What's your latest new old camera ? (Part 2)

benjiboy · Jul 23, 2015

ColColt said:
Just scored a super nice black Nikon FTN with an actual working meter!

BlackFTN by David Fincher, on Flickr

FTNTop by David Fincher, on Flickr

Congratulations David this F is a late one with the plastic tip on the winding lever and in truly fantastic condition.

ColColt · Jul 23, 2015

When I got the box finally opened as the seller had packaged it for Armageddon, I was grinning like a mule eating briars and how good it looked. For it's age, phenomenal. I should look as good for my age! Someone really babied this camera. I'm going to run out today and look for batteries for it. It seems to be begging for a roll of Tri-X to be put through it.

flavio81 · Jul 23, 2015

ColColt said:
When I got the box finally opened as the seller had packaged it for Armageddon, I was grinning like a mule eating briars and how good it looked. For it's age, phenomenal. I should look as good for my age! Someone really babied this camera. I'm going to run out today and look for batteries for it. It seems to be begging for a roll of Tri-X to be put through it.

They look good and they feel really solid. I had a black Nikkormat FT2 and it was quite a looker. My advice? Get a technician to give service (cleaning) to the variable resistor ring that is around the shutter speed ring. It is crucial for the metering to keep working for years to come.

ColColt · Jul 23, 2015

You're right. I have two FTN's at Robert Decker's for a CLA at this moment. My oldest FTN was reading a little erratic back in the mid 80's and I got some info from someone as to how to clean the ring. After doing that it hadn't given any more problems. I forgot how to do that and lost the instructions so, I sent it to someone that knows what he's doing.

flavio81 · Jul 23, 2015

ColColt said:
You're right. I have two FTN's at Robert Decker's for a CLA at this moment. My oldest FTN was reading a little erratic back in the mid 80's and I got some info from someone as to how to clean the ring. After doing that it hadn't given any more problems. I forgot how to do that and lost the instructions so, I sent it to someone that knows what he's doing.

Much better. The good news is that the vertical shutter on those things (The "Copal Square") is bulletproof. So the camera keeps on going and going and going.

I don't know if the "N" version uses the modern SR44 batteries, but if they use the PX625, i guess you already know you can replace it with inexpensive 675 hearing-aid batteries.

You know, i traded my FT2 for a Nikon FE, and then I sold the Nikon FE once I got the Nikon FG. But, funny thing is that now i'm missing the FT2 again.

ColColt · Jul 23, 2015

Mr. Decker recommended the 625 batteries so, I had to order those as they weren't to be found locally. I got them prior to sending him the cameras and they fit perfectly without any O-rings or bushings. Of course, the meter was off one stop due to the voltage but that's easily rectified by either changing the ASA or sending it off for calibration. That's one of the reasons, other than a little TLC, I sent them to him.

I've missed every camera I've sold or traded. Now, I just keep them all.

flavio81 · Jul 23, 2015

ColColt said:
Mr. Decker recommended the 625 batteries so, I had to order those as they weren't to be found locally. I got them prior to sending him the cameras and they fit perfectly without any O-rings or bushings. Of course, the meter was off one stop due to the voltage but that's easily rectified by either changing the ASA or sending it off for calibration. That's one of the reasons, other than a little TLC, I sent them to him.

This is not correct. Now, Mr. Decker can be excellent in giving CLA to cameras but perhaps he is not exactly aware of these electronic details.

Modern 625 batteries (that is, alkaline batteries) have no constant discharge curve. Thus, recalibrating is not a good choice since the calibration will be off over time. Also, changing the ASA to compensate will only work in a certain light range; the other light range requiring a different compensation. This because the voltage being a 1.5V (or even higher)

For all the above reasons, the best choice is replacing with a 1.35V zinc-air cell like the 675 or the Wein, which have the closest voltage and a flat discharge curve. With this, no recalibration is required, in theory.

