Best 625 battery solution?

[dmr]

For the one GIII, I recalibrated it using the "wrong" 625 cell, including intentionally mis-adjusting it so it will now handle up to 1600 ISO/ASA film. That was a few years ago and since then it's been actually close enough for Kodachrome. It agrees within 1/2 stop or so with the Pentax and the "new" Gossen Super Pilot meter.

For the other GIII I've been using a Wein cell. Good, except you need to remember to re-paste the sticky over the vent hole if you're not going to be using it for a while, else the Wein cell runs down quickly.

For the Mamiya SD I simply use the "wrong" 625 without a recalibration. It's actually very close. I shot a roll of Kodachrome in it, bracketing carefully, and the "middle" one of the three was best most of the time.

 

[ZeissFan]

The zinc-air batteries most closely mimic the mercury and silver-oxide cells with a relatively flat voltage output but with a much shorter lifespan.

You often can buy them in 10-packs for less than US$8.

 

[crusius]

https://www.criscam.com/newsite/mercury_battery_adapters.php

 

[lewis44]

I searched long. I searched hard. I came to the conclusion that this is an Internet myth. If you have a real source, please share with us.

Saying that they are available on ebay is not a real source. 😉

http://www.batteriesandbutter.com/M...een=PROD&Product_Code=EXS625PX&Category_Code=

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

http://www.batteriesandbutter.com/M...een=PROD&Product_Code=EXS625PX&Category_Code=

Those are seriously 625 mercury cells?

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

So that's all it takes? Just a rubber sleeve, no diode?

I forgot you mention in my previous post. You might need to fold a little piece of aluminum to give the batteries enough height. I put them on the bottom of the Gossen so I didn't have to worry about losing it.

The zinc air cells claim to give a 1.4v output. Just a hair higher than the 1.35v from mercury cells. So far I haven't noticed a useable difference between 625 wein cells and the 675 hearing aid cells.
I'm sure there's a difference if I test the 1.35v wein cells against the 1.4v hearing aid cells but I doubt there will be any significant findings.

Also instead of a rubber sleeve, I've used a wire stripper and pulled the rubber coating off 18 or 20 gauge wires to pad the inside of the battery chamber. Works just as well.

 

[gdi]

Those are seriously 625 mercury cells?

No - they are Silver Oxide.

I have never found a device I couldn't use the hearing aid batteries in successfully - though I have an old Gossen Pilot that is hard to deal with due to the design of the battery compartment.

They last a long time if you do not remove the whole sticker/air vent cover, but trim it to uncover a couple of the small holes. I have to use O-Rings, tape, Aluminum foil or other things at hand to ensure a good fit.

I use or have used them in - Canonets, Leica MR Meter, LeicaFlex SL, Luna Pro meter (but I 'fixed' it by adding a couple of diodes to the meter) and Canon 7S, and probably a few other cameras.

I keep meaning to get some kind of adapter with voltage correction, but its low on my priority list now....

 

[lewis44]

Sorry, My mistake. They are the 625 silver.

 

[radiocemetery]

I will have to try the hearing aid battery solution in my Vivitar 35ES.

BTW, gdi, Great avatar. Takes me back it does. Your Alfa?😎

Steve

 

[shadowfox]

I don't get people trying to get a real mercury battery when a cheap adapter can be had (look up the link I had earlier in the thread).

The meters on these old cameras are most likely need calibration anyways, using the correct voltage does not guarantee anything.

The best way if you're really picky about this is to get a good modern light meter. Then get the battery adapter, choose a modern battery, use it in the old camera, and then compare. That way you will know for sure how much to offset (if necessary).

Or just use Sunny-16. 🙂

 

[venchka]

Bigfoot & Bubba were calibrated this century for mercury batteries. I have a modest stash of real PX625 batteries that should last as long as I do. They are the best light meters that I own. The real batteries cost less than an adapter.

That's my story & I'm sticking to it.

 

[colyn]

I searched long. I searched hard. I came to the conclusion that this is an Internet myth. If you have a real source, please share with us.

Here ya go. Scroll down and you will S625 silver oxide..

http://www.photobattery.com/

 

[marke]

I use the 675 batteries in my MR-4 and they match up with readings from my Gossen LunaLUX and the meter in my MP. To fill in the extra space for a larger circumference, I just cut up a shim from a 35mm film container. Like William (wlewisiii) said, they can be bought at Walgreens for dirt cheap.

