2CR5 Battery: Compatible Cameras

The 2CR5 is a 6-volt lithium photo battery based on lithium manganese dioxide chemistry (Li-MnO2). Its name gives away how it’s built: the plastic casing holds two 3-volt CR15400 lithium cylindrical cells wired in series. Dimensions: 45 × 34 × 17 mm. The battery was developed in the mid-to-late 1980s, mainly by Panasonic and Sanyo, to meet the heavy power demands of the autofocus SLRs that were just appearing at the time. An autofocus motor, automatic film advance and a built-in flash need far more energy than the classic button-cell light meters of the ’60s and ’70s.

In the late ’80s and the ’90s, the 2CR5 was the standard battery for motorized autofocus SLRs: almost the entire Canon EOS line (EOS 1, 5, 10, 100, 600, 650, 1000 and many variants), Minolta Dynax / Maxxum (3000i, 5000i, 7000i, 8000i, 9xi, 7xi, SPxi and their siblings), Pentax SFX and Z-1 / Z-10 / Z-20, Contax 645, AX, N1 and RTS III, Nikon F50 / N50 and Nikonos RS. You’ll find the complete, searchable compatibility list of 85 camera models at the top of this page.

Yes. Unlike the mercury button cells of the pre-electronic era, the 2CR5 is still in regular supply. Major brands such as Duracell, Energizer, Panasonic and Varta still make it, and it’s easy to find at camera stores and online shops. It has, however, largely vanished from the shelves of German drugstores and supermarkets, because mass-market demand is so low. Common equivalent designations: DL245 (Duracell), EL2CR5 (Energizer), KL2CR5 (Kodak), ANSI standard 5032LC. For an unopened name-brand battery, the manufacturer typically quotes a shelf life of 10 years. Self-discharge of lithium manganese dioxide chemistry is under 1% per year.

A lot less time than the shelf life might suggest, because cameras that use a 2CR5 draw a noticeable amount of power through the autofocus motor, the film advance and (above all) the built-in flash. Depending on how you shoot, around 15 to 50 rolls per battery is realistic. If you mostly shoot without flash, you’ll get considerably further; if you’re constantly firing the pop-up flash at family events, expect to land closer to the lower end. As the voltage drops, most 2CR5 cameras reliably switch to a power-saving mode or lock the shutter release, so a nasty battery surprise that costs you film in the middle of an exposure is rare.