camera will not turn on, we were using it when a red half battery light came on & shut it down & changed the batteries & now it will not turn back on

Well, it could be the batteries you replaced them with are dead or under powered. Often, when you purchase batteries in bulk, it isn't uncommon that some or many of them are near dead or worse. Batteries bought in bulk tend to have a long turnover and such, can lose much of their battery power before they are used. And many batteries such as AAs are general purpose batteries and are not designed for the high energy use of digital cameras and the flashes they trigger. As such, I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.

And, even though you think you've put in fresh batteries, underpowered batteries are just as bad. At the very least, make sure you are using batteries with a higher mAh - like around 2500mAh. Those would satisfy the higher power requirements of your camera.

I'd also check your battery contacts. Over time, they can get mucked up. Clean them with a pencil eraser. If all this doesn't turn it back on, it may be in need of a servicing. But understand that without warranty coverage it may cost more to repair than it is really worth. The rule of thumb is that if the estimate for repair is north of 50% what you paid for it, you're better off taking that money and buying a newer and upgraded model.

have changed batts 5 or 6 times with batts from other places we bought camera & printer together so im kinda stuck

not really. as long as a new camera is pictbridge compatible, you'll be able to connect it.

no. it is not the battery so now tell me where to have it serviced somewhere local.

You'll have to contact Canon directly to schedule to ship it. You could try an authorized Canon dealer, but since we have no idea where you're located you'll still have to contact Canon to find one.

ge thanks im done

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Thanks for posting it and Good luck!