Replacement Batteries for Vintage Cameras
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- čas přidán 15. 10. 2023
- Do you have a vintage camera or 2 or 4 from Mid 1970’s and 1980’s and struggling to find the right batteries for the light meter to work? You are in the right place.
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We cover multiple options from purchase to do-it-yourself for batteries such as:
PX625/ MR-9 for cameras such as Nikkormat FTN, Rollei 35, various hand held light meters and many more devices.
4LR44 for cameras such as Canon AE1, Minox 35 and more.
PX32 for Yashica Electro 35 and others.
We talk about various adaptors and how to use some common batteries such as LR44 to solve many of our problems with the above problems.
We also cover odd shaped batteries, those which are soldered in and those specific to camera models such as some point and shoot cameras and Rolleiflex SLX.
We talk about some rechargeable batteries which can be refurbished from the inside using generic Lithium Polymer batteries.
If you have any questions, comments or corrections, it will be greatly appreciated.
We have over 300 cameras from 1901 to 2015 at the TechHeritage Museum. We will produce videos like this one at the rate of at least one per week until all cameras are preserved not only in the flesh but also online.
If you are interested in preserving the technological heritage of the last 100 years or so, please consider donating to the TechHeritage channel. No, not money. We do not need your money. By donation, we mean forgotten technology that is collecting dust in your old desk in the basement. It may be an old camera, an early mobile phone or even an early transistor radio. It probably won't work. But that is fine. Please mention in your comments below. We will contact you and organize shipment. We will then produce a video on that item in your name and thank you. - Jak na to + styl
I got some lovely Canon EX Auto and a Canon FT QL, I didn't know anything about cameras and only when I got them I found out that their batteries were no longer available. I saw about some modifications that could be made by adding a schottky diode to reduce the voltage a bit but I'd rather not risk damaging something so I'll try to make a homemade adapter for LR44 batteries so I can use both cameras. Awesome video and thanks for the info!
Good strategy. I would not touch any of the internal electronics either. Fix it at the source which is the battery. I would get a bag full of those brass adaptors for LR44 for almost nothing. They will last forever for all your vintage cameras. Then make a small adjustment to the ISO (one or two stops more light- ISO 400 becomes 200 or 100). That's all and it should work fine. Please consider subscribing.
Thank you for all this detailed information, it's most useful, for everyone who get a old camera and doesn't know how to run it. Your heritage project is very, very interesting
I look forward to your comments on the other videos. Try the ones on the Nikon F series.
To keep using the gear that I love? It's worth the time, trouble and a few dollars 💸 extra expense!!!
Absolutely!
Excellent, I really needed this.
Glad it was helpful!
Hi!!! In my Nikkormat i use PR44 (675) with a little piece of aluminium for contact. Works perfect!!! 👍🤙👏🇦🇷
Thanks for pointing out this alternative. These 675 Zinc Air hearing aid batteries are a good option and relatively cheap if bought in bulk. The usual criticism is that they are air activated. Once you pull the sticky tab off and expose them to the air, their life clock starts ticking and after a few months they are depleted. It would be good to hear if you have experience this or not.
@@TechHeritage when not in use, i put again the sticky, they are long lasting if you take care. 👍🤙👏🇦🇷
I love your videos, thank you
Glad you like them!
I appreciate your videos, thank you! 😊
Glad you like them! Please subscribe and recommend to others.
Ill use hearingaid batteries with specific vintage cameras also L1325 is the same as a 4lr44 and there quite easy to find on ebay
Thank you for the tips. As I have mentioned in previous comments, Ebay is not easy to access from all Countries and shipping costs can be prohibitive. Therefore a work-around is offered through LR44 which is much easier to source.
