Batteries for Olympus Om1?
DaveW
no longer being manufactured anywhere on this plant.
Thus, you have four choices.
1. Find a source for a real mercury battey. There are stockpiles here and
there. But this will only work until they are gone. And those in existance are
counting down their shelf lives as we speak.
2. The wein cell. This is a zinc air battery that mimics the mercury cell in
output, but doesn't last terribly long. They loose power even when the
camera's off. (This is what I used. Still going, but only for a month so far.)
3. There's an adapter to go with a 1.5 volt silver oxide cell. These have
better life expectancy, but I gather do loose voltage as they age
somewhat.......meaning that your metering may be effected. I don't have any
experince with this item.
4. Use an external light meter. The OM-1(not N) doesn't need batteries to
function. But I realize that this is not a very good choise.
The OM2000 is a piece of junk. I'd go for used. If the battery issue is too
much for you, consider an OM-2. These can be used in manual mode just like the
OM-1, and use silver oxide(or lithium) batteries that any good drugstore will
carry.
Just my opinion,
Dave.
Tom Keenan wrote:
> Excuse me if this question has come up before, but can someone please tell
> me what is the best battery to substitute for the banned mercury oxide
> batteries in the OM1(n) ? Pros and cons, if there's more than one choice?
>
> I lost my old OM1n recently, and for the life of me I don't even know what
> I'd been using. I must not have replaced the batteries more than once or
> twice in the 20 years or so I owned it.
>
> I wasn't even aware of the battery issue until now. I'm thinking of
> either buying a used replacement OM1(n), or going with the new OM2000.
> The new auto-everything wonderbodies are slick, but I guess I define "ease
> of use" in a different way than some people (all those blinking LEDs and
> program modes and teeny little buttons and icons don't seem so easy to me
> !)
>
> Tom
clink
by "Olympusguy", whose WEB address is:
http://www.olympusguy.com/. This is a Varta hearing aid battery
+ an adapter. It works very well and is a cheaper solution than
the others adapters being described.
Regards,
Bob Rosenstein
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
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Pauls0627
>
>1. Find a source for a real mercury battey. There are stockpiles here and
>there. But this will only work until they are gone. And those in existance
>are counting down their shelf lives as we speak.
>
>2. The wein cell. This is a zinc air battery that mimics the mercury cell in
>output, but doesn't last terribly long. They loose power even when the
>camera's off. (This is what I used. Still going, but only for a month so
>far.)
>
>3. There's an adapter to go with a 1.5 volt silver oxide cell. These have
>better life expectancy, but I gather do loose voltage as they age
>somewhat.......meaning that your metering may be effected. I don't have any
>experince with this item.
>
>4. Use an external light meter. The OM-1(not N) doesn't need batteries to
>function. But I realize that this is not a very good choise.
The OM-1n doesn't need a battery to function, either.
There is also a fifth option. You can also get your OM-1 modified to accept
1.5v silver oxide cells. Camtech (www.zuiko.com) does this as part of a CLA
(which you would want done if you bought a used OM-1, anyway).
>
>The OM2000 is a piece of junk.
It's not built as well as an OM-1, but it's far from a piece of junk. Metal
chassis, spot metering, faster shutter than an OM-1 (synchs at 1/125, top speed
of 1/200 vs 1/60 amd 1/1000 for an OM-1). Available at a good price, new, with
a warranty.
>I'd go for used
Having said that about the OM2000, I agree I'd still buy a good used OM-1(n)
before I bought an OM2000.
>If the battery issue is too
>much for you, consider an OM-2. These can be used in manual mode just like
>the OM-1, and use silver oxide(or lithium) batteries that any good drugstore
will
>carry.
I agreee, except the lithium batteries are a poor substitute for silver oxides
in an OM.Their voltage drops too quickly. You'll get much longer life from a
set of 357 silver oxides.
