Why does my lens close automatically after i turn on my Olympus Digital Camera D-500???

Does it beep or do anything other then turn off? what does it do in play mode? Does it have a good memory card in it? hold the memory door down tightly and try it. Akalines on these older smart media card type cameras just dont cut it they need ALOT more power then you think. NiMH rechargables are the only thing i would recomed using anymore. Dont listen to the tv NiMH are what you need.

If you notice on the memory door when it open, there is a little plastic tab that stick out. This tab goes into a little slot on the camera, that slot pushes a button that tells the camera when the door is open and closed. These buttons can sometimes cause problems. So make sure the batteries are NiMH and the door is fully closed with some pressure on it.

Also see what it does in playback mode. If it stays on fine in playback mode it may have a lens problem. The mechanism for the lens to move in and out could be jammed

Only thing I can suggest is to try different batteries again. maybe something more generic, regular aa's.

also note that the d-500 can use only mem cards that go up to 16 mb, 32 if you do an upgrade. If you're trying to use a newer card that might be the reason.

Good luck