Pentax 645D need help!

[gurtch]

I have not used my 645D in about 2 years....81 years old, retired, and have been using my small, light A7RII. Today I charged the batteries, and got out the memory cards set aside for this camera. I keep getting the message "NO CARD IN CAMERA". I reformatted four different cards in the camera, and still get the same message. I am really confused as to what is wrong. Any suggestions? I tried four cards in both slots.
Thanks in advance
Dave Gurtcheff
Beach Haven, NJ

 

[Shashin]

It might be dirty contacts in the camera. Try putting the cards in and out of the slots a few times to try to clean them.

Also, do you have the card slots set up to duplicate the images? Try setting the camera to one slot and the other as the overflow. That might let you know which slot is the problem. If that made any sense...

 

[D&A]

Hi Dave,

Good to hear from you and hope you are doing well. As will suggested< I would try what he outlined. I don't have the camera in front of me, but is there a menu setting to reset all or at least reset as much of the cameras parameters as possible? Like Will my guess though is oxidized dirty contacts inside the slot where you insert a SD card. if inserting and reinserting a card quite a few times doesn't help, then I knew someone with a similar problem, put a few drops or wipe the contacts of an old expendable SD card with 91% isopropyl alcohol (cost under $1.50 at the pharmacy), and wile the SD cards contacts are still damp, insert and reinsert the card a few times to possibly clean off the oxidation off the contacts that make contact with the SD cards contacts. Worth a try and let us know if all these steps help.

Dave (D&A)

 

[gurtch]

Thanks Dave. I live on a barrier island, where there is a salt air atmosphere, so dirty/corroded internal contacts may be the problem. I did take a SD card, used a que tip, and put some rubbing alcohol on it and inserted the card several times. I may use one of my wife's emery boards and canned air to see if that will clean them.
Thanks again
Dave

 

[D&A]

Hi Dave,

I remember where you live and what you went thru with Hurricane Sandy and from what I recall, having to rebuilt twice. I was going to also mention the salt water atmosphere and it too might be a contributing cause. Just take things slowly and stick to only isopropyl alcohol and also seeing if you can reset the camera. Hope it works.

Dave (D&A)

 

[gurtch]

TO ALL:
I got it to work. Here is what I did:
1. Used rubbing alcohol on a que tip, and moistened the contacts on a SD card.
2. Used the moistened card and inserted and removed it several times in each slot.
4. Used an emery board to lightly rub the contacts inside the SD card slots.
5. After step 4, I used canned air with a skinny straw shaped nozzle to blow out the slots.

It could be I really did not have a problem after all! When I inserted a card in slot #1 and turned the camera on, I got the "NO CARD IN CAMERA" warning. I did not notice it was referring to slot #2. When I put a card in slot #2, I got the same warning, but did not notice it referred to slot#1! When I inadvertently put two cards in (one in slot #1, and one in slot#2), the warning went away, and I took several test shots and all is well. It is embarrassing to report the above....81 years old and losing it!!
Regards and thanks all.
Dave in NJ
www.modernpictorials.com2

 

[D&A]

The only important thing is you got it working! Nice going Dave!

Dave (D&A)

 

[dave.gt]

Sounds like your 100,000 mile service work is fone, regardless! Good for another 100k!!!

Shoot it like you stole it and never worry about anything going wrong! Congratulations!:thumbup:

 

[gurtch]

I looked at my records and files...the last tome I used the camera was Feb 2016. I spent the better part of this afternoon reading, flipping through the TWO instruction books. I could not find my instructions, so down loaded pdf files. I am particularly interested in auto HDR bracketing with this camera, as I have had very good results doing this with my A7RII. That camera is so light, I can set it for one shutter push actuation bracketing while using a monopod. Works like a charm.
Thanks all again.
Dave in NJ

 

[fotophil]

Thanks Dave. I live on a barrier island, where there is a salt air atmosphere, so dirty/corroded internal contacts may be the problem. I did take a SD card, used a que tip, and put some rubbing alcohol on it and inserted the card several times. I may use one of my wife's emery boards and canned air to see if that will clean them.
Thanks again
Dave

Many of the electrical contacts are gold plated so the emery board could do serious damage. In addition to alcohol. there are special solvent base electrical contact cleaners that might work.