Light meter battery for Pentax Asahi Spotmatic

My Dad has an old Pentax Asahi Spotmatic that he bought in 1970 while

he was in Asia. We're trying to find a battery for the light meter

b/c the old Duracell RM400R 1.35V that he used to use is not made

anymore due to the mercury. I've done some research on the internet

and have found that I'm down to two choices and there is one thing

preventing me from finding the right battery: how do I find out if

his camera is a Spotmatic F or just some "other" Spotmatic. It

doesn't say anywhere on the body and he doesn't have the paperwork.

The serial # is 2888365SP if that helps?? Also, he was told to try

an Eveready E400 N battery but it didn't fit in.

Thanks so much for your help,

Kevin

Kevin,

 

All the Spotmatics used the same 1.35V Mercury Battery. Any battery adapter or Battery that fits a Spotmatic, or a Spotmatic II, or an SP-500 or an SP-1000 also fits the Spotmatic F.

 

The camera will say what type it is on the front chrome, near the wind lever. If it says Spotmatic, that's what it is. If it says Spotmatic F, that's what it is, etc. etc. But ALL of them use the same 1.35V battery.

Wein http://www.saundersphoto.com/html/wein.htm makes zinc-air 1.35 volt

cells that are a replacement for obsolete mercury cells.

 

They work well, but their lifetime is rather short.

Here's a better link for Wein:

 

http://www.weincell.com

 

The replacement for the RM400 is Weincell MRB400.

www.criscam.com for an adapter that allows you to use contemporary batteries.

Ask this question and/or search the archives at the Spotmatic site found under yahoo groups. Here you will find a complete battery listing page & the advice of a large group of Spotmatic users. Hope this helps.

I'm not sure the F does use the 400 series battery. I thought it used the larger 625. You could just measure the battery holder-)

 

If the camera doesn't say spotmatic then I think that makes it either a 500 or 1000.

 

For battery any silver battery will actually work. Assuming it fits the battery holder. Mine is using a 394 [Without checking that's memory] and around the battery is a rubber ring to make it fit snug.

 

The 400 was too small? Or too big?

 

Try this:

 

http://spotmatic.web-page.net/

 

Click on cameras. Look at the pictures but the dates mean it's an older Spotmatic. Unless he bought it later then 1970.

 

http://www.goodwinphotoinc.com/replacement_batteries.html

 

I'm not sure I understand how it can't be an older Spotmatic. The F came out around 1975 I think. So I don't understand on how the 400 didn't fit. I'm confused unless Everready 400 is a non-standard 400.

It says on page 1 of this article, <a href="http://www.rolleiclub.nl/batt-adapt-US.pdf">http://www.rolleiclub.nl/batt-adapt-US.pdf</a>, that "A Pentax Spotmatic . . . does not need an exact 1.35 volts. This camera works perfect on a 1.55 volts akaline or 1.6 volts silver-oxide cell." My regular camera repair guy has told me essentially the same thing: some cameras that use mercury batteries will work normally with silver oxide or alkaline batteries (the former is better).