ColColt · Jul 23, 2015

I've read those batteries don't last very long hence, the choice for something else. I don't know if silver oxide batteries are available in the 625's or not. There's a place close by that specializes in batteries only and I'll drop by to see what they have. Will the 675 batteries fit the FTN battery chamber without any modifications like a brass bushing or O-ring?

MattKing · Jul 23, 2015

The 675 batteries need an adapter or o-ring.

They don't last particularly long, but are cheap, and one tends to buy them in packages of 12 or so, because that is what the hearing aid users want.

They are the best solution short of buying the adapters that take silver oxide cells and include voltage reduction circuitry.

Jon Goodman (here on APUG and elsewhere) sells nifty adapters for the 675s at very reasonable prices.

flavio81 · Jul 23, 2015

ColColt said:
I've read those batteries don't last very long hence, the choice for something else. I don't know if silver oxide batteries are available in the 625's or not. There's a place close by that specializes in batteries only and I'll drop by to see what they have. Will the 675 batteries fit the FTN battery chamber without any modifications like a brass bushing or O-ring?

Hi colcolt,

675 batteries last long enough, which is several months. And they can be "turned off" by capping their air vent again.

You don't need always an o-ring or special adapter. Just some pieces of cardboard can do. I use the same carboard of the 675 12-cell package. You just need two little pieces of cardboard to help keeping the cell centered and then the battery cap does the rest. At least that's what happened with my Canon F-1.

You do need a different solution if the plus (+) contact is ar the side of the cell, though.

ColColt · Jul 23, 2015

Wein batteries do not have enough current to run the needle in the meter very long as noted but the alkaline battery(625) will no doubt last at least a year before any small voltage drop that would probably only make a change of about 1/3 an f-stop. I understand that Nikon used an alkaline chemistry battery in the Nikon F2 DP-1 meter that has the exact same meter circuit as the FTN.

flavio81 · Jul 23, 2015

ColColt said:
Wein batteries do not have enough current to run the needle in the meter very long as noted but the alkaline battery(625) will no doubt last at least a year before any small voltage drop that would probably only make a change of about 1/3 an f-stop. I understand that Nikon used an alkaline chemistry battery in the Nikon F2 DP-1 meter that has the exact same meter circuit as the FTN.

I don't know about Wein specifically, which is a brand of a certain ersatz PX625 zinc-air battery with some modifications, but plain Zinc-Air batteries give plenty of current, surely as plenty as the original mercury cell. Note, i said "current" not "battery life". Battery life is OK with the zinc-airs, just cap the battery if you're storing the camera for a long time.

As for the supposed good voltage of the alkaline battery, I'm sorry to say it's quite the opposite. On those voltage will change with load, and load will change with ambient light!! So that's why you cannot calibrate a meter to use them successfully.

If you want the long answer, it is here:
www.butkus.org/chinon/batt-adapt-us.pdf

Short answer: go for the Zinc-air.

cuthbert · Jul 23, 2015

Still discussing about batteries? You guys realise most of our cameras use bridge circuits that are unaffected by voltage? For instance, my Praktica MTL50 does take at PX28, but when it arrived I didn't have the battery, so I used a stack of LR44s to test it. Little particular: I needed to fit FIVE batteries instead of four!
However the reading of the lightmeter was perfect and I could use the camera without problems.

Usually I prefer silver batteries because they are most stable in the long time, however in many cases I've used alkaline without a problem.

ajuk · Jul 23, 2015

Olympus OM-2SP.

