OP
OP
Y'all have utterly confused me with the talk of batteries.
Nikkormat?
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A
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We're speaking strictly of the Nikkormat FTn which took the PX 625 mercury batteries, which were discontinued in the late 70's because they contained mercury. The PX 625 currently available at Radio Shack is an alkaline battery, and it worthless for this purpose. The voltage is wrong, and they continue to lose voltage throughout their life, causing underexposure when new, and over exposure as they die. The mercury battery held 1.35 volts throughout their life.
So, we're discussing replacements here to try to arrive at something that will hold even voltage throughout their life. A silver batter like the 357 starts out at 1.55 volts when new, dies down to around 1.4-1.5V shortly thereafter, then begins dying about halfway to 2/3 of its life like an alkaline. Alkalines are the worst. If you will research APUG, you will find where E von Hoegh has concocted a scheme to leave some holes covered on the 675 zinc-air battery to make it last longer. His is a good choice, although they give only 1.2 volts throughout their life, meaning the meter causes some over-exposure. But at least it is consistent throughout battery life.
The Nikkormat FT2 and FT3 were made for the 357silver battery which you can buy at the drug store today.
OP
OP
Ok, I get it.
I just need the simplest solution. With the frequency that I'd actually use this camera, I just as soon buy a new battery every few years, since thats probably as much as I'd use it.
I typically reach for my gripped FM when I want to shoot manual 35mm.
yes but don't get one that needs a mercury cell.
$18.75 for eight 675s which expire with time once activated. So you use about $14 in batteries in a year (assuming you can get 2 mo. life out of them). After 4 years, CRIS MR-9 is more cost effective.
Best to pull the baseplate and install a shottkey diode in the red wire. Then, you don't have to buy the MR9 or hearing aid batteries. Just use a 357/PX76 with an o-ring. That's what I will be doing to the FTn, if I wind up keeping it after all. If not, then, I'll let the new owner decide what they want to do with it.
-J
-J
Eight dollars plus tax, say $9, for 8 675s at my local Rite Aid. I get over two years per cell with moderate use of the camera by blocking off three of the four airholes. That's 40+ years for the adapter to pay for itself, by which time I will be 94.
The discharge curves on the 357 versus the 675 zinc-air batteries are interesting, as the links bear out:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=baUrU7nxjP8jW6nqnv7bgQ&bvm=bv.64542518,d.cWc
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=chBEne6T6jZT4bQsLSMb2g&bvm=bv.64542518,d.cWc
https://www.google.com/#q=duracell+357+battery+discharge+curve&safe=off&spell=1
The top 2 links are for Eveready, and last link is the 357 Duracell. These curves are important, because this is where your meter accuracy lies from new to end of battery life. It's really a toss-up, but the zinc-air appears to give a very flat response after its initial high voltage.
As can be seen, the zinc air holds steady between 1.2 and 1,25 volts. The original mercury was 1.35. So this means that the zinc air will cause the meter to give a slight over-exposure by perhaps 1/3 to 1/2 stop. But as the curv shows, it would be consistent. The silver battery has a drop-off after half its life, which means at some point, exposure accuracy changes. I really thing EvH is onto something with his method of using the zinc-air. (even a blind squirrel gathers a few nuts)
Are those discharge curves for constant or intermittent drain? I ask because zinc air cells give me accurate exposures that match the readings given by mercuric oxide cells (I have a stash in the fridge). Also, some meters use a bridge circuit where the voltage difference between zinc, mercury, and silver cells is much less important.
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I've never warmed to the generally beloved Spotmatic -- stop-down metering, ugh! -- but this is an argument in favor of it.
Spotmatic F. Open aperture metering and it will work with any cell you can make fit and make contact with.
Steve.
