Canon Rebel SL1 went "black" and won't restart

[RSlater]

I have an 18-month old Canon SL1.  I have used it quite a bit and am familiar with it.  I was at an outside event today and took probably 100 pictures.  Suddenly, it took a picture, then went totallydark.  I took the following steps:

1) Took out the battery and reinserted it

2) Inserted a fresh battery

3) Took out and reinserted the memory card

4) Wait a while and tried all the steps above again.

It had been performing perfectly until now.  It is as if if it is "unplugged - nothing works - nothing at all.  Naturally, I'm 6 months past the end of warranty!!

Rick

[Waddizzle]

I dunno.  I cannot hold it to inspect it.  Be aware that there is a switch on the battery door, and I belive the card slot door, too, that disables the camera from powering up if the door is not closed securely.  Make sure the doors are properly seated in the closed position.

If you changed batteries, let's rule that out.  Your memory card may have failed.  Remove it, and see if the camera can power up without it.  Again, make sure the battery and memory card doors are properly seated in the closed position.

It is possible that your LCD has died.  The camera has a red LED on the rear, which indicates when the memory card is being accessed.  Watch the LED when you insert, or remove, the memory card.  The LED should flash and blink a few times when you insert a fresh card, because the camera interrogates the file structure on the card.

[RSlater]

Thanks for the suggestions - I tried all of them but no dice.  I admit I am perplexed what to do next; I had an older Canon Rebel that worked like a champ for over 8 years.  As I said, the camera is 6 months past warranty.  Sending it in to Canon will cost who knows what and I've been told that doing that is not a sure thing.

I could buy another but after this experience with an SL1, I'd be dubious of doing that.  But I do have Canon lenses, so I'm hesitant to start over with another brand. 

[Waddizzle]

---

@RSlater wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions - I tried all of them but no dice.  I admit I am perplexed what to do next; I had an older Canon Rebel that worked like a champ for over 8 years.  As I said, the camera is 6 months past warranty.  Sending it in to Canon will cost who knows what and I've been told that doing that is not a sure thing.

I could buy another but after this experience with an SL1, I'd be dubious of doing that.  But I do have Canon lenses, so I'm hesitant to start over with another brand. 

---

Make sure the rubber around the viewfinder is properly seated, too.  It could have overheated, too, if it was a very warm and hot day.  Sweaty or damp hands are not a caemera's best friend, either.

Where you near water or a beach?  Airborne contaminants can get inside the inexpensive camera bodies.

[RSlater]

The rubber on the viewfinder came off a few weeks ago (a problem I seem to have had on my previous Canon camera, as well.  It was a warmer, but not "hot" day - temps in the mid- to upper 70s) and I was on a concrete runway - no water or sand.

[Waddizzle]

---

@RSlater wrote:

The rubber on the viewfinder came off a few weeks ago (a problem I seem to have had on my previous Canon camera, as well.  It was a warmer, but not "hot" day - temps in the mid- to upper 70s) and I was on a concrete runway - no water or sand.

---

That's interesting.  Did you re-install the rubber piece on the viewfinder properly?  I ask because there should be a light sensor near the viewfinder that blanks the display when you bring the camera to your eye.  Your faces blocks light from hitting the sensor.  If that rubber piece has become slightly dislodged, it can block the sensor and blank your display.

[RSlater]

That's a problem I had with my older Canon camera as well.  The rubber eyepiece seems to work it's way loose and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to reinstall it.  Seems like the manufacturer should so a better job of installing it.

If there is a better way to install it, I'd be all ears.

[Waddizzle]

---

@RSlater wrote:

That's a problem I had with my older Canon camera as well.  The rubber eyepiece seems to work it's way loose and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to reinstall it.  Seems like the manufacturer should so a better job of installing it.

If there is a better way to install it, I'd be all ears.

---

They are usually pretty hard to take off on most production models.  But, there is always a little slop in manufacturing tolerances.  Maybe my roll of the dice gave me tight rubber eye cups, while your roll of the dice gave you a loose one.

It should sort of snap and click into place.  If not, they yours could be damaged.  They're cheap.  You can get one for less than 10 US dollars.