R2a Cold Weather Performance and Batteries

[bigdog]

I recently found a dozen Maxell SR44SW batteries cheap so I will try them out to see how they perform in comparison to the Maxell LR44 they replace.

I can't find my manual, can anyone tell me what battery will give the best performance? Is the SR44SW (I believe it is a slow drain battery?) an appropriate battery for the R2a? It is a 1.55volt battery.

This battery quandry has raised some concerns about the R2a cold weather performance. I will post a brief conversation I had with a fellow member that outlines my concerns. Please post if you have had any problems with cold weather performance or want to comment...





I had a question regarding the Bessa. I purchased an R2a a few months ago and I have found that in cold weather the meter indicator flashes different readings and then my shutter dies. I tested the batteries and they were fine! You mentioned that you had similar problems but it was not due to the battery but rather the electromagnetically controlled shutter. Can you elaborate?

I am using a LR44 battery which I believe is a lithium battery and should perform better in cold weather? I live in Maine and it does get cold here...think I was shooting in various temps from the 20's to 40's F when the camera died on me.

Thanks!

Brian

Hey there, yes it is the battery. The EM shutter is controlled directly by that battery and when it dies so does the meter and the shutter. I believe that the EM is actually an 'active' unit with basically means that the contacts are always in the closed position but when you fire it, it opens the circuit which is exactly the opposite of many other cameras, it basically means that even thought its an EM shutter, it works only using the most minute levels of power for a very short amount of time. Very similar to the Canon AE1

The batteries when they get cold will temporarily appear depleted and the camera will not function though you might get a double set of speeds in your viewfinder flashing before it stops working.

I bought a Leica for this very reason, it performs flawlessly all the time. A Bessa R, R2, R2m or R3m should also work in extreme temperatures.

Yes that alone was enough to seriously piss me off about the camera, however, the worst thing is when you try to change film after having had the camera in the freezing cold and bring it into a warm room, because of the temperature extremes the shutter-has contracted and is now lose in the shutter rail, and firing it made mine irretrievably explode out the back of the camera when I had the door open

 

[petebown]

SR44 batteries are silver oxide and should give a voltage of 1.55V
LR44 batteries are not lithium but manganese oxide (alkaline) and should give a voltage of 1.5V

Typical capacity of LR44s is 150mAh and SR44s is 200mAh

As both the voltage and capacity of SR44 is quoted to be better, by guess is these would be better for cold weather work. During cold weather, the capacity of working voltage of a battery will drop, therefore you want both to be as high as possible.

Cold weather performance depends on how low a voltage a camera can cope with, so one make may perform better than another depending on what voltage is needed to run the circuits... And don't forget that mechanical shutters don't need a battery, so an R2M should cope better than an R2A (in theory)

It may also pay to use a camera case to keep some heat in a camera and keep it under your jacket until to need to use it.

Also try to avoid sudden changes of temperature, not only will this cause the damage that you mentioned but you may also get condensation between the lens elements, which could then lead to fungus.

Pete

 

[RML]

I've seen that flashing happen when the battery dies. This was in India, so the battery was really dead. Oh, and it was with my Bessa R, not the R2a, but I doubt there's much difference.

I don't know how cold it was when you shot the Bessa. I've shot mine in Mongolia in winter, with temps down to -35 C. Just carry spare batteries as close to your body as possible, and switch batteries when they die on you. Just save the vatteries for later (re)use.

 

[bigdog]

Thanks Pete,

It seems that the R2a may not be able to operate at too low a voltage since it seemed to die off pretty rapidly with a battery that tested ok. I am glad to hear the SR44SW should work better in the cold. Do you know what a slow drain "SW" means in practical terms when used in a camera. I believe these are watch batteries?

RML,

I was using the camera in 40 degree f. weather so it was not that cold when it died on me. I had no problems, as I mentioned, running my SLR with an image stabilized lens(which draws down batteries) for a few hours in temps in the teens.

Thanks!