If you have any more questions I would suggest posting to teh Olympus list. You
can subscribe at: http://zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html
Hope this helps,
Paul
Michael A. Covington
> me what is the best battery to substitute for the banned mercury oxide
> batteries in the OM1(n) ? Pros and cons, if there's more than one choice?
My preference is to have John Hermanson (www.zuiko.com) modify the camera to
take silver oxide cells. He adds a plastic ring to accommodate the smaller
cell and installs a 1N34 diode to add 0.2 volt of voltage drop. (Yes, 0.2;
a diode tester will show 0.34 but this is at much lower current.)
Second choice is the adapter from www.criscam.com. It's a shell the size of
a PX-13 and it holds an MS76 plus a voltage dropping diode.
I don't like zinc-air cells (short life) or alkalines (voltage is wrong and
not constant).
Michael A. Covington
> better life expectancy, but I gather do loose voltage as they age
> somewhat.......meaning that your metering may be effected. I don't have
any
> experince with this item.
My understanding is that silver oxide cells hold their voltage more constant
than zinc-air cells or any other technology other than mercury. The
difference between mercury and silver oxide, as far as constancy is
concerned, is not significant.
> The OM2000 is a piece of junk. I'd go for used. If the battery issue is
too
> much for you, consider an OM-2. These can be used in manual mode just like
the
> OM-1, and use silver oxide(or lithium) batteries that any good drugstore
will
> carry.
My OM-2S and (former) OM-4Ti are finicky -- they like #357 (SR44) calculator
batteries much better than MS76's, and they don't get along well with
lithium at all.
MPS
>If you have any more questions I would suggest posting to teh Olympus list. You
>can subscribe at: http://zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html
>
>Hope this helps,
>
>Paul
Paul wrote some very good sugestions. I would recomend the Olympus
list to anyone serious about these fine cameras. When I asked the
battery q on the list I got somewhat conflicting answers that
basically indicated that there are several alternatives and one needs
to simply figure out whether to go with adaptors, camera
modifications, or easy to obtain but relatively short duration drop in
replacements. There are several solutions, each with their own merits.
Regarding the OM-2000 vs. OM-1n debate. I own both and don't think
it's at all correct to dismiss the OM-2000 as junk. It's not built by
Olympus and it's not built to the same quality standards as other
older cameras, but for roughly $160US one can have a brand new manual
body camera, with a warranty that has spot metering, 1/2000 sec
shutter speed and double exposure feature, that also just happens to
take the fine line of OM Zuiko glass. It makes a very good student
camera, car camera or second body and it does work without batteries.
Decent OM-1's and OM-1n's typically go for $175US-$250US and should
be checked out by a competent person prior to use. So it really comes
down to whether one is more comfortable buying a fine older used
camera from somebody trusted or whether simply ordering a newer,
lighter and potentially less durable camera with a warranty seems to
make sense.
MPS
Joshua_Putnam
>From what I know, after pulling out Dad's OM-1 recently, mercury batteries are
>no longer being manufactured anywhere on this plant.
Actually, they were still available in Canada the last time I
checked. And the one I bought in Vancouver last year had a 1999
manufacturing date on it.
>2. The wein cell. This is a zinc air battery that mimics the mercury cell in
>output, but doesn't last terribly long. They loose power even when the
>camera's off. (This is what I used. Still going, but only for a month so far.)
Hearing aid cells are a lot more affordable than Wein cells, and
they're essentially the same thing.
--
Jo...@WolfeNet.com is Joshua Putnam / P.O. Box 13220 / Burton, WA 98013
"My other bike is a car."
http://www.wolfenet.com/~josh/
Bud Cook
http://www.gis.net/~amjas/px625.html
Varta stopped manufacturing these batteries as of 1/1/2000. However one
can still obtain them in Canada although the supplies are going fast.
--
Bud Cook
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Tom Keenan
miaim...@mindspring.com wrote:
>paul...@aol.com (Pauls0627) wrote:
>
>>If you have any more questions I would suggest posting to teh Olympus
list. You
>>can subscribe at: http://zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html
>>
>>Hope this helps,
>>
>>Paul
>
>Paul wrote some very good sugestions. I would recomend the Olympus
>list to anyone serious about these fine cameras.
