The 640 was the very first "mercury" battery I remember encountering
that was replaced with an Alkaline version, back in the late '70's.
Used to send 'em back with a "Wrong Battery Type" label....
Varta still has alkaline 640's in their catalog - and if anything, maybe
because the photo cells are so much older now, the older cameras seem to
be a little more accurate with the higher voltage alkalines - at least,
that's what my testing shows. Anyway, it beats leaving an otherwise
good camera on the shelf....
Have your dealer call Varta - they're nice folks to deal with, and have
a relatively small minimum order. Plus they've got some great
prices....
gwsears wrote:
>
> PMFJI,
> Are 640 batteries still available? If so, From whom? I've not been
> able to locate any since I got the camera two years ago or so.
>
> Thanks,
> George
>
> On 31 Oct 2000, at 13:51, clintonr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
> From: clintonr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Date sent: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 13:51:36 -0600
> To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [OM] 35EC
> Send reply to: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> > RP -
> >
> > The EC will fire even if the batteries are dead/missing/not making
> > contact (battery leakage of the type 640 was common, causing corrosion
> > on the contacts). Be sure you see the yellow lamp glow through the
> > eyepiece or top cover as you gently squeeze the release button - that
> > will tell you that the camera's getting power. Otherwise, the shutter
> > won't open. (The EC-2 and ECR have a blocking lever to prevent
> > release without power.)
> >
> > If I remember correctly, when you attach a flash to the shoe, it
> > switches the camera into "flashmatic" mode, wherein the aperture is
> > set according to the distance set on the focus ring. Don't use an
> > Auto flash, or at least set it to "manual" output, and set the guide
> > number on the shutter. Also, I believe the camera is designed so
> > that, if the exposure is above a certain level, the camera won't
> > trigger the flash.
> >
> > Good shooting!
> >
>
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