topic Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help! in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

OttinotL — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:43:09 GMT

I own a T3i for about 18months. It's been perfectly fine till it does not turn on at all this past Fri after taking pictures at my sister's HS graduation. It does not make a sound. I recharged the battery and tried again, I took the card out then put it back in.

Any other suggestions I would gladly appreciate.

I bought it at B&H, should I go see them or contact Canon.

Thanks

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

Dam — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:20:11 GMT

I would recommend contacting Canon directly. Their technical support has been very good and usually solves my issues.

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

OttinotL — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:30:57 GMT

trying that now! tks

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

stout3802 — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 20:56:00 GMT

The same thing has happened to me. I've owned it for just over a year and a half, and it has stopped turning on. I spoke to customer service and they told me that I have to pay the base fee of $190 plus shipping and whatever other charges come along with it to get it fixed. I'm extremely disappointed and am not surprised to see that I am not the only one with this issue.

Canon, would you please help us solve this problem? I realize that the camera is past it's warranty, but it is supposed to be a quality product, and so I do not expect to pay a lot of money to repair an electronic issue that clearly has nothing to do with the user.

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

TCampbell — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:33:50 GMT

A few simple questions...

Do you own more than one battery and have you tried a different battery?

Note that it is possible to set the rear display in a mode where it will not light up at all... but you should still be able to see the viewfinder display light up.

Occasionally, a problem can be fixed by removing the battery and leaving it out for a while (a while being more like 20-30 minutes).

Lastly... there are a few interlocks that will prevent the camera from powering up. One is on the battery door and there's another in the memory card slot. These are very tiny microswitches. If these micro-switches get stuck then the camera can exhibit these symptoms of refusing to power up. (there is also a micro-switch in the flash hot-shoe but that switch just tells the camera if a flash is present but will not prevent the camera from powering up.)

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

Tim — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 00:24:28 GMT

Hello Ottinotl,

We should try resetting your camera using the following steps to try and resolve this issue.

1. Turn the camera OFF and remove the memory card and battery.

2. Detach the lens and place it out of the way. Use the camera body cap to prevent dust from getting inside.

3. Let the camera sit for about 20 minutes.

4. In the interim please clean the lens contacts with a soft, new, lint free micro fiber cloth. Use the microfiber cloth to gently rub across the lens contacts.

5. Put these items back in the camera and turn the power switch to <OFF> and <ON> again.

6. Using the Mode Dial, change from Auto to Program and back while trying to shoot with the camera.

7. Try a different Canon EF lens on the camera.

- Check the camera's on-board flash unit. Is there something obstructing it or is it stuck?

- Try a different card and also check that the card slot is closed securely. Sometimes the memory card can cause issues and if so swap out the installed card for a different one.

- Check and clean the battery contacts or use a fully charged battery.

If completing the above steps fail to resolve the issue then we recommend sending the camera into the Factory for evaluation. The root cause should become apparent under factory service conditions. You can set up service through our web site, as well as contact us if this is an urgent matter.

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

stout3802 — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 02:25:57 GMT

I have tried all of these things, but yet still nothing. If I send it in, do I then have to pay whatever it costs to fix it regardless of whatever faults the camera obviously had prior to my purchase? I'm just worried, because I have done some research, and it seems as though it is the motherboard, which will no doubt be expensive to fix.

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

stout3802 — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 02:30:39 GMT

I have tried another battery, and nothing lights up on the camera at all. It is completely non-responsive. I have also checked the interlocks, and it seems as thought they are closed tight.
I'm just baffled, because one day the camera worked, and the next it wasn't turning on. Do you know if Canon is ever willing to admit that their product was faulty and assist with repair costs??

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

OttinotL — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 11:36:46 GMT

Hi guys!
Tks for helping. I took the camera to a repair store that's endorsed by canon. Thought canon was too pricey since the camera was over the warranty period.
Anyway, they said the motherboard short circuited and had to be changed. The T3i camera is not weather resistant and think it might have been exposed to moisture somehow. I got it fixed for about $250 and now I protect my camera with my life. Any sign of rain, we re not shooting! Lol
Thanks all for your suggestions!!!!

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

TCampbell — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 02:24:19 GMT

The Rebel bodies are not weather sealed... the mid-range and high end bodies usually are weather sealed (which still does not mean "weather proof") but then that only works if the lens is *also* weather sealed and generally only the "L" series lenses are weather sealed (and not all of them.)

You may want to invest in some cheap insurance... for between $5-10 per pack, you can get disposable rain jackets / rain-sleeves. These are plastic baggies that cover the body and lens (with an opening for the lens -- and often also an opening for the viewfinder). They usually have some holes from below that you can put your hands into. There are non-disposable high quality rain-jackets too... but of course those will cost more.

If for any reason you camera does get wet, make sure you towel it dry quite well. If you suspect moisture got into the camera, pick up a dissicant pack and seal the camera into a plastic bag with the dissicant packs inside to draw out any moisture. Some dissicant packs can be re-activated (usually this involves heating them in an over for a few minutes to force-dry them.)

