sp 35 batteries

[burn171]

Hello to everyone, this is my first message here, I purchased an oly 35 sp some days ago and have a question: is it better to use weincell batteries or the MR-9 adaptor for 386 silver oxide cells? or should I let an expert do a modification, so that it is running with 1.55 volt alkali batteries? I will use the camera for black and white photography only, I'm not exactly new to analog photography but I think it is 20 years now since taking my last analog pictures... I should get the camera tomorrow, i hope it is in the good condition the seller claimed, film rolls and a yellow filter are ready, I'll show some photos
thanks bernie

 

[sevo]

Hearing aid batteries deliver the right voltage (and are dirt cheap as long as you don't buy them from Wein) - but they do deplete even when not in use, and will leak within less than a year, which makes them a dangerous choice for cameras on permanent standby. My vote goes to silver oxide, unless you intend to use the camera for short, intensive periods of work and shelve it with removed batteries otherwise.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Welcome aboard.

The hearing aid batteries are usually 1,5v and the old mercury ones were 1.35. Wein cells poke out 1,4v.

Really it's a matter of choice. Wein cells run down slowly and I often throw them away after using very little of the output but after losing a lot of it.

Hearing aid batteries are great but you buy them in dozens and so half will be dead when you come to use them.

The adapters are great but use hearing aid batteries, see above.

Cheaper Wein cells or someone selling hearing aid batteries cheaply in ones or twos would be my ideal.

Hope this helps.

Regards, David

 

[kuzano]

In my experience...

In my experience...

And I've had two or three 35Sp's as well as numerous Canon Ql17 and GIII, many 35mm RFs in Olympus...

All that used the old px625 1.35 batteries w/mercury in them (the cause for the ban).

Alkalines have a horrible discharge curve. They are only in the 1.5v zone for about a month. As they drop, metering changes. Paying to have a camera adapted to 1.5, and then using alkalines is a waste of money.

I used the MRB625 Wein Zinc cells, but then they started being manufactured with a foil cap on the neg side of the battery, and I can't get them to work in any of my old Canon or Olympus RF. I tried taking the foil off the neg side. No luck.

Right now, the only working option for me is the CRIS MR9 adaptor which uses Silver Oxides or Lithium. I have had some luck with the 1.4v hearing aid batteries, which have a short life, but are only 8 in a blister pack for $499 at most pharmacy sections of big box stores.

I think we are near the end of life for solutions for all those good old rangefinders that used the mercury px625 1.35 volts.

I would certainly never pay to have a camera altered to 1.5 volt batteries if the solution were Alkaline. No consistent or long term CORRECT metering there.

I hear all sorts of people saying, "Hey, had mine altered and have used the same batteries for a year..."

OK, do you put a voltmeter on those batteries once every 30 days. My voltmeter is always within arms reach of me when I am at my desk.

 

[nikon_sam]

I still have two mercury batteries available for my SP so I can use the meter for now...when they're gone I'll just use my hand-held meter...

 

[David Hughes]

Hmmm, but you could use silver oxide batteries in an adapter. Not all batteries are the same; I heard rumours that they even make them from lithium...

Silver oxide's discharge curve is a lot different and nearer what you want. And the adapters that take the hearing aid batteries are cheap compared to the cost of the camera and feeding it with film, filters etc.

Regards, David

 

[burn171]

Thank you for your replies - I'll try this adaptor:

http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/sbc_mr9_adapter.htm

bernie

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

They are a good firm to deal with, I wish they were all like them.

Regards, David

 

[julio1fer]

Alkalines have a horrible discharge curve. They are only in the 1.5v zone for about a month. As they drop, metering changes. Paying to have a camera adapted to 1.5, and then using alkalines is a waste of money.

I have seen this repeated so often that I wonder how many people actually measured results. The 35 SP meter draws less than 0.1 mA, and that happens only when the lens cap is off. So you are looking not at discharge curves, but rather to shelf life of the battery.

My SP was adjusted for alkaline batterias. I have used it merrily around the world with excellent results. Before adjustment, metering with alkalines was 2 stops optimistic, but I could use the camere just by choosing a different ISO (i.e. for Tri-X I would choose ISO 100 in the 35SP selector).

You would probably do very well if you use silver oxide batteries and just correct the ISO selector accordingly (half to one stop). Compare with a reference meter you trust, in order to determine the ISO you have to set for a given box speed.

Correcting error: instead of "lens cap off" read "meter not covered". Of course the SP meter is next to the viewfinder window.

 

[murpograph]

as I own a 35 SPn and as I use both, hearing-aid cells and silver-oxide I'd like to clarify some things:
The voltage of the zinc-air cells is 1,4V, they deliver the right voltage and the discharge-curve is comparable to those of mercury-cells. I use them for few rangefinder-cameras. For the my 35 SPn and my Oly 35 RD I use Silver-oxide cells as they have have been adapted to 1,5 V during a general check-up. The voltage of the silver-oxide is 1,55 V and they work very well and long, maybe like mercury-cells. However the exposure-meter of the 35 SP is not covered by the lens-hood. It is beside the rangefinder-window on the front-top. Therefore it always takes some electricity from the battery as long as there is ambient light. Thats the reason why I use a neverready-case for the SP. If you use a zinc-air-cell it doesn't make any difference as they produce and emitt permanently electricity as soon as the lid has been opened.

Regards