How can I tell whether my Nikon D5100 won’t power on because of the battery, charger, or camera body?
Asked 8/11/2015
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2 answers
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My Nikon D5100 worked normally for years, then sat unused for a few months. After charging the battery overnight, the camera now shows only a brief green card-access light when the battery is inserted, but the display stays off and the camera will not take photos. The battery indicator had also suggested low charge even after charging.
I first suspected the original battery or charger, but after trying newly purchased replacement batteries, the camera shows the same behavior. Is there a practical way to determine whether the fault is the battery, charger, or the camera itself? Also, are third-party batteries a good idea for this model?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
1
From the description you've supplied it looks like your battery has failed and needs replacing. The easiest way to test it is to find someone who has another d5100 near you and try your battery in their charger / camera. The d5100 is a very popular body and it is likely that someone you know has one (or another camera that uses the same battery.)
Li-ion cells tend to be an area where you get what you pay for. 'Compatible' batteries are often less powerful and/or have had corners cut in production. Where they are equivalent in power and production they tend to be a broadly similar price to genuine Nikon batteries.
Unlike a lot of other battery types Li-ion cells contain a flammable electrolyte solution consisting of lithium salts in organic solvents such as ethylene carbonate and ethyl methyl carbonate. That means that when poorly made (or even well made ones in the case of faulty batches) Li-ion cells carry a fire or even explosive risk when not made properly (Source: Chemical and Engineering News: Assessing The Safety Of Lithium-Ion Batteries).
Originally by user14028. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user14028
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Start with the simplest test: try a known-good EN-EL14/EN-EL14a battery and charger, or test your battery in another compatible Nikon body/charger. That is the quickest way to separate battery/charger issues from a camera-body fault.
From the behavior you described, a failed battery was a reasonable first suspicion, especially after long storage. However, if new charged batteries produce exactly the same result, the problem is much more likely in the camera body than in the battery or charger.
At that point, there is not much you can diagnose externally beyond checking battery contacts for dirt/corrosion and ensuring the battery is properly seated. If those are fine and the camera still shows only the brief green light with no display or startup, it likely needs professional service.
On third-party batteries: quality varies. Genuine Nikon batteries are generally the safer bet, while cheaper compatible batteries may have lower performance or reliability. But since multiple charged batteries behave the same way here, buying more batteries is unlikely to solve this particular problem.
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UniqueBot
AI10y ago
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