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

dlc — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 06:20:56 GMT

Tim,

I, too, have owned a T3i for 18 months. The other day it made a "shorting noise" then the LCD went black. I turned the camera off then on and the shutter opened and closed, but the LCD was still black. Today, I turned on the camera and the LCD came on, but none of the buttons work properly to control the camera. I could take pictures intermitently, but the camera was not making the typical shutter open close sound.

I found this forum thread and trued all the steps you detailed (below for reference). During step 6, the camera took perfect pictures...not in one mode or the other, but each tome I switched from P to M (click) M to P (click) and so on:

1. Turn the camera OFF and remove the memory card and battery.

2. Detach the lens and place it out of the way. Use the camera body cap to prevent dust from getting inside.

3. Let the camera sit for about 20 minutes.

4. In the interim please clean the lens contacts with a soft, new, lint free micro fiber cloth. Use the microfiber cloth to gently rub across the lens contacts.

5. Put these items back in the camera and turn the power switch to <OFF> and <ON> again.

6. Using the Mode Dial, change from Auto to Program and back while trying to shoot with the camera.

7. Try a different Canon EF lens on the camera.

- Check the camera's on-board flash unit. Is there something obstructing it or is it stuck?

- Try a different card and also check that the card slot is closed securely. Sometimes the memory card can cause issues and if so swap out the installed card for a different one.

- Check and clean the battery contacts or use a fully charged battery.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

DLC

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

hilton8 — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 20:23:23 GMT

Hi i have the same problem, camer has never been wet , has barley been used and warranty i snow up, have new batteries charger and sim card still same issue

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

Shureman — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 13:12:29 GMT

I want to thank you for saving me $190. I removed my battery door and put it back on and VOILA! the camera turned back on for the first time in four days. I had already chatted with Canon support online with "Pedro" and he failed to mention this trick - shame on you Pedro. I already had prepared and boxed the camera for shipping to Canon, but just before sealing the package I checked google, found this forum in 30 seconds. Thanks again.

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

ewest305 — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 21:31:26 GMT

I just wanted to say that I was having the same issue and the reply saying the Battery Door/Memory Card fixed my issue. I thought I was in for a pricey fix but it was just a matter of taking out the battery, taking out the memory card and then simply stuffing them back in and closing the door. I know I have done this several times but it must be pretty sensitive. Some combination of doing this probably did the trick. Not sure.

Now, the humidity of Costa Rica jungle could have caused the issue in my case. Isn't there something in the camera that detects some dampness and won't turn on knowing the risk of shorting out other parts? Not sure but i'd like to believe the first answer was correct. I have no plans of not returning to humid places!

I owned a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. it just stopped working! ME TOO

BuffaloSuzy — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 22:03:00 GMT

Hi - how awkward is this.. we pay around $600 for this camera brand new and yes 18 months later, it dies! Out of warranty we are faced with a repair half the cost of the camera!!

That's rediculous. I shipped it to Canon as a whole including the lens and they sent me 2 repair quotes - one for around $230 and the other for $90. There was NOTHING wrong with my lens. This should be documented and reported to a consumer advocate that's just BAD BUSINESS!

Thank you for sharing your experiences I was sooo mad - tried taking the battery door off taking mem card out, etc etc etc etc everything...

When I turn it on, there is nothing, except a beep when I touch ANYTHING. No visual, no display, nothing to see just beeps when touched.

I think Ill try to sell it on ebay.. what else can I do? What have you guys done.. pay for repair or.. ??

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

BuffaloSuzy — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 22:04:42 GMT

What did you end up doing? I am in the same predicament. 18 monhts, light use and DEAD. Only beeps when I turn it on. No visual.. .they quoted around $230 to fix without saying what the problem was!

This is what Consumer Advocates are for. This is just not right!

Dont know whether to sell it as is on ebay or try to find a motherboard and try repairing myself???

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

Kentuckymama — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 16:18:42 GMT

I am having the same problem! Never had an issue until now. Of course, it would stop working at an event that our Artisan Fellowshp was having. So disgusted... thinking I may return to Nikon!

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

Waddizzle — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 17:18:35 GMT

@Kentuckymama wrote:
I am having the same problem! Never had an issue until now. Of course, it would stop working at an event that our Artisan Fellowshp was having. So disgusted... thinking I may return to Nikon!

A couple of people had an issue with the battery door not being fully closed.

At least one person had gotten their camera wet.

Another potential trouble spot is the door for the card slot not being fully closed.

What symptoms are you seeing? Does it beep, or anything, when you turn it on?

If you take out the memory card does it turn on? With no lens attached?

Has the memory card been formatted in the camera?

Is the memory card too large? Yes, too large.

Re: I own a Canon Rebel T3i for 18months. i just stopped working; It is not turning on at all. Help!

tommyd2010 — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 07:31:06 GMT

left mine in rain duh container of rice and 2 days in ac fixed issue