[...]
>
>Regarding the OM-2000 vs. OM-1n debate. I own both and don't think
>it's at all correct to dismiss the OM-2000 as junk. It's not built by
>Olympus and it's not built to the same quality standards as other
>older cameras, but for roughly $160US one can have a brand new manual
>body camera, with a warranty that has spot metering, 1/2000 sec
>shutter speed and double exposure feature, that also just happens to
>take the fine line of OM Zuiko glass. It makes a very good student
>camera, car camera or second body and it does work without batteries.
>
[...]
>
>MPS
Thanks so much for all the helpful replies. I'm getting the idea that the
battery problem IS more than I want to deal with.
I've been trying out an OM2000 for the past few days. I think those of
you are correct who said it's not a piece of junk (at all), even if not of
OM1 quality. I've decided that the OM1 couldn't be SO MUCH more durable
than an OM2000 that even after 20 years of use (and maybe some alkaline
batteries in its history), it could still be expected to greatly outlast a
new OM2000.
For me the more important issues are the design differences. The OM2000's
1/2000 shutter speed doesn't impress me, but Spot Metering does. On the
other hand, for some reason I just prefer a match needle (OM1) to LED
metering.
Also, I dislike the way you have to cock out the film-advance lever to
shoot. I prefer to view with my left eye, and the %#$!@ lever keeps poking
me in the right eyebrow! Who needs a locking mechanism, anyway? Another
pain is the way the lever will lock in the open position when you reach
the end of a roll, until you completely rewind it. And I definitely
prefer having the shutter speed ring
where the OM1 had it, at the bayonet mount, not on the top.
But, in the end, the important thing this body offers (to me) is access to
the Zuiko lenses without sinking a lot of money into a more expensive OM
model that doesn't have the battery problems. I tried out a new $90-$100
Canon standard 50mm f/1.8 (non-USM) lens in a shop today, and boy did it
look and feel cheesy! You can get a used Zuiko 50mm f/1.4 for eighty
bucks. The Canon f/1.4 USM lens (which, granted, has the fancy ultrasonic
autofocus motor) can run over $400! So I think I'll go for the OM2000,
with 1 or 2 Zuiko prime lenses for portrait shots and close-ups, and the
cheap 35-70 Zoom included in the OM2000 kit for more casual snapshots
(until we switch to ASP or digital for those situations).
Tom
John Hermanson
camera) is to buy an MR9 adapter. Olympus guy sells them, so do I. I have
been servicing Olympus OM system components since 1977.
http://www.zuiko.com/sales_motor_macro_flash.htm
The MR9 uses a silver oxide 1.5V battery and gives you a realistic 1.35v to
the meter. The 625A alkaline battery is 1.55v and causes a 3 stop error.
The 1.4V weincell causes a 1/2 stop error and because it is air activated
will burn out whether or not you use your camera.
You may be able to find some places selling mercury batteries but that will
only forestall the inevitable.
John Hermanson
___________________________________
Camtech, Olympus Service since 1977.
21 South Ln. Huntington NY 11743-4714
631-424-2121 http://www.zuiko.com
Free Olympus Manuals: 1-800-221-3000
___________________________________
Michael A. Covington <See http://www.CovingtonInnovations.com for address>
wrote in message news:8h8dh7$irr$1...@slb6.atl.mindspring.net...
John Hermanson
http://www.zuiko.com/sales_motor_macro__flash.htm
John Hermanson
___________________________________
Camtech, Olympus Service since 1977.
21 South Ln. Huntington NY 11743-4714
631-424-2121 http://www.zuiko.com
Free Olympus Manuals: 1-800-221-3000
___________________________________
John Hermanson <omt...@erols.com> wrote in message
news:8hjt4e$bo1$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...