 

[arthur sadowsky]

...for the Mamiya SD I simply use the "wrong" 625 without a recalibration. It's actually very close. I shot a roll of Kodachrome in it, bracketing carefully, and the "middle" one of the three was best most of the time.

I second to this statement: I use whatever 625 cell I can find for my army of Mamiya SD's and it works fine most of the time. My Yashica Lynx 14 is the same deal - meter works just fine.

 

[dmr]

Okay, I'll bite, why the orange text? 🙂

I second to this statement: I use whatever 625 cell I can find for my army of Mamiya SD's and it works fine most of the time. My Yashica Lynx 14 is the same deal - meter works just fine.

This may sound kinda stupid, but I've always considered the meter in the Mamiya SD to be less precise than the ones in the Pentax and the Canon GIII. I'm comfortable that the SD's meter is "close enough" and I find that more often than not it's in the ballpark. However, for some strange reason, I can't help but think that the GIII and K1000 are usually a bit closer. It's hard to explain, but it's just a feeling I have.

I know I did pay particular attention to be sure that the silver GIII agreed with the Pentax as close as I could get.

Oh well ... 🙂

 

[splitimageview]

Interesting how mercury batteries have been outlawed many years, yet now the US government (also the EU) has outlawed incandescent light bulbs, mandating the use of mercury-based fluorescent bulbs, all in the name of green and to prevent the world from overheating.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/business/energy-environment/01iht-bulb.html

 

[arthur sadowsky]

Okay, I'll bite, why the orange text? 🙂

You're absolutely right: it has to be green😀!!

This may sound kinda stupid, but I've always considered the meter in the Mamiya SD to be less precise than the ones in the Pentax and the Canon GIII.

Yet, you maid another correct observation: in my opinion the position of metering cell (both on MSD and Lynx) is too far away from taking lens and easily affected by many factors (such light reflection caused by skin of my hands, etc.) plus this 50-60th metering cell-on-the-body technology was never been precise or accurate. It's ok, but never accurate - I always use my Gossen Digisix or Sekonic L-358 meters to 'finetune' the scene.

 

[dmr]

Interesting how mercury batteries have been outlawed many years, yet now the US government (also the EU) has outlawed incandescent light bulbs, mandating the use of mercury-based fluorescent bulbs, all in the name of green and to prevent the world from overheating.

I am not an expert in this at all, but my understanding is that it was because mercury is so toxic, not due to environmental release, that mercury batteries were outlawed.

We really did not appreciate how toxic mercury is until maybe the 1970s. When I was young, kids used to play with it all the time. I thought it was one of the coolest things there was! My brothers used to collect it and had this big bell jar (musta weighed 20lb!) of it. We used to coat coins with it and dip our fingers in it and such!

Mercury irrigation {shudder!} was even used as a treatment for some bacterial infections prior to antibiotics.

Nowadays, somebody breaks an old thermometer and they call out the HazMat unit!

As for bulbs, and again I'm not an expert, but from what I've been told, you save on mercury emissions from power plants by using the newer curly-que bulbs, more so than what you would release if you accidentally broke one.

 

[ZeissFan]

And they still use mercury as a preservative for vaccines. Some people believe the mercury in the vaccines is a trigger for autism in young children.

And that's given rise to chelation therapy, which is aimed at removing heavy metals (specifically mercury) from children with autism. That -- chelation -- in itself isn't without risks or controversy, and I know of at least child who died while undergoing chelation.

 

[splitimageview]

Yes, I used to play with it as a kid, too...fun stuff. Maybe that explains my personality. 🙂

Fluorescents definitely use less power, but they do have mercury. Seems kinda silly that such a toxic metal is ok in a lamp that is easy to break, but not ok in a battery. I wonder if those bulbs had CFCs that would mess with the ozone layer, would they be legal then?

But that's the political situation with global warming.

I am not an expert in this at all, but my understanding is that it was because mercury is so toxic, not due to environmental release, that mercury batteries were outlawed.

We really did not appreciate how toxic mercury is until maybe the 1970s. When I was young, kids used to play with it all the time. I thought it was one of the coolest things there was! My brothers used to collect it and had this big bell jar (musta weighed 20lb!) of it. We used to coat coins with it and dip our fingers in it and such!

Mercury irrigation {shudder!} was even used as a treatment for some bacterial infections prior to antibiotics.

Nowadays, somebody breaks an old thermometer and they call out the HazMat unit!

As for bulbs, and again I'm not an expert, but from what I've been told, you save on mercury emissions from power plants by using the newer curly-que bulbs, more so than what you would release if you accidentally broke one.