topic Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ArchieFell — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 01:48:16 GMT

Hello,

I am an amateur photographer using a Rebel XS. I know it’s an old piece of kit but it’s all I can afford at the minute.
It will only turn on when the battery is removed and reinserted and the battery cap is put back on. I have tried several batteries including 1 canon and 2 Henjoy. It works completely normal once the battery is removed and reinserted and will stay on for as long as I need it. However, when I power is off using the normal switch, the on switch will not function and I have to remove the battery again.

I am currently travelling so please do not recommend I buy a new camera as it is not an option. I am keen at wildlife photography and set to go to Komodo National Park in the next couple of weeks so urgently need advice before then.

Thankyou very much and god bless

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ebiggs1 — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 15:33:50 GMT

Unfortunately buying a new or another camera is your best and cheapest option. The XS is long out of service life.
If I was to make such a lifetime trip that you are undertaking a new or a different camera is a small expense. If you don’t have and take a working reliable camera you will regret it later on.

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

Waddizzle — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 16:34:31 GMT

If buying a new camera is not an option for you, then what about trying a new memory card? Stick to an SD card that has a maximum storage capacity of 32GB, or less. This means only use SD or SDHC cards. The SDXC cards are NOT COMPATIBLE, and can store 64GB or more.

Make certain to use the camera to perform a low level format on any new memory card prior to first use. Despite appearances to the contrary, memory cards do not come pre-formatted.

Good Luck. It sounds like you are in the field. Be careful of ordering memory cards on the Amazon Marketplace, as there are a LOT of fake and counterfeit products out there. The same also holds true for camera batteries and other small electronic accessories.

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ebiggs1 — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 16:40:21 GMT

"Be careful of ordering memory cards on the Amazon Marketplace, as there are a LOT of fake and counterfeit products out there. The same also holds true for camera batteries and other small electronic accessories."

Double down on that. Avoid any of the non-Amazon itself retailers for camera gear of any kind. I am sure some are legit but you can never be sure unless you read every line on the web page very carefully. Even then some do not tell the whole facts. Same for ebay! Plus, never, never buy any of those camera packages with all sorts of junk included.

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ArchieFell — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 08:33:59 GMT

Hi there,

I appreciate your reply. Unfortunately my budget was extremely tight so an XS was all I could afford. It’s been working perfectly well the past 7 months. When turned on via battery reinsertment, it works perfectly fine which is the baffling thing to me. I read on other forums it may be something to do with the date/time battery, which unfortunately is inaccessible in the XS. I’ll take it to a canon shop and see what they think as it really has been reliable and nice to use as an amateur photographer.

anyway once again I appreciate the reply,

All the best

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ArchieFell — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 08:36:23 GMT

Hi there,

appreciate the response friend. I have a 32GB in at the moment and I’ll take putting in a 4GB I have brought with me.
As mentioned I belive the problem lies in the ‘on mechanism’ (forgive my poor camera physiology knowledge I’m only an amateur) and I don’t see how a storage card change would change anything, but I will try anyway.
thanks very much, I hope you have a good day

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

Waddizzle — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 11:46:33 GMT

Try this quick and dirty test. Remove the card, and see if the problem goes away.

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ArchieFell — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 12:10:50 GMT

Tried that initally to no avail. Appreciate the response have a great day.

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ebiggs1 — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 15:45:15 GMT

"Remove the card, and see if the problem goes away."

I am all for trying free or cheap fixes but IMHO changing the SD card will make no difference. It will operate without an SD card at all.

"... it may be something to do with the date/time battery, ..."

IMHO, it isn't the fault of the date/time keep alive battery. All it does is prevent you from entering the date/time each time you turn the camera on. It will work even if that battery is gone.

"I’ll take it to a canon shop ..."

Since a working used Rebel XS is worth about $60 to $75 bucks, even if a Canon repair shop will work on it, doubtful since it is a 15 year old camera, the repair, even minor, will likely exceed the cost of that used replacement.

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ArchieFell — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 15:47:29 GMT

Can you think of anything I could do to fix it from the symptoms described?
As I have mentioned prior buying a new camera is out of the question, at least for the next year.
no worries if not, have a great day

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ebiggs1 — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 16:18:17 GMT

"Can you think of anything I could do to fix it from the symptoms described?"

I am sorry but I can not. Aside form a new known good battery and a new known good SD card, that's about it. BTW a known good battery assumes you have a known good battery charger. These items are crucial to the operation of any camera. Any one of them malfunctioning will cause camera problems.

BTW, on the XS the date/time battery is installed on the MB and is not replaceable. If the XS is left unused for a long period of time that battery will also become discharged. It resets and recharges when a fully charged main battery is installed. The date/time battery not being changed will not prevent the XS from working properly. The same is true for the SD card. It is not keeping the XS form working. However, if either the main battery or SD card is faulty that can cause problems.

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ArchieFell — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 06:24:45 GMT

Hello,

I have a canon brand battery charger and 1 canon battery. I forgot to mention previously, that I had not used my camera in approximately 1 week, and when I came to use it I found that the switch had been knocked from ‘off’ to ‘on’ whilst I had been travelling and as it was not turning on, I assumed the battery had gone flat.
However, after swapping the batteries and turning it on I realised that somehow the camera (either on its own or through accidental button pushing whilst in my bag) had changed its auto turn off settings from ‘never’ to ‘30 seconds’. I then loaded up the original battery and found that the one that had been in it the whole time had 3 full bars (maximum).

God knows if this helps or changes anything, I only spoke of the date/time battery due to a post on a different forum page where a man with the same symptoms on a Rebel XS had posted and a man said it was to do with the date/time. It doesn’t make sense to me because, as you have already stated, that is purely for chronological purposes and surely wouldn’t interact with the power on feature of the camera.

Once again I sincerly value your advice and the time you take to help an amateur like myself.

god bless,

archie

Re: Rebel XS only turns on when battery is removed and reinserted

ebiggs1 — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 13:56:30 GMT

Hope it works for you. If you have an off brand battery and it has some age on it, I would discard it and buy a new one.