old camera batteries

Yardbent

Yardbent

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just ordered 2 batteries for Canon A1

looks like a good place............."link"
 
Thought there might be a problem getting batteries for my AV-1s so I went mail order. Next day saw the same thing in the local Boots.
 
colpepper said:
Thought there might be a problem getting batteries for my AV-1s so I went mail order. Next day saw the same thing in the local Boots.
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It's usually the older cameras designed for 1.35v mercury batteries that have problems.

Boots may well be more expensive, though. Maplins are charging nearly four quid each for batteries that cost £1.50 from Small Battery Co.
 
Musicman said:
It's usually the older cameras designed for 1.35v mercury batteries that have problems.
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The argument goes on about this, I just stick a 1.5v silver oxide in my old cameras and adjust the asa using another camera to get the exposure readings to set...and this is my thinking why and I'm happy with proof of results from my Konica TC with 1.5v battery:-

"With the latitude of film, old cameras with used irises and meters, developing, scanning, adjusting digital or wet printing, adjusting in Photoshop, small errors in not metering absolutely to a Kodak grey card and so on and so on....... compensates for a 0.15 v difference in possible errors".
 
I do it all the time.The 0.156 V results in 1.5 stops siff; so setting the ASA 2 stopped down works wonders in all my old cameras
 
ujjwaldey8165 said:
I do it all the time.The 0.156 V results in 1.5 stops siff; so setting the ASA 2 stopped down works wonders in all my old cameras
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Is the voltage from modern equivalents that stable? Do you set Tri-X at 160asa and treat everything else as normal?
 
ujjwaldey8165 said:
I do it all the time.The 0.156 V results in 1.5 stops siff; so setting the ASA 2 stopped down works wonders in all my old cameras
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Well my Konica TC meter might be worn in my favour as with a 1.5v battery it's only half a stop out, but I suppose as a warning, some delicate cameras might be unhappy, but I know the MT3 doesn't care.
But the funny thing is:- with all my old cameras with correct 1.5v batteries quite a few vary by +&- half a stop, so a "must have" 1.35v battery for a 40 year old used camera seems more daft...and we know slide film needs to be quite accurately exposed? Well I would use a separate meter like a Weston instead of relying on these old camera meters even with 1.35v batteries.
 
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colpepper said:
Is the voltage from modern equivalents that stable?
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Alkaline cells have an undesirable slope to their voltage output over time, which may affect the accuracy of the metered/adjusted reading in a fairly unpredictable way, depending on the particular characteristics of each camera design.

They could be rated nominally at 1.5v, actually output 1.55v at the start of their life, drop fairly rapidly down to 1.4v and plateau there for a while before a final dip down to 0.5v.

excalibur2 said:
"With the latitude of film, old cameras with used irises and meters, developing, scanning, adjusting digital or wet printing, adjusting in Photoshop, small errors in not metering absolutely to a Kodak grey card and so on and so on....... compensates for a 0.15 v difference in possible errors".
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I do shoot a fair amount of slide film, where it's rather more critical than with negs. Then again, I may use a hand held meter if I'm that worried.

As it happens, my new Canon EF has a built-in voltage regulator, so 1.5v cells aren't a problem for that as long as they stay above 1.35v.
 
Musicman said:
Alkaline cells have an undesirable slope to their voltage output over time, which may affect the accuracy of the metered/adjusted reading in a fairly unpredictable way, .
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Indeed. But silver oxide equivalents are absolutely stable, so they are a better choice for these sort of situations.
 
ujjwaldey8165 said:
I have been using it in my CL. The only thing that stands between me and a good shot is me :D
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My Nikkormats all have button mercury cells, some working, others dead but I don't know their modern equivalents or exactly how to calibrate the difference.
 
colpepper said:
My Nikkormats all have button mercury cells, some working, others dead but I don't know their modern equivalents or exactly how to calibrate the difference.
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look up smallbatteries company. They have a great wealth of info. You can also call them; pretty helpful folks

http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/index.htm

Calibrating the diif is easy. Usually 0.15 v results in 1-1.5 stop unedr exposure. For films, overexpose by 2 stops ( I set a 400 asa as 100 ASA) and all will be fine. I usually dont use these cams for slides.
 
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colpepper said:
My Nikkormats all have button mercury cells, some working, others dead but I don't know their modern equivalents or exactly how to calibrate the difference.
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Well I think you can still get them in China and have seen them at boot sales (OOD) for £2.50 each..but the "must have 1.35v battery" guys either use wein cells, hearing aid batteries or electrically adjust the meter circuit for a 1.5v battery.
 
Musicman said:
I ordered some PX625As from them this very afternoon :)
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I'm impressed: I placed my order well after 4pm yesterday and they had arrived by noon today. :cool:

And I can now happily confirm that the metering on my EF is working fine :D
 
Cheers Yardbent, just bough 4 x LR44s & stuck them together as 4LR44s (what I wanted) didn't jump out at me. Was going to have a trawl around, for a 'spare' but this has saved me the bother.
 
For Nikon/Olympus/Leica etc that used to use PX625 mercury cells - I have used this adaptor to use zinc air cells that are cheap as chips and provide a reasonably stable 1.35V.

Voltage curves here
 
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STOWITBELOW said:
Cheers Yardbent, just bough 4 x LR44s & stuck them together as 4LR44s (what I wanted) didn't jump out at me. Was going to have a trawl around, for a 'spare' but this has saved me the bother.
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not sure what you have done here..or wanted to achieve......:shrug:
the 4SR44 code number is for one Silver Oxide 6.2V battery
the LR44 is a 1.5V button battery

the dpreviews site shows the Sony A200 as having.....
"NP-FM500H Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
• Battery charger included"

:thinking:
 
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Yardbent said:
not sure what you have done here..or wanted to achieve

the 4SR44 code number is for one Silver Oxide 6.2V battery

the LR44 is a 1.5V button battery
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It's a fairly well known bodge for the yashica electro 35's - a stack of 4 the LR44's with a spring and a cardboard tube :shrug:
 
TheBigYin said:
It's a fairly well known bodge for the yashica electro 35's - a stack of 4 the LR44's with a spring and a cardboard tube :shrug:
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god, i have entered the Dark Ages

but I found a book today called "The Dictionary of Photography"

17th reprint in 1952[!]...full of weird and wonderful things about early film and mixing chemicals...the DIY darkrooms were a hoot
 
Yardbent said:
god, i have entered the Dark Ages

but I found a book today called "The Dictionary of Photography"

17th reprint in 1952[!]...full of weird and wonderful things about early film and mixing chemicals...the DIY darkrooms were a hoot
Click to expand...


Just google Caffenol.... Develop your film in strong coffee, vitamin C and Washing Soda :LOL:
 
TheBigYin said:
Just google Caffenol.... Develop your film in strong coffee, vitamin C and Washing Soda :LOL:
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you film guys are seriously weird...too much sniffing chemicals.....:D

....grabs gear and runs back to the safe world of electrons and pixels..:exit:
 
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