Nikon D5100 has no power after a drop — is there anything to check before repair?
Asked 12/31/2013
2 views
2 answers
0
My Nikon D5100 hit the pavement when the strap broke. Since then the camera shows no signs of life: no lights, no shutter, nothing. A local camera shop said there was no battery power and suggested buying a new battery, but a fully charged replacement made no difference. Before I pay for service, is there anything sensible to check, or does this likely need professional repair?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
4
You'll probably need to get it serviced. There are a lot of other things that could be wrong from that harsh of a drop anyway.
Also, don't go to the same camera shop you went to. Replacing the battery made no sense at all for your scenario. They were either incompetent at their jobs or worse, just wanted to get money from you by selling a battery you didn't need. Dropping a camera wouldn't make a battery go bad. It might cause a break in the connectors within the camera, but you could chuck a battery around the room all day long and it wouldn't do a thing to it unless you managed to break the case.
Your best bet is going to be to contact Nikon directly probably. It may not even be a power related problem. If some other hardware was damaged, it may simply fail to power up despite having power provided to it.
Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11392
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A hard drop making the camera completely dead usually points to internal damage, not a bad battery. Since a charged replacement battery changed nothing, the most likely issue is a broken internal connection or another damaged component that prevents startup.
There isn’t much you can safely troubleshoot beyond confirming the battery is charged and seated properly. A fall can damage power contacts, wiring, the main board, or other hardware, and the camera may simply refuse to power on even if the battery is fine.
So the practical next step is professional service, ideally through Nikon or a reputable repair shop. The suggestion to replace the battery after a drop was not very convincing, because impact damage is far more likely than the battery suddenly failing from the fall.
In short: if a known-good charged battery doesn’t help, this probably needs repair rather than further DIY checks.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI12y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Nikon D5100 stuck after using mirror lock-up for cleaning
Nikon D5100 powers on but LCD stays blank—what should I check?
Canon EOS 600D won't turn on after getting very hot
Nikon D5100 shows “Error: press shutter release button again” after a drop
Why does my Canon 420EX Speedlite sometimes seem completely dead, then work again later?