Solid Fixed-Lens Aperture/Shutter-Priority Rangefinders that do not use Mercury Batteries?

PGraham3 · Jun 14, 2017

Howdy, APUG!
I've been in the search for a solid aperture/shutter priority rangefinder from 1960s-early 1980s (such as a Konica Auto S3, Yashica Electro 35, Minolta 7SII, etc) that do not use obsolete mercury batteries, but rather use batteries that can be somewhat easily found these days. I've researched many of the well-known brands and models, and unless I'm mistaken, I've only come across a few that take batteries that can be found today, such as the Yashica Electro 35 CC/CCN and Yashica M-5. I haven't been able to find any others.

I'm not really looking for zone-focus or super-plasticky auto-focus cameras. Interchangeable lens aperture-priority rangefinders such as the Minolta CLE, which is quite cool, are a bit out of my price-range.

Do any of you know of good/great aperture/shutter priority rangefinders from 1960-early1980s that take batteries that can be somewhat easily found today?

I greatly look forward to your responses. Thanks so much!
-Paul

zanxion72 · Jun 14, 2017

There aren't many options on this. It is actually easier to get the rangefinder camera of your preference and modify it to use the 1.55V batteries.

Army35mm · Jun 14, 2017

I use a canonet ql17 and if I recall correctly, it takes 3x a76 cells and slightly under exposes due to the difference in voltage. Pretty easy to compensate for that.

ciniframe · Jun 14, 2017

I worry not much about meter batteries. Of more concern is available full manual control, mostly metal construction, easy to adjust RF and easy to clean VF (top comes off easy). I like my Olympus RC and can use #675 hearing aid batteries which last about 2~3 months and are cheap in 12 or 24 packs. To make the RC viable I ordered a 43.5 to 43mm step down filter ring adapter. This was about $2.50 out of HK and lets me use the much more common 43mm size filters and hoods.

Peltigera · Jun 15, 2017

Many of my 1960s range finders camera do not use any battery. My favourite is my Voigtlander CLR. The selenium meter is spot on.

R.Gould · Jun 15, 2017

None of my cameras use batterys, perhaps something like a Voigtlander Vitomatic would suot, has built in meter, which in my case works fine, or maybe one of the werra's, many have reliable built in meters with the display in the viewfinder, I have three like this, werramatic and werra mat with accurate meter's selenoum cell, but working fine and spot on compared with my Sekonic,,there are many others, for instance Vitessa T, I have and metering is spot on, selenium, but all fine

Huub · Jun 15, 2017

Olympus XA uses 2 LR/SR44 and fits the other criteria pretty nicely. And the lens is excelent.

Wallendo · Jun 16, 2017

Not all of the cameras using mercury batteries are voltage sensitive.
I had an Olympus 35RC which worked very well in auto-aperture (shutter priority) mode using standard hearing aid batteries, even when shooting E-6 film.
Unfortunately, I am not aware of a list of which cameras are not voltage sensitive,

MattKing · Jun 16, 2017

Wallendo said:
Not all of the cameras using mercury batteries are voltage sensitive.
I had an Olympus 35RC which worked very well in auto-aperture (shutter priority) mode using standard hearing aid batteries, even when shooting E-6 film.
Unfortunately, I am not aware of a list of which cameras are not voltage sensitive,

The hearing aid batteries are electronically (electrically?) effective substitutions for the mercury based PX625 batteries in all cameras that took the PX625 - their voltage is so close as not to matter. The problems with the hearing aid batteries are mechanical - they are much smaller - and capacity oriented - they deteriorate quickly after initial use and have small inherent capacity in the first place.
Jon Goodman's adapters work great. I also have had excellent results with the diode based adapters. I even have a Luna Pro meter which works well with one of each adapter.

jgoody · Jun 16, 2017

I had a camera that used the 625 mercury battery (OM1n) and was very happy with the CRISCAM adapter for modern batteries -- it's not cheap at $36 but functioned well - the meter was accurate - for many years. It's probably still working!

cooltouch · Jun 22, 2017

For a true rangefinder, the Oly XA, uses the ubiquitous LR44s. For a range-focus camera, the Oly Trip 35. Has a built-in selenium meter, no battery required.

The aforementioned Canon QL17 actually takes the now-extinct PX625 mercury battery. But the good news is that the 675 hearing aid batteries will work, delivering proper voltage and a correct discharge profile, and they are very cheap!

dmr · Jun 22, 2017

I have two GIIIs, one black and one chrome. On one I recalibrated it to extend the ISO range to 1600 and use the "wrong" battery, the other I just use the "wrong" battery with factory calibration.

I'm finding that the error, if any, is well within the latitude of modern negative film.

A couple of days ago I compared the black (factory calibration) GIII to the Pentax MX and posted the results either here or on RFF (forget which) and they agreed within one f-stop.

Solid Fixed-Lens Aperture/Shutter-Priority Rangefinders that do not use Mercury Batteries?

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