[@pricklypearcamera]

Does that use AAA batteries? You could try the same cleaning if there is corrosion.

[@hotdogitlog6720]

Ty brooo it opened ❤

[@alexac2980]

I tried to get my Nikon coolpix l11 to work this way, no luck 😢

[@pricklypearcamera]

Sorry to hear!

[@shujinica]

is this still applicable for my digicam that is always been low battery 🥲 no matter of buying a new battery, still ending up in a low battery

[@pricklypearcamera]

Hi, possibly- it is likely a connection issue between the metal posts of your camera. There are a few different designs used, but some cameras have a metal prong that can be gently pried up to provide a better connection from the battery end to end.

[@shujinica]

@@pricklypearcamera noted. thank you very much!

[@lei.mwahhhh]

the metal part in my carema is broken how can I fix it?