Your grandfather gave you his old camera—what now?

Did you go shopping at a flea market, find an analogue camera in your parents’ attic, or inherit one of your grandfather’s valuable cameras? Then you’re in the same situation as thousands of our customers. Maybe you’ve even found a manual or a YouTube video showing you how to operate the camera correctly. 

There’s only one last question: “Which battery do I need for Camera X?”

The short answer: Simply use our interactive battery finder:

In fact, as a support employee, I often do exactly that: I use our own tool. And if your model is unexpectedly not listed, a quick Google search will often help too.

If you received a printed instruction manual with your camera, or an old battery is still in the battery compartment, you can of course check there too. The problem is that in this case you’ll often come across old battery designations that don’t mean much to us today.

 

 

There are also more than 20,000 different camera models (a cautious estimate), and even after five years in the industry, it’s impossible for me to know which battery every camera model needs. Simply enter “Battery Camera X”, or even better 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 article? Or you do find an answer but doubt whether it’s correct (obviously, not everyone who answers questions in internet forums is an expert).

Why is choosing the right battery important at all?

Batteries mainly differ according to two criteria:

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

The battery type determines three other factors that are relevant to us:

1. Voltage (usually specified in volts)
2. Discharge characteristics (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 in the first place or rattles around loosely inside it, then you know you have a problem. It becomes more difficult when you have found a battery of the correct size but the wrong type. For example, a Varta 625U (alkaline) battery has the same dimensions as the PX625 required by many analog cameras. Nevertheless, your camera may not work properly when you use a Varta 625U.

Before we look at the malfunctions, here is one brief note: The capacity of the battery used is of no interest to us analog photographers. The electronics in older cameras are so “economical” in terms of power consumption that even the cheapest batteries often last for months or even years.

The malfunction can manifest itself in three ways:

1. The camera does not turn on at all (rarely the case)
2. Some camera functions are impaired (relatively rarely the case), e.g., the camera fires, but the film is not advanced
3. The camera itself works perfectly, and the Light meter fluctuates or displays values that are incorrect

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

Problem: Incorrect light-metering results

If you use the wrong batteries in your analog camera, you probably will not notice until your pictures have been developed and have turned out consistently too bright or too dark. This is because the light meters in most analog cameras are calibrated for a constant voltage. 

Mercury batteries in various shapes and sizes (e.g., PX625 or PX400) were commonly used in the past. The advantage—or former advantage—of these mercury batteries is that they have a constant discharge curve throughout their entire service life. The discharge curve describes how quickly and how “steeply” a battery loses its voltage: 

Discharge curve: alkaline battery vs. mercury battery

 

The diagram is, of course, only a rough approximation. Above all, it is intended to illustrate one thing: Using an alkaline battery in your camera is like relying on a stopped clock: it is right exactly once, namely when the voltage happens to drop to 1.35 V. The great advantage of the mercury battery is that it continuously supplies the correct voltage and then suddenly “gives up,” so you know when it needs to be replaced. But here is the big BUT: mercury batteries have been banned for decades because of their environmental impact, and only occasional remaining stocks are still available to buy. The good news is that we have the perfect replacement for mercury batteries that are no longer available: Peto:

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

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

Although zinc-air batteries are rated at 1.45 V, their voltage drops under load (that is, during use) to 1.4–1.35 V because the batteries react with air and therefore continuously “recharge” themselves slightly. They are therefore the ideal replacement for mercury batteries.

The problem is that zinc-air batteries are actually available in only two different sizes (at least when you want to use them sensibly in cameras): type 675 and type p312. As they are, they do not fit in the battery compartment. 

The solution: Our zinc-air battery adapters

 

Disclaimer: We sell the adapters and batteries mentioned from this point onward ourselves. However, this article is intended primarily as a guide, not as sales copy. Where you can manage without us or someone else is the better source, that is stated here as well.

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

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

1. A simple rubber O-ring is the perfect solution for cameras such as the Rollei 35, where power is drawn from the top and bottom of the camera's battery compartment. 
2. The battery adapter, printed from conductive filament, is a little more expensive and can be used with cameras where contact is made on the side. For example, the Leica CL. 
3. A custom-designed charger with a USB-C charging port for Varta V80H rechargeable batteries

Which battery type for which camera? The overview

Most problems involve a few old battery types. This overview shows the original type, why it is no longer available, and which of our solutions provides the correct voltage, with our rechargeable and adapter solutions listed first:

Can’t find your type? Our brand overviews and model guides provide the right solution for more than 130 battery types.

More questions & FAQ

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

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

I can’t of course guarantee that misuse won’t cause problems, but generally speaking, no. The batteries used in analog cameras have such low voltage and capacity that little can actually go wrong. 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 when storing your camera for longer periods, and either dispose of it immediately or at least store it separately in a bag. 

Tips for maximizing battery life

Under normal circumstances, you don’t need to worry about your battery’s lifespan. Even zinc-air batteries, which oxidize in the air and therefore discharge over time, generally last for several months. Depending on how intensively they are used, NiMH, alkaline, silver-oxide, and lithium batteries can even last for years in an analog camera. 

You do need to be careful with some camera models where the light meter is constantly active and therefore ideally needs to be covered. This is the case, for example, with some Rollei 35 models, the Olympus 35 SP, or the external Olympus Pen F light meter. In such cases, either a lightproof storage bag or a cover like the ones we sell in our shop will help: 

 

I don’t know which camera I’m looking at.

Without a model name, no battery list will help you. This happens more often than you might think with cameras from the attic: many models from those years were sold under retailers’ names—Revue came from Quelle Versand, Photo-Porst from the Nuremberg chain—and the body simply doesn’t say who made them.

For German cameras made up to around 1975, the Lippisches Kamera Museum is the best resource we know. Dirk Böhling presents more than thirty manufacturers there, with photos of the individual models: Adox, Balda, Certo, Dacora, Welta, Zeiss Ikon, and two dozen more, as well as box cameras, flash units, and accessories. You will usually recognize your camera faster from the pictures than with a search engine, and with the name you can continue here or in the Battery Finder.

Information on proper disposal and recycling options

As an online shop, we are legally required to inform you about proper disposal and recycling options. So here is a request: never throw your batteries in household waste. Instead, collect them and take them to the nearest drugstore or supermarket for recycling. You will generally always find a collection container for used batteries there.

 The legally prescribed information on battery disposal follows:

Conclusion

Finding the right battery for your analog camera is essential to ensure optimal performance and proper operation, especially of the light meter. With over 20,000 camera models and a wide variety of battery types, this task can be overwhelming. However, our ultimate guide and our shop's search functions make the process much easier. If you can't find what you're looking for, online research often provides helpful insights, and our specialized adapter solutions enable the use of modern batteries instead of mercury batteries.

We strongly recommend always checking the battery's size and type carefully to avoid malfunctions. You should also bear in mind that proper storage and use can maximize battery life. Don't forget to take used batteries to a collection point.

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

With that in mind, “good light”! Vladi from Ausgeknipst.