In the early 1970s my buddy had a Nikkormat FTn and I had a cheapRicoh401, because it was so highly rated in a consumermagazine's test.I was so jeoalousuntil I finally bought my first FM.From that point on, I stuck with Nikon and never trusted those magazine tests again.Also ,now, I can buy the lenses I could not afford back then;no match for CarlZeiss butexcellent nevertheless
I have one, and love it, but it will only meter at full aperture with the SMC Taks, not the Super Taks or older lenses... it's a fairly narrow window of lenses that will work, as they soon introduced the K mount. All older lenses are normal stop-down metering, which works well for me, since I almost always stop down to check DOF anyway.
Comment on the OP:
I loved my Nikkormat. I had an FT3-- so AI mount with the tab the flipped back, allowing usage of standard F mount glass. I loved the thing. It was one solid chunk of metal, though, and after using an MX with a 135mm Super Takumar on the front that weighed LESS than my Nikkormat alone, I sold off a bunch of my Nikon gear and got into Pentax.
I still regret it. The Nikkormat FT3 was functionally my favorite camera I've had, with ALL the features, and the ability to use any Nikon lens. One of these days I'll get another for nostalgia's sake.
Yes, that's true, You do need the right lenses.
As a side issue, I was recently given a Cosina CSM. This has an M42 mount. On the initial press of the shutter, it stops down the lens and turns on the meter which is just a three LED indication (low, correct and high).
If the shutter is not pressed all the way, the aperture stays stopped down There is a seperate button to open it again. The nice thing is that it uses a readily available silver oxide cell rather than a mercury cell.
Steve.
It's all the heavy-metal "kerchung" of the F without the pricetag.
I was given one years back as my second Nikon body while looking for Nikkor glass for my FG and switched to that and used the FG as a compact backup.
It's almost bulletproof. I built my entire Nikon system around it with pre-AI lenses and shot my last roll of Kodachrome on it.
I was given one years back as my second Nikon body while looking for Nikkor glass for my FG and switched to that and used the FG as a compact backup.
It's almost bulletproof. I built my entire Nikon system around it with pre-AI lenses and shot my last roll of Kodachrome on it.
My old chrome FT2...
-J
-J
My old chrome FT2...
-J
It's a sweetie-pie, isn't it?
It was a pretty clean camera. Got a black one that I'm getting refoamed. Doesn't look much worse. Also have the de-hot shoe'd black FT2 that I'm selling. Plus an FT3 that's coming later this week or early next week.
-J
-J
OP
OP
Make a "C" to go on the cell out of some bare #12 copper wire - you won't get contact with a paper doughnut. Block 3 of the four airholes on the Z-A cell, and you'll be good for a couple years. Those adapters contain about 20 cents worth of components.
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OP
OP
And.... will these lenses work on my FM?? Or will the meter not work with them?
They'll work on an FM in stop-down mode after you fold back the AI coupling prong. They won't mount on an FM2 or FM2n.
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Tough
Still got mine which I bought in 1970. I had it on a tripod with two legs nearly vertical on a lab bench shooting a difficult angle when I nudged it. It toppled forward off the bench and the viewfinder pyramid hit the opposite bench.
Result? A dented top plate . . But the light meter has continued to operate perfectly for 40+ years. One tough wonderful camera. And just read all available comments about the 55mm f3.5 macro lens. A terrific combo.
Still got mine which I bought in 1970. I had it on a tripod with two legs nearly vertical on a lab bench shooting a difficult angle when I nudged it. It toppled forward off the bench and the viewfinder pyramid hit the opposite bench.
Result? A dented top plate . . But the light meter has continued to operate perfectly for 40+ years. One tough wonderful camera. And just read all available comments about the 55mm f3.5 macro lens. A terrific combo.
^My father did something similar to his FTn. I think his hit concrete, though, since the serial number didn't match the internal components of the camera. So, the top on his camera got swapped with one that was earlier, reusing the later shutter release button assembly with the AR-1 and AR-2 threads around the release. Alas, the top cover they put on had some impact damage as well.
With respect to the lenses mentioned above, they can be converted by people like John White or William Sampson. At that point, they will mount and meter on any Nikon with a mechanical coupling.
-J
With respect to the lenses mentioned above, they can be converted by people like John White or William Sampson. At that point, they will mount and meter on any Nikon with a mechanical coupling.
-J
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