Cameras Without Batteries

[dazedgonebye]

It seems every few days, I read that someone prefers this camera over that one because it’ll function without a battery. I’ve never really understood this thinking.
Batteries in my film cameras seem to last just about forever. I’ve only ever been let down by DSLR battery drain and even that can be fixed with a single back-up.
With 2 bodies, 4 lenses and 6 rolls of film in my bag, don't I have room for a couple of tiny batteries?
Are people living so far from civilization that a spare battery in the bag is not enough?
How are those people posting on the Internet? Do they have high speed broadband but no mail service?

I’m sure one of you will have the answer.

 

[RdEoSg]

I was out using my M6 for the shoot on equinox project and my batteries went dead. I didn't have spares but since the batteries only cover the meter I was able to keep shooting using the sunny 16 rule.

Yes you can carry batteries and most people do, but still on occasion you forget them, or are in a place and can't find a backup. In those situations it is the difference between being able to continue shoot or putting the camera away for the day.

 

[breeze]

I know sailors who insist on bringing along a sextant because the GPS might fail. Out of courtesy, I make a point of not mentioning that for the price of a sextant, one can buy two or three GPS units and have backup coming out the ying yang 🙂

 

[fishtek]

Maybe it's the same mentality that affects those of us who prefer an automatic or hand-wound watch over battery-driven ones. On the one hand, knowing that the whole camera isn't immediately a paperweight if the battery dies DOES appeal to me, as it's sort of a redundancy factor without actually carrying more stuff.

On the other hand, (as in the case of my DSLR), the battery-driven features give me LOTS of latitude about how I wish to use the machine. Different strokes, eh?

Best!
Don

 

[oftheherd]

RdEoSg has nailed it. Murphy will always make sure things don't go as planned. When you are on a mountain top miles from civilization, that is when Murphy will strike. Never when you are photographing in the drugstore parking lot.

And how many different types of batteries will you keep as spares. They age even when not being used. Of course I keep some as spares, especially for those cameras I use the most, but not every type for every camera I have. In SLR, my Fuji ST 901 goes from 1/60 to 1/1000 without batteries. My Yashica FX 103 is a door stop (and not a very good one) without batteries.

But, that is just me.

 

[iml]

I've never had a battery fail, but I suppose it would be nice to be able to carry on shooting regardless. I wouldn't make it the basis on which I chose a camera though. I feel the same about the old "how loud is the shutter" question too, all of my RFs are quiet enough and I don't really think any of them are too loud for any of the places I shoot in, but some people seem obsessed about having the quietest shutter.

Ian

 

[varjag]

Get your camera wet once and you'll know why 🙂

 

[like2fiddle]

Maybe it's the same mentality that affects those of us who prefer an automatic or hand-wound watch over battery-driven ones. On the one hand, knowing that the whole camera isn't immediately a paperweight if the battery dies DOES appeal to me, as it's sort of a redundancy factor without actually carrying more stuff.

Best!
Don

I agree with Don. It isn't so much the batteries dying as it is the entire camera being out of service if some circuit board fails. If a meter fails, we have various backups, eg. sunny 16 or experience and wide latitude, forgiving films.

 

[RdEoSg]

That too. Last time I was in Poland, twice my camera became so cold and wet that it stopped functioning and I couldn't shoot for an hour or so. Both times I could have continued shooting had I owned a non-battery dependent camera at the time.

 

[back alley]

will everyone who keeps a spare battery in the tunk of their car, please raise your hand. 😉

their is some sort of romanticed fantasy that as shooters we will someday be in that situation, you know, like a war or something and that we need the toughest gear that will work without batteries to insure 'getting the shot'
for me, most of my shooting is on city streets where i can run into a camera shop (or elsewhere) and buy a battery if i forget my spares at home.

 

[back alley]

That too. Last time I was in Poland, twice my camera became so cold and wet that it stopped functioning and I couldn't shoot for an hour or so. Both times I could have continued shooting had I owned a non-battery dependent camera at the time.

your m6 stopped working because of the cold...or your dslr?

 

[varjag]

I thought the original poster implied battery dependent cameras.

Fantasy or not, one of my cameras was covered with a layer of frost and still took pictures. Maybe it's romanticism on my part, but I find the idea of battery indepenence consolating 🙂

 

[RdEoSg]

no my dslr. I didn't own an M6 at the time.

My 5D stopped. Once because it was literally frozen, as in I had to bang it on a table to break the ice off the thing. The second time someone drove by in an alley (you should relate 😛) and drenched me with a puddle. The camera stopped immediately.

Both times had I owned my M6 at the time, I could have continued shooting.

 

[charjohncarter]

Don is right. You just feel better.

 

[dazedgonebye]

I guess it's all down to the importance of the application and whether or not you want to shoot without the conveniences offered by battery dependant cameras.
I want AE and I think the "risk" of using a battery is worth it.
I'm not piloting a space shuttle, or doing brain surgery, so I think the risk of equipment failure, being very minimal anyway, is acceptable.

 

[rogue_designer]

I like a mechanical camera for the same reasons I like a mechanical watch. I admire the precision and engineering needed to create such a thing. Electricity, for all it's wonder, use and power, removes me from the equation just a little bit.

And as much as I can admire the work of a talented electrical engineer, the work of a watchmaker is more interesting to me. I like the cause and effect. This moves this, which spins that... etc. There is too much unseen in electricity for me to enjoy it at work...

Of course, that is precisely why some people really enjoy electricity too. To each their own.

 

[back alley]

rogue, i have a great railroad pocket watch, must be 80 to 100 years old by now.
it is hand wind, you can see the jewel movements if you remove the back and you have to unscrew the front crystal to change the time.

it's for sale...🙂

joe

 

[rogue_designer]

😀 - not this week. It's my girls birthday, all funds are diverted to that end.

I guess my point is that for me, it's not a question of reliability (tho easy repairability is a perk). I am well aware that the more moving parts the more likely something could go wrong. Part of it is forgetfulness. I don't always restock on batteries.

But mostly, it is an aesthetic decision. Not a practical one. I don't really use AE, even on my cameras with that capability. Meters are nice, but I have hand meters (some battery, some not). So there is little benefit I gain, for the way I shoot, from the convenience of a built in meter or AE on a camera. Since the needs I have for it are fulfilled, I can choose the camera I want purely to match my own aesthetic, which usually leads me to all mechanical, unmetered bodies.

 

[shadowfox]

I want AE and I think the "risk" of using a battery is worth it.

That's the key. If I wanted AE, I'd be thinking just like you do.

But, as I'm sure others can attest, it's actually *fun* to use the Sunny 16 and the EV chart to figure out the exposure settings. Sort of like a brain-teaser.

That's why nowadays, I prefer my OM-1 than OM-2, because the idea of using no power source and producing pretty pictures is just TOO COOOOL 😀

 

[Kat]

Me, I like batteries, LOL! I rely on Auto a lot of the time when I shoot--and even during the times I prefer to manually manipulate the speeds/apperture, I use the Auto readings to guide me. However, I do prefer the ability to use a camera without a battery, just in case I forget one, or in case the meter gets damaged, dies, etc.