D5100, will not take picture. most things fine but lens is damaged, mount is loose

Hello,
I could use some help and appreciate advice, or input. I am looking at a used D5100 for really good price.
The add says "I believe the shutter is not working" "The screen is in excellent shape and functions, and shows lens is not attached"
The picture of the lens shows the mount loose and half pulled out of the lens body. SO, I guess my question is,
Would a damaged lens prevent shutter activation? I would think the camera is smart enough not to actuate the mirror with no lens.
OR even if the lens is severally damaged as to the contacts not contacting adequately? I KNOW this is not enough information !
( I do troubleshooting in a another trade)
I guess I'm hoping I could just put a good used lens on this body and everything would be fine.
For the $60 dollars I might just take that chance. Any help, input, ideas, or suggestions would surely be appreciated.
Kind Regards, Bob

First of all....welcome to Nikonites! Not sure if the lens is damaged, or the camera, but my guess is the camera. Would a damaged lens prevent shuttle activation? Well, if the lens is damaged, then anything is possible. You have to have two working parts for the camera to operate as a whole piece of equipment. First you must have a fully functional camera body, and then, with a D5100, you have to have a lens that has the 'built in focus motor', as a D5100 does not have a motor to drive the lens built into the camera body. So, you must have a FULLY functional lens that has a focus motor that works. I don't think that really answers your question though because I'm not sure that a damaged lens drive would prevent the shutter from firing. I don't think so, and that is why I think the camera is damaged. I would just buy a used D5100 with or without a kit lens, as they are fairly inexpensive since the D5200 and D5300 were recently released. I owned the D5100 before moving to the D7100, and it's a great camera, expecially now that you can buy them cheap. Ask the owner outright if he has tried different lenses on the one with the damaged lens. Good luck.

Welcome to the forum.
It reads to me as though the guy knows he has junk and is trying to recover something from it,i could be wrong though

Well if it's not out of your way/inconvenience to look at the item in person... Then I would say go for it. Otherwise move on to the next one.

Thanks for Lighting fast reply.
I have sent some questions to seller. It is not possible to see the camera in person. Waiting for his reply. There is a picture of the correct AF-S 18-55mm DX VR lens that clearly shows the lens is 'definitely' damaged. I asking if shutter failed when main lens section partially separated from the "mount portion" of the lens. I also asked how lens was damaged and if it was on camera at time. I'm not sure how informed this person is. He referred to the 'hot shoe' as the "slide thingy on top". I know this is a generalized question, But do most cameras not perform shutter/mirror action if there is no lens attached to the body???? I also asked if he tried another lens, say like at a camera shop.(Waiting for reply) The display appears fine, no errors stated.
It does say "Lens not attached". Though it is not clear or indicated if the lens is actually physically not attached OR it is just not being 'sensed' by the camera body. Otherwise body looks clean, undamaged and in very good condition. Yes, I know it is a xxxx shoot. A body could look 'out of the box' new, yet simply not work. I was just excited about getting a D5100 for $50-$60. Getting a Broken D5100 for $50.... NOT So exciting. I will wait for more information from seller.
Thank You for the Welcome. I am much looking forward to improving my skills in photography.
Though, I am still curious about shutter/mirror action when no lens is attached. This may be a 'simple' question to most, but I do not yet know the answer. Waiting for reply and info from seller.
Most Kind Regards,
Bob

If it's just saying lens not attached, then it is likely the lens since it's broke. If it's not the lens causing the lens not attached warning, then it could be that the contacts need to be cleaned to fix the issue. One way of checking if it is a connection issue is to try the camera set to full manual and see if it will shoot then.
It's a gamble, that depends on the seller being ignorant and not having a second working lens to check the camera with. But if cheap enough it might be worth the risk.

I hope this info will be of some help!

PS. Welcome to nikonites!

After seeing a picture of the damaged lens, I would venture a guess to say, yes, it is very possible that the lens is the culprit. It is definitely loose, and I'm sure the contacts aren't functioning properly. I would just love (the million dollar question) to know if he has tried a different lens on the body? I mean, heck, he coul have dropped BOTH camera and lens at the same time and damaged the shutter too. Don't know. How lucky do you feel today?

Having a bad lens attached can cause cause the shutter not to work. BUT... I can fire the shutter on my cameras (d3100 and d7x00) in Manual with no lens attached. I can't say for 100% sure, but I am 99.9% sure the d5100 can also fire with no lens attached in Manual. Maybe the seller can try that for you. Maybe also he can lock the mirror up for cleaning and take a picture of the sensor box. That would at least tell you the shutter can open fully and there are no pieces hanging in front of the sensor.