I have a Pentax *istDL dSLR. The last time I used it I accidentally left it on. I tried to use it the other day, only to find the batteries had corroded and had leaked. I scraped off the film left by the batteries and installed new ones. Still didn't work. The manual offers no help in this. Is my camera now an expensive paperweight, or can it be fixed? Is there an internal battery the book doesn't mention that needs to be replaced?

Are you using alkalines or rechargeable NiMH batteries? I ask because I just did a little research online and a lot of people are saying alkalines don't provide enough power for that camera. Just a thought

OK! Mechanic time...

First of all the corrosion must be completely cleaned off of the camera. Automotive electrical contact cleaner will do the trick nicely! MAKE DAMN SURE IT IS PLASTIC SAFE! You may have to open the camera body up depending on how bad the contamination issue was. USUALLY the damage is limited to the battery compartment only! Use care NOT TO GET THE CLEANER INTO THE LENS HOUSING OR YOU WILL HAVE A WITCH OF A TIME CLEANING THAT UP! Use a Q tip saturated in the cleaner rather than spray the camera down Be sure to clean the contacts thoroughly. If you suspect the intrusion is past the Battery Box as in the camera was oriented so the leak went in and not out to the battery door the contaminate may have crept into the circuitry a little. BE CAREFUL USING ANY CLEANER ON CIRCUITRY! Usually rubbing Alcohol is suitable for cleaning this part but it does not dry the cleanest. Follow with a wipedown with distilled water and use canned air to dry it thoroughly!

The problem is the contaminates are conductive and if the contamination is bridging the circuit it will short it out and kill new batteries. Once you get rid of the short the camera should still function normally.

And to WithOrWithoutYou, some cameras are indeed extremely power hungry! But I use regular AA batteries in my Kodak Digital and it works fine! I just don't get tons of pictures out of it becasue it does gobble the batteries! They work. Just don't expect a lot of pics from them. The real Juice Crazy cameras have proprietary batteries in them. I have seen one (really expensive) Canon camera with a 12v battery in it. It looks like a square film canister that slides in the hand hold end of the camera.

BTW I hope the scraping did not damage the contacts! Inspect them carefully to make sure you did not damage ay "Trace."

Fortunately you can get new parts for your camera. Call Pentax if you need to buy a circuit board in the event you damaged the contacts!

You should have a working knowledge to disassemble a Laptop or other "small electronics" before attempting a repair like this. One option is to take it to a professional for any serious repair work.

The BIG question is is the Camera worth it? A $100 3 Mega Pixel is not worth the cost of repair sadly unless you got a yen to fix things and know what you are doing. If you are talking a camera that is $400 or more then repair by a professional makes sense.

Have you tried using the AC adapter plugged into the DC input? That would bypass the battery compartment altogether and at least let you know if your camera is working or not.

Here is the thread I found about batteries and your camera

http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/13335-ist-dl-batteries.html

n/m, I fixed it! :D

So what was your end solution?