Can you describe what is sticky/stiff about your Minolta Hi-Matic 9 lens? You mean the focus ring, the aperture, the shutter? Sometimes that old grease just needs to be worked around a bit - using it will loosen it up. Other times, it can benefit from a good CLA by a pro - they can relube the helicoil gears with something that doesn't break down over time like the old greases did.
The 'old battery' you mention - did it leak or something? If so, you can clean it out very nicely with vinegar and a q-tip. Takes corrosion of that sort right out - it's actually kind of fun to do. If you're talking about the voltage (mercury battery is 1.35 volts, modern replacements are 1.5), then we've just had a major discussion on this topic - but a quick recap is this:
Mercury batteries were banned some time ago, and this has caused a problem for cameras that were designed to use them. While there is no truly 100% satisfactory solution that works for everybody, many folks have chosen one or more of the following options:
1) Use a modern silver-oxide or alkaline battery and adjust the ISO to compensate for the difference in meter reading.
2) Same as above, but have the meter recalibrated by a specialist.
3) Use a Wein or other brand zinc-air battery designed for hearing aids (may have fabricate a spacer to make the battery fit). The zinc-air batteries are more expensive, don't last long, but are 1.4 volts - closer to the original.
4) Give it up and use an external meter.
5) Try to find last stashes of now-illegal-to-sell mercury batteries.
6) Buy one of the 'voltage converter/regulator' adapters on the market designed for just this situation.
I'm not going to recommend any one of those methods - you'll have to figure it out for yourself by reading the threads and applying logic to what works best for you. People get religion about this subject and it makes them angry if you don't like their pet solution, so I won't recommend one. Here are the options - you pick.
As to cleaning your babies - I use a little Windex and a micro-fiber towel to clean them up when I first get them home - some q-tips and lens cleaner also does wonders. Once they're clean, just dusting and wiping them off from time to time seems to do the trick. I generally stay away from trying to clean the leather on the body of the camera - I've found that it seldom needs any kind of cleaning and anyway, the products I've tried just ruin the leather anyway, so I tend to leave it alone.
I hope you enjoy your new RF cameras - nice choices, by the way!
Best Regards,
Bill Mattocks
