Your grandpa gave you his old camera—now what?

You went shopping at a flea market, found an analog camera in your parents’ attic, or your grandpa passed down one of his valuable cameras to you? Then you’re like thousands of our customers. Maybe you even found a manual or a YouTube video showing you how to properly operate the camera. 

Only one last question remains: “Which battery do I need for camera X?”

The short answer: You simply use the search function in our shop:

 

 

In fact, as a support employee, I usually do exactly that: I first search in our shop, and if I find nothing, I use Google.

If you received a printed user manual with your camera, or if there’s still an old battery in the battery compartment, you can of course check there too. The problem here is that you often come across old battery designations that we can hardly make sense of today.

 

 

Also, there are over 20,000 different camera models (a cautious estimate) and even after 5 years in the industry, it’s impossible for me to know which camera model needs which battery. Just type “Battery Camera X”, or better yet in English “Battery Camera X” (e.g. “Battery Rollei 35” or “Battery Minolta X-700”) into the Google search bar and you’ll probably find an old blog or forum post where someone had exactly the same problem before you. 

But what if you can't find a suitable post? Or you do find an answer but doubt its correctness (obviously not everyone who answers in internet forums knows everything 100%).

Why is choosing the right battery even important?

Batteries mainly differ according to two criteria:

1. Size &
2. Battery type (e.g. Alkaline, NiMH, Li-Ion, etc.)

The battery type sets three other factors relevant to us:

1. Voltage (usually given in volts)
2. Discharge characteristic (how quickly and when the voltage drops)
3. Capacity (how long the battery lasts)

The question of size is relatively easy to answer. If the battery does not fit into your camera’s battery compartment at all or rattles around loosely inside, then you know you have a problem. It gets trickier if you have found a battery of the right size but the wrong type. For example, a Varta 625U (alkaline) battery has the same dimensions as the PX625 required in many analog cameras. Still, your camera may not function properly if you use a Varta 625U.

Before we address the malfunctions, a quick note: The capacity of the battery used is irrelevant for us analog photographers. The electronics of old cameras are so "economical" in terms of power consumption that even the cheapest batteries often last months or even years.

The malfunction can manifest in three ways:

1. The camera does not turn on at all (rare)
2. Some functions of the camera are impaired (relatively rare), e.g. the camera fires but the film advance does not work)
3. The camera itself works perfectly fine, and the Light meter goes off, or shows values that are incorrect

The third problem, namely incorrect readings in light metering, is the fundamental problem when using wrong batteries in analog cameras.

Problem: Incorrect results in light metering

If you use the wrong batteries in your analog camera, you will probably only notice it when your pictures are developed and are either consistently too bright or too dark. The reason for this is that the light meters of most analog cameras are calibrated to a constant voltage. 

In the past, mercury batteries in various shapes and sizes (e.g. PX625 or PX400) were mostly used. The advantage of these mercury batteries is or was that they have a constant discharge curve over their entire lifespan. The discharge curve indicates how quickly and how "steeply" the battery loses its voltage: 

Discharge curve: alkaline battery vs mercury battery

 

The diagram is of course only a rough approximation. It is mainly meant to illustrate one thing for you: With an alkaline battery in your camera, it's like someone with a stopped clock: it shows the correct time exactly once, namely when the voltage happens to drop to 1.35 V. The big advantage of the mercury battery is that it constantly delivers the correct voltage and suddenly "gives up" at some point, so you know when to replace it. But now comes the big BUT: mercury batteries have been banned for decades due to their environmental harm and are only available in limited leftover stocks. The good news is: we have the perfect replacement for no longer available mercury batteries in store:

Ausgeknipst battery adapter + zinc-air batteries: a dream team

The good thing is that most hearing aids in circulation today are powered by so-called zinc-air batteries, and they share two decisive advantages with mercury batteries: They have a similar voltage and a similar discharge curve:

Although the voltage of zinc-air batteries is specified as 1.45 V, it drops under load (i.e., in use) to 1.4 - 1.35 V because the batteries react with air and therefore always “recharge” themselves a little. They are thus the ideal replacement for mercury batteries and are also not as harmful to the environment. 

The problem now is that zinc-air batteries actually only come in two different sizes (at least if you want to use them sensibly in cameras): type 675 and type p312. As they are, they don’t fit into the battery compartment. 

The solution: Our zinc-air battery adapters

 

The principle is simple: we take a zinc-air battery like a type 675 battery and build a “passive” adapter from plastic, conductive filament, and a few screws that brings the battery to the required size. 

We offer our most popular PX625 adapter, for example, in three different versions: 

1. A simple rubber O-ring is the perfect solution for cameras like the Rollei 35, where the power in the battery compartment of the respective camera is taken off at the top and bottom. 
2. The battery adapter printed from conductive filament is a bit more expensive and can be used with cameras where a contact is taken off on the side. For example, with the Leica CL. 
3. A self-designed charger with USB-C charging port for Varta V80H batteries

More questions & FAQ

Here are a few questions that didn’t fit into the main text above & that are still asked in some cases: 

Can I damage my camera if I insert the wrong battery?

Of course, I do not take any responsibility for possible misuse, but actually no. The batteries used in analogue cameras have such a low voltage and capacity that nothing can really go wrong here. What can happen, however, is that a battery “leaks” over the decades and the battery acid damages the inside of your camera. That’s why you should always remove the battery during longer storage times and either dispose of it immediately or at least keep it separately in a bag. 

Tips to maximize battery lifespan

Normally, you don't have to worry about the lifespan of your battery. Even zinc-air batteries, which oxidize in the air and thus discharge over time, usually last several months. NiMh, alkaline, silver oxide, and lithium batteries can survive in an analog camera for years depending on usage intensity. 

You need to be careful with some camera models where the light meter is constantly active and therefore should ideally be covered. For example, some Rollei 35 models, the Olympus 35 SP, or the external Olympus Pen F light meter. In such cases, either a light-tight storage pouch or a cover, like the ones we sell in our shop, helps: 

 

Information on proper disposal and recycling options

As an online shop, we are legally required to provide you with information on proper disposal and recycling options. Not just for that reason, but also for the sake of our dear environment, a request: please never throw your batteries in the household trash, but collect them and bring them to recycling at the nearest drugstore or supermarket. There you will almost always find a collection container for used batteries. 

 The following are the legally mandated instructions for battery disposal:

Conclusion

Finding the right battery for your analog camera is crucial to ensure optimal performance and correct functions, especially for the light meter. With over 20,000 camera models and a variety of battery types, this task can be overwhelming. However, our ultimate guide and the search functions in our shop make this process much easier. If you still can't find what you need, internet research often provides helpful insights, and our specialized adapter solutions allow the use of modern batteries without the environmental harm of mercury batteries.

We strongly recommend always checking the size and type of the battery carefully to avoid malfunctions. Also, keep in mind that the lifespan of batteries can be maximized through proper storage and use. Don't forget to recycle used batteries responsibly to protect our environment.

For more detailed information or if anything is unclear, first search in our shop. If you can't find anything or are still unsure which battery you need, you can either send us an email directly at info@ausgeknipst.de send or you can simply use our Contact form.

In this spirit, “good light”! Your Vladi from Ausgeknipst.