Battery for an old olympus camera

[danscool]

Hi, i have an old Olympus camera, model number 1764521 and am having trouble

finding a battery to fit it, The current battery is a VARTA, model number

V625PX. I have looked in quite a few places but cannot find anywhere selling a

simular battery. If anyone could help me i'd be verey greatfull, Cheers, Dan

[leandro_dutra1]

Which model name?

 

Anyway, old batteries are outlawed in the US. John at http://zuiko.com/ can adapt new ones for at least some models.

[john_hermanson2]

Correct address is http://www.zuiko.com. Mercury batteries have been banned for years. 625A or 625U are alkaline 1.55v batteries and cause a 3 stop error in the OM-1/1N. I sell MR9 adapter www.zuiko.com/index_016.htm which takes the 386 battery. This steps battery voltage down to 1.35V. John, www.zuiko.com

[danscool]

sorry, the model is an OM-1,

 

will check out that sight, cheers guys

 

Dan

[harold_gough]

This UK supplier stocks numerous types of battery:

 

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

[tim_huggins]

If you click the search button on this site, you will find that this topic has been discussed ad nauseum!

[graham_turton]

Graham Turton

I use a 1.5v battery in my OM1n - never noticed a problem with inaccurate metering.LR9 is

the code no.

[graham_turton]

Adding to what I've just said.I've found the pack the battery came in It's a Kodak 625A 1.5v

alkaline purchased from London Camera Exchange.I really didn't realize getting a

replacement would be a problem so this thread will be helpful,particularly if the L.C.E can't

help I've now discovered the small battery co. Thanks Harold

[john_hermanson2]

LR9, 625A are alkaline. The OM-1/1N was designed around the mercury 1.35v cell. AFAIK, mercury battery production has ceased worldwide, not just US. Any "new" mercury batteries you may find are years old. With alkaline cells and negative (print) film you won't necessarily notice an inaccurate meter. You end up with underexposed negatives, but that is compensated for by the printing machine when the print is made. If your meter was accurate with mercury battery, it will be off 2-3 stops with alkaline "equivalent". Another problem with alkaline battery is that as soon as you start to use it, the voltage starts to fall. 1.54, 1.53, 1.52v, the camera can never be calibrated correctly to it. Mercury batteries had very level output through it's life, then would die quickly. Just sayin'..... John, www.zuiko.com

[victor_kunkel2]

I use readily available, inexpensive 675 zinc-air hearing aid batteries. They are on the

small side so I use a #9 o-ring to fill the empty space in the battery comp. The batterries

are rated at 1.4v, but the meter seems to be ok with it according to my exposures. And

after a few shots they seem to settle just above 1.3v. They last a while too.

[patrick j dempsey]

#675 Hearing-aid batteries are the correct voltage. They don't last long, but they die suddenly instead of slowly. I keep a pack of them in my camera bag sealed in a little ziplock bag. They are plenty cheap last about 6-8 months.

[victor_kunkel2]

Yes, they last about 6 months. At least that has been my experience. However at $6.00 or so for eight, 6 months isn't bad. I keep a few in my bag as well. In fact, I still have five left after a full year of shooting having just put in another. They also work beautifully in the Nikomat FTN I have.

[graham_turton]

Thanks for that.John;I never knew that was the case.The alkaline battery was sold to me by

the blokes at th e L.C.E when I asked for a replacement for a mercury battery.I didn't know

any better but looking back perhaps they should have known.Anyway thanks for the info.

[dan_b.4]

Collectible Cameras (www.collectiblecameras.com) sells the Vartas for $2.95 each, but they're the wrong voltage -- 1.5 vs. 1.35.

 

My favorite solution is the CRIS MR9 adapter, mentioned above. CRIS sells them from its own Web site (http://criscam.com), but they're actually cheaper from www.zuiko.com.

[laceyhughes]

This is probably just me, but I currently have a 625S Silver Cell in my OM1. I have no troubles with it at all. I would have to ask my dad if he remembers when he put the battery in, because I have never changed it. (The camera used to be my dad's until I got my hands on it, now it's been in my possesion for the last 10 years.) Sadly enough I don't use my OM1 nearly as often as my E500 - but that battery has been through countless rolls of film already. I used the camera non stop for my B&W photog class, and since then I would say I probably run a couple rolls of film through every year. And I didn't notice much of an underexosure problem when I developed my own film and prints.