I much prefer a lithium battery over a potentially leaking alkaline, Lithium batteries are also better in the cold and usually have much longer shelf-life. For “4LR44” = Duracell 28L lithium - I use in my Canon AE-1. Rather than 2x LR44/SR44 for my Nikons I use a Duracell 1/3N lithium. I’d also likely use a SR44 over a LR44 but there is a slight voltage difference (sr44 = 1.55v vs lr44 = 1.5) so read up on that to make sure a SR44 is okay. And yes, I know that the batteries I mentioned are not always available. I don’t mind ordering them and having a few extras, I just really don’t like using alkaline batteries in anything I care about if I have other options. For sure don’t leave one in a device if you are not going to be using it for a long time. 🤓
Thanks for the detailed comments.
For some Nikon cameras, the company did not recommend Lithium batteries. Some have speculated that at the time of the production of certain cameras, the power regulators were not reliable and the camera could not cope with the Lithium power signature. However, others have reported using Lithium batteries on Nikons without problems. I have not heard this issue in relation to other cameras. I prefer either the LR44 or SR44 depending on the availability. I can buy LR44 almost anywhere. But SR44 needs to be ordered online. I reserve SR44 for the better cameras (which deserve it more). When I use them as substitute for the Mercury batteries, the amount of mental compensation varies between LR44 and SR44.
Yes, I did some research before using the lithium cells in my cameras. It seemed that quite a few others had used them with no issues, and so far no issues for me either. If I was to use alkaline batteries, I'd probably try to keep fairly fresh ones in there and always remove them before letting them sit for long. Though, I have seen brand new AA/AAA batteries leaking in their packages right in the store a few times.. I'd hope the LR44 are less prone to leaking than those, but I don't know as I have rarely ever used/bought them. @@TechHeritage
4LR44 available on Amazon uk in droves,also SR44 silver oxide version so no problem.............................
Yes, but it is not the same across the world. In some Countries even online purchase of these is very difficult as some of the viewers pointed out. Therefore alternative solutions come to the rescue. I hope you approve.
I love all of your videos, looking forward to more. I prefer the silver oxide or zinc-air substitutes for mercury due to their discharge curve properties and less likelihood of leaking. My Pentax Spotmatics and spot meter seem to have bridge circuits so that they will use 1.5-volt cells without any problems, and I've installed Schottke diodes in my Gossen meters and Nikon FTN prism. Do you know of other camera models that also incorporate this circuitry? Andy
You preference for Silver Oxide is wise and totally valid. However, in much of the world it is practically impossible to get Silver Oxide in real physical shops. Also, believe me, it is very hard to get them online in parts of the world. Some of my subscribers have mentioned this repeatedly. LR44, however is the common denominator.
The list of battery types, used to be 3 times more around 20 years ago. They keep dropping battery types. I see a world (not far into the future), where we will only have AA, AAA, LR44 and CR123. One of these days they will say Silver is toxic. I have had very bad experience with Zinc Air. They lose power very quickly whether you use them or not. Some of them were already exhausted when they arrived via Amazon. So, I will no longer buy Zinc Air. Also I do not modify the original circuitry of cameras by installing diodes, resistors etc. I find it very easy and quick to make adjustments for the slightly wrong voltage either mentally or via the ISO dial. It takes seconds. Measure the light with a Sekonic. Measure the light in the camera. If the result is different, adjust the ISO one or two stops until it perfectly matches. Check against a few different aperture and Shutter settings and I find it always matches across the useful part of the dial. This keeps the original camera intact, like preserving an archaeological artefact. If they are inconvenient, we do not change them to suit us today. We preserve them and make them work as best we can.
