Reviving an old warhorse . . .

[j.lukow]

When I got back into Photography I picked up a Minolta SRT200 and have had a decent experience with until late. Recently I found out that my downfall may be a case of wrong battery type - I've been using an alkali - didn't realize the draw backs. Last night I reviewed the last set I had taken with it . . . they look poorly exposed, definate meter issue

So following a link -Larry showed me - while dealing with my Conti - made me realize that for the SRT I could just add the wire loop and use a hearing aid battery with much better results. This means that an old warhorse may have a chance rise again.

Jim
_________________
EMPLOYMENT: That which funds photography and woodworking.j.lukow
Jim's Kit:
Minolta Kit: Minolta X70 & Autowinder G, Minolta SRT200
LENSES:Minolta - 45mm & 50mm F1:2, PF 58mm F1:1.4,
Tamron 28mm f1:2.5, Tamron SP 35-80mm f1:2.8/3.8 & CF TeleMacro zoom 80-210 f1:3.8,
Vivitar f3.0~4.5 35-200mm macro focusing zoom, f 2.8 28mm CF Wide angle, 2x macro focus teleconverter,
Sigma F4 25-250, f 2.8~4 35-70mm zoom master,
Tokina SD f4-5.6 70-210 zoom, f4.5 80-200 "Ultra" zoom,
AutoImage 135mm F1:2.8, Spiratone 400mm f1:6.3, Magicon f3.5-4.8 35-70mm macro zoom,Accura MD mount Macro bellows
Start of M42 Kit:Praktica PLC2,Yashica TL Electro X
LENSES:Meyer Goerlitz Oreston 50mm f1:1.8 ,
Auto Yashinon DX 1:1.7 50mm,Steinheil Munchen Culminar 135mm f4.5, Adaptall-2 M42 adapter
Zeiss . . .
Zeiss Contaflex 126 system
Zeiss Contaflex Super

Other gear - Gossen Luna-Pro

[bob955i]

Biggest issue with alkaline batteries in addition to the higher voltage is their non-linear discharge rate. Meaning there's only going to be one point in their life where the meter will be accurate.

You'll probably find that the meter over-reads to begin with due to the higher voltage which results in underexposure. Then, as the cell discharges, the reading will decrease until you reach a point where exposure is actually correct. Finally, as the voltage drops below optimum, the meter will under-read, resulting in overexposure.

Silver oxide is a good alternative to mercury technology as it has a similar discharge rate - the only thing is that one has to drop the voltage down from 1.5v to 1.35v for those meters that require it.
_________________
"The badger winks twice before the cheese explodes!"


DSLR: Canon EOS 5D
SLR: Ihagee Exa (V4), Exakta VX, Exakta Varex VX, Exakta Varex IIa, Exakta Varex IIb, Exakta VX 1000, Pentacon F, Pentacon FM, Pentacon FBM, Praktica BC-1, Voigtländer Bessaflex TM black
Medium Format: Mamiya RB67 Pro-S, Pentacon Six TL, Yashica 635
Rangefinder: Rank-Mamiya 4B
Bridge: Minolta DiMage 7i
P&S: Olympus XA-3
Lenses by the following makers:
Carl Zeiss Jena, Carl Zeiss Oberkochen, Hanimex, Mamiya, Meyer Optik Görlitz, Pentacon, Prakticar, Schneider-Kreuznach, Sigma, Super Paragon

Gear junkies look here

[j.lukow]

These are the drawbacks I mean - now from what I've heard using the hearing aid batter at 1.4 volts causes less of a problem than the alkaline at 1.5 volts. The link I was mentioning was Rick Olesons . . .

http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-111.html

From what I've heard this solution works well, good enough for me.

Jim
_________________
EMPLOYMENT: That which funds photography and woodworking.j.lukow
Jim's Kit:
Minolta Kit: Minolta X70 & Autowinder G, Minolta SRT200
LENSES:Minolta - 45mm & 50mm F1:2, PF 58mm F1:1.4,
Tamron 28mm f1:2.5, Tamron SP 35-80mm f1:2.8/3.8 & CF TeleMacro zoom 80-210 f1:3.8,
Vivitar f3.0~4.5 35-200mm macro focusing zoom, f 2.8 28mm CF Wide angle, 2x macro focus teleconverter,
Sigma F4 25-250, f 2.8~4 35-70mm zoom master,
Tokina SD f4-5.6 70-210 zoom, f4.5 80-200 "Ultra" zoom,
AutoImage 135mm F1:2.8, Spiratone 400mm f1:6.3, Magicon f3.5-4.8 35-70mm macro zoom,Accura MD mount Macro bellows
Start of M42 Kit:Praktica PLC2,Yashica TL Electro X
LENSES:Meyer Goerlitz Oreston 50mm f1:1.8 ,
Auto Yashinon DX 1:1.7 50mm,Steinheil Munchen Culminar 135mm f4.5, Adaptall-2 M42 adapter
Zeiss . . .
Zeiss Contaflex 126 system
Zeiss Contaflex Super

Other gear - Gossen Luna-Pro