Batteries for older cameras in Europe

[mani]

A pretty trivial matter - but sometimes vital to keep an old camera fully-functioning: I had a hard time finding Wein cells for my OM1 cameras in Stockholm (the only store I knew used to have them has discontinued selling them now).

An internet search turned up a few hits in Europe - but the cheapest I could find was at:

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

So I ordered three late on 28 Feb, and they just took a couple days to arrive in perfect shape.
Have no connection with this company whatsoever - just thought it might save someone else time and effort when those older batteries run down.

 

[eia41]

One does not need to have a connection with the Small Battery Company to praise their service. Like you, neither do I, but they are the first place to go to if you want difficult to obtain batteries. And, Yes, their service is exemplary irrespective of the size or the value of your order.

 

[seany65]

I'll probably be using them if the colour film from my 500gx shows no problems. I did have a wein cell for it, but that lasted less than 30 frames and I had start using my variosix F. I would be getting their '1.55v-1.35v' adaptor and a silver-oxide cell, if they've got any in stock at the time.

 

[Sid836]

Almost anything that really matters is out of stock. I found that site some years ago and all that matters for me (mercury cells, PX625, etc) is out of stock since then. It even looks not being updated any more.

 

[John Bragg]

+1 for the Small Battery Co. Always delivered quickly no matter how small the order.

 

[sevo]

Maybe they are more affordable in the US, but in Europe, Wein cells are quite idiotically expensive. On cameras that see constant use, I use silver oxide cells in drop-diode adapters, or soldered drop diodes into the cameras - silver oxides last another magnitude longer than Wein cells, reducing the risk of leakage damage in cameras where the cells are permanently installed. For cameras that only rarely see any use, I use plain hearing-aid batteries and remove them after use.

Given the extremely low price of plain zinc-air (hearing aid) batteries, below 40c a piece (bargains are 1.99€ for a dispenser with six or more cells), there is no point in Wein cells (the same zinc-air cells modified with an adhesive sticker) selling for eight to fifteen € for a single cell. You can get a roll of conductive tape and a pin for less than the price of a single Wein cell, and do the same modification to your own hearing aid cells - or simply go through half a box of hearing aid batteries in the time a Wein cell would have lasted, and still save 90%.

 

[mani]

hmmm ok... didn't realize this simple post would generate any heat 😱 I really just meant it as a reference for future RFFers facing the same problem I faced now: local retailers uninterested in maintaining a (small) supply of unusual or non-standard batteries.

I'm sorry it seems not all the batteries listed on the site are available - I only searched for the PX625-replacements - and those were in stock and much cheaper than I was accustomed to paying locally.

What's more, after I ordered I received a very polite email listing all the details of the transaction and when the batteries had been despatched, with a confirmation of the address etc. All in all I was really pleased.

And because the Wein cells were just £5 each and last about a year (and furthermore last around ten years if the air-seal isn't broken), then £18 for three batteries incl delivery seem a bargain to me. Three+ years of OM metering are worth more than that to me. 🙂