Minolta SRT 101 Meter Compensation with new battery?

[alek_salka]

<p>Hello all</p>

<p>I am using an Energizer 357 silver oxide battery in my Minolta SRT 101 for the light meter. However, it is a 1.55v battery rather than the 1.35 volts of the old mercury battery these cameras used. </p>

<p>I heard one trick is to set the ISO dial a bit slower to "trick" the meter into giving the correct readings for your film speed. </p>

<p>So if I am using ISO 400 film, would I set the dial at ISO 200? Lower? Higher? What about for other films such as 100 and 200 ISO?</p>

<p>Thank You. </p>

[paul_wheatland]

<p>If using e6 slide film adjustment not needed. If using print negative films reduce ISO one stop. Drop 400 to 200 200 to 100 100to 50 and so forth.</p>

[henryp]

<p><a href="http://www.criscam.com/mercury_battery_adapters.php">Cris battery adapters</a>.<br /><a href="/bboard/bhpho.to/1Gl6XlU%20">Wein 1.35v Zinc-air batteries</a>.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

[Andrew in Austin]

<p>I'm very pleased with the performance of my two Kanto MR-9 adapters, a.k.a. the Chris MR-9. The two cameras are an Olympus 35RC and a Rollei 35 S.</p>

[Ken Katz]

If you have no other guide, do what Paul suggested above. Frankly, I would not use slide film without using a battery adapter, as Henry suggested. It would be more precise to use a meter (or camera with a built in meter) that you believe provides reliable exposure and test how far off the SRT 101 is, with the silver oxide, compared with that meter. I did that with my Canonet using an EOS 3 as a benchmark, and found the 1/2 the film's ISO was a reasonable estimate, but used only print film in the Canonet.

[john_shriver]

<p>The error with an Alkaline battery is non-linear, it differs at different light levels. Light meters have "two" calibrations, "slope" and "intercept". You can change the ISO, and it will be right for a range of light levels, but outside that range it will still be off.<br>

The Cris adapter is one approach that provides a very good simulation of a mercury battery.<br>

Other close match is 625 hearing aid batteries. They are a zinc chemistry, which is the same as a mercury battery. The difference is that the hearing aid batteries use air as the oxygen source, where a mercury battery used the decomposition of mercuric oxide as the oxygen source. The danger with the hearing aid batteries is that they go fast, and corrode quite badly when they fail. Easy to destroy your battery compartment.</p>

 

[Matthew Currie]

<p>It's easier on a Konica, whose battery check is ASA dependent, but here's one possible way to do it on a Minolta. Put your battery in, and run the battery check. If the battery is wrong, the needle will be displaced from its usual check position. Note carefully where it now stops. Now, set your ISO to the correct speed of your film, and choose a combination of shutter speed and aperture that puts the meter indicator over the factory original battery check position. If you now change only the ASA dial until the meter indicator lies over the new battery check position, it should be compensated. </p>

[stephen t]

<p>I use an incident light meter with all my 1.35V camera bodies. Once you learn to use one, you'll wonder why you didn't start using one earlier. Even with my "modern" bodies, I still carry an incident meter if practical. Besides, it's another fun "gadget."</p>

[bebu_lamar]

<p>I have a couple of SRT-101. Used them for over 20 years and never once used their meters. Most of the time I can just guess the exposure. </p>