@@TechHeritage I understand your points, but the other reason I prefer the silver oxide or zinc-air is that the discharge curve matches that of the original mercury cells more exactly. Adjusting the ISO / ASA or the exposure compensation dial is accurate at the exact time you make it, but a few weeks later, it will be off again by a different factor. In addition, the accuracy from a 1.5 volt cell is different in high and low light levels. I've found as much as a full stop difference between low level readings and high level when using 1.5 volt cells (measured against a calibrated meter). So with a 1.5 volt reading you could be a half stop low in low light and a half stop high in brighter conditions. The zinc-air cells are barely over one dollar each at most any pharmacy or discount store near me, and they don't start losing power until you remove the blue air seal tab. I find they last 1-2 months after you remove the tab, whether used or not, but at a dollar apiece, I'm fine with that. I carry one of the little disc-shaped containers, unopened, in each bag for cameras I haven't adapted to 1.5 volts. I just put one in last week that's been hanging around in the bag for nearly a year. If I don't use that camera for a month or two, I'll just pop in a new one and pull the tab when I insert it.
The best permanent solution, as you say, is the use of an MR-9 adaptor; I've bought several for use in various cameras, but they are very expensive. On circuits where there is working room (Nikon F Photomic prism and Luna Pro meters in my case) I've soldered in a voltage-reducing Schottke diode (about $2 each on eBay), then readjusted the calibration (a bit of a task on the Gossens) so they now function perfectly with any 1.5 volt cell that fits. For me, usability is more important than preservation of the item - they're plentiful and inexpensive. That or the MR-9 is my favored permanent solution. Despite our small disagreement on this matter, I think your CZcams Channel is absolutely fantastic and accurate on many details that others get wrong. Keep up the great work! Andy
You can get batteries for Canon A series cameras. PX28, PZ 28L, 4SR44, 4LR44 etc.
Yes you can get them and I demonstrated them fresh in the package. But they are hard to get in many parts of the world, hence the need for more convenient alternatives. People write to me from around the world telling me about restrictions they are facing including online purchase.
Can you tell me what type battery in use at Taron Marquise from 1962? Tnx in advance!
As per the instruction manual, it is PX625 or PX13. These are Mercury batteries which are no longer available today. Follow the instructions in this video for the alternatives today. I suggest ordering the Alkaline versions of 625. For that you can search for 625A online.
For the ultimate solution with the PX625 batteries, wouldn't a silver oxide battery in combination with the MR-9 adapter be even better as it holds the voltage over its lifetime better than an alkaline battery?
In my A-1 I use a 4SR44 and for my F-1 I just ordered that MR-9 adapter with some SR43 batteries
Yes indeed SR44 is superior to LR44. But in many parts of the world it cannot be purchased in shops and others have pointed out that ordering it online in some Countries is prohibitively expensive. LR44 is still a commodity, easily found and the cheapest solution. The advantage is not so great to make much difference in real life. My aim is to get people to use their old film cameras again without excuses such as missing batteries.
@@TechHeritage yes that's definitely true, every person who shoots analog contributes to the preservation of this wonderful hobby.
then i can really be happy that the silver oxide versions here only cost one and a half times as much
Hi, I have an Olympus OM 1 that used a 1.35v battery, changing the battery to a SR44 1.55v will the different voltage battery burn out the light meter. Please advise.
Dear Peter
The solution is already in the video. Get one of those Japanese adaptors I demonstrated for LR44 which also changes the power down to 1.35v. That was the last option for the Mercury batteries and the most expensive one around $35. But you only need to buy it once.
BTW no-one else has reported light meter burn out due to 1.5v difference. One can just use the LR44 with the cheap $2 brass adaptors and add on stop more exposure.
@TechHeritage thank you for your response, I just wanted to know in your opinion, would using a SR44 or LR44 battery burn out a OM 1 meter.
The MR9 option is not worth the expense.
In fact you can purchase a meter for the cost of a MR9.
I'll be trying a $2 adapter with a MAXELL SR44 Battery as they are the most consistent voltage distcharge battery, as advised by Olympus themselves back in the nineteen eighties.
4LR44 is not rare.
In some parts of the world, it is impossible to find in shops. In some parts of the world, the shipment cost of buying online is a lot more than the product itself. So, it is useful to have an alternative that is easier to find. The entire intention is to prevent people from giving up on beautiful products just because they cannot find a battery. I hope you agree.
Fair enough.@@TechHeritage