4season · Jul 24, 2015

I just took delivery of this beauty a couple of days ago:

Although it looked mostly unused, the finder was very foggy, and some of the lubricants had dried out. So I gave it a bit of a CLA and replaced the foam light traps while I was at it--ready to go shooting this weekend!

ajmiller · Jul 24, 2015

Immaculate 1955 Voigtländer Vito B with f2.8 Color-Skopar lens and Prontor-SVS shutter all in leather case. I used a second hand Vito B when I first got into photography and did some really nice street photography with it so have been after one for a while. This one was at a local flea market and was £16 ($25).

flavio81 · Jul 24, 2015

4season said:
I just took delivery of this beauty a couple of days ago:

Although it looked mostly unused, the finder was very foggy, and some of the lubricants had dried out. So I gave it a bit of a CLA and replaced the foam light traps while I was at it--ready to go shooting this weekend!

I have exactly the same camera -- well, mine has the f3.5 lens. I love it, and was one of the reasons for selling my Rollei 35. I think this is one of the best Olympus cameras!!

Someday i'll make a post comparing small 35mm cameras.

cuthbert · Jul 24, 2015

Boxed Spottie F:

Ranssu · Jul 25, 2015

Contax II body, should be in near mint condition. I'll use it with Jupiter 12, since Jupiter doesn't fit my IIa and Zeiss Opton Biogons are so expensive nowadays. I should have my new Contax on monday, hopefully there will be some nice shooting days next week.

Espasol · Jul 25, 2015

An old gent has given me his film gear. A Nikon FM2n and Nikkormat FTN. Despite being in a storage locker for over a decade, the lenses were clean and a technician gave the cameras a clean bill of health.

Mr_Flibble · Jul 25, 2015

bought this two days ago (minus the summicron)

Early post-war Leica IIIc delivered to the US Army of the Occupation in July/August 1945

Only 37 units away from another on I have bought a few years back.
Looks like she got a new coat at some point.

cooltouch · Jul 25, 2015

ColColt said:
I've read those batteries don't last very long hence, the choice for something else. I don't know if silver oxide batteries are available in the 625's or not. There's a place close by that specializes in batteries only and I'll drop by to see what they have. Will the 675 batteries fit the FTN battery chamber without any modifications like a brass bushing or O-ring?

Resurrecting this topic because I don't recall if your question was answered. Unfortunately I don't have the answer either. I don't own an F with the Photomic FTN fnder, so I don't know how the voltage is picked up. But I do own an F with the early non-TTL finder -- the one with the round window in front. That camera takes its + voltage from the side of the battery compartment, instead of the cap, which is the way most other cameras do it. So, to use a 675 in it, you need to either buy one of the metal rings, like the ones that Jon Goodman sells, or fabricate something. I've used aluminum foil. I cut it into about a 6" x 2" rectangular piece, fold it over and over lengthwise and then trim it up so that it's a long strip. Then I coil the strip around the battery, and stuff it into the battery chamber, making sure it doesn't contact the - terminal. This works well.

I have to do this with one Canon camera that takes these batteries -- the EF. All the others that take the old mercury battery, at least that I know of, pick up their + voltage from the compartment cap.

As others have stated, the Alkalines have a discharge curve that makes them unacceptable for meters without a bridge circuit. The 675 zinc-air battery has a discharge curve that is virtually identical to that of the original PX625. Long and flat with a rapid fall-off at the end of battery life.

By the way, if you have a Costco card, or know somebody who does, you can buy from Costco the 675 batteries that come 40 per card for $10. That's 40 cents each, so who cares if you get only 9 or 10 months out of a 675. Just toss it when it loses power and install another one. I have several cameras that use 675s, so I just toss a few in my camera bag before I head out.

davidsyd · Jul 25, 2015

Hi

I just bought a Canon 7 on ebay. Looking for a lens now. This will return my love for film photography.

Sirius Glass · Jul 25, 2015

davidsyd said:
Hi

I just bought a Canon 7 on ebay. Looking for a lens now. This will return my love for film photography.

Welcome to APUG

cuthbert · Jul 26, 2015

davidsyd said:
Hi

I just bought a Canon 7 on ebay. Looking for a lens now. This will return my love for film photography.

I would suggest a Canon 50 mm f1.4.

What's your latest new old camera ? (Part 2)

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