Tim,
Thanks for the info. I have seen plans online to build AA or AAA battery
packs for the OM-4, but wasn't sure if the camera would work with
it....didn't know if the bigger batteries could damage it. I know the
voltage is the same, 1.5 volts per battery just like the button cells, but I
don't know much about electronics and was afraid to risk it without hearing
from someone who has tried it.
--
Chris Crawford
Photography & Graphic Design
Fort Wayne, Indiana
http://www.chriscrawfordphoto.com My portfolio
http://blog.chriscrawfordphoto.com My latest work!
http://www.plumpatrin.com Something the world NEEDS.
On 12/27/07 12:21 AM, "Tim Hughes" <timhughes@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> I have used my OM2S in Peru extensively at high altitude in fairly cold alpine
> climbing
> conditions. I always kept it under my jacket when not actually shooting and
> tried to made sure
> exposures were going to be 1/125 or more. I did not have too many problems
> except early in morning
> when camera had been sitting on snow in my pack overnight. I was shooting in
> Bryce-Canyon at dawn
> a few years back in mid winter and needed to warm up cells a couple of times
> by removing them from
> camera and placing them in plastic bag in my mouth. Exposures were on the
> longer side then.
>
> With a little effort you could make your own battery adapter from a strip of
> aluminum drilled to
> fit on tripod socket aranged so the strip covers the battery hole. Glue on a
> peice of dowel with
> tiny screw on end to form battery contact underneath the metal strip. Run some
> wires to external
> battery pack from the dowel and from metal strip. (Camera body is +Ve!!!!) You
> could use *new* AAA
> alkaline cells in the external pack in place of SR44 if you like. Voltages are
> close enough to
> 1.5V if they are almost new and the OM drain is low. Alkalines don't work too
> well in cold either,
> but drain is so low it should be ok , or make the lead long and place in warm
> pocket.
>
> Tim Hughes
>
> -- Chris Crawford <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> Moose,
>>
>> Thanks for the info. Looks like I wasted the money on the EPX76's then. The
>> 357/303 worked ok for me in warm weather. I never did a lot of cold weather
>> shooting with my OM-4T's before. I usually did that kind of work with my
>> Mamiya 645, which uses a big 6-volt battery and never failed in cold
>> weather. I am asking about Oms because when I was in Santa Fe I began
>> carrying on OM body and a couple lenses in a Domke satchel bag at all times,
>> and have gotten some cool pics by hanving a camera with me at all times.
>> I've continued carrying my camera all the time here in Indiana, and it was
>> in such a "Found something cool, had camera, took pictures" situation that
>> my OM batteries died from cold. The Battery holder for the pocket for the
>> OM-4 is impossible to find; I guess I could carry my Nikon F4 in the winter.
>> Its powered by AA's and never failed in extreme cold either since those
>> batteries seem to hold up better than button cells. But damn that camera is
>> HEAVY.
>>
>>
>> --
>> Chris Crawford
>> Photography & Graphic Design
>> Fort Wayne, Indiana
>>
>> http://www.chriscrawfordphoto.com My portfolio
>>
>> http://blog.chriscrawfordphoto.com My latest work!
>>
>> http://www.plumpatrin.com Something the world NEEDS.
>>
>>
>>
>> On 12/26/07 5:47 PM, "Moose" <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>> Chris Crawford wrote:
>>>> I have been using the Engergizer 357/303 batteries the last couple years
>>>> when I was living in New Mexico and never saw any problems with them. After
>>>> moving back to northern Indiana, I took my two OM-4T bodies out on a very
>>>> cold day to photograph an old building, and the batteries died within ten
>>>> minutes of going out in the cold. After I got home and they warmed up, they
>>>> worked again.
>>>>
>>>> I have two questions if anyone on the list knows:
>>>>
>>>> Do the batteries that Bill is offering work better in cold weather.
>>>>
>>> Yes and no. All silver oxide button batteries will have similar low
>>> temperature service characteristics. It's the chemistry. Service life
>>> drops to about half at -20C. But... For the use at hand, service life is
>>> shorter than they say to begin with, as below. Cold kills them off
>>> quickly, which is why there have been various battery solutions for the
>>> cold involving batteries kept inside clothing and connected to the
>>> camera by wire.
>>>> And
>>>>
>>>> I was looking at the Energizer website and they mention an EPX76 battery
>>>> that they say is designed specifically for cameras. Their data sheet shows
>>>> it has a higher amperage than the 357/303. I went and bought some of these
>>>> batteries at a local store but they are EXPENSIVE. $4.50 EACH. Has anyone
>>>> tried these in their OM's, and do they work better than the 357/303 and are
>>>> the Sony batteries that Bill has better or the same as these? If they're
>>>> equal or better I'll get some from him, given how cheap they are compared
>>>> to
>>>> the engergizer EPX76 bought locally.
>>>>
>>> You are being fooled by a label which is about different things than
>>> what you need. "For photo use" in the battery marketing world mostly
>>> means high total capacity and relatively quick recovery from high
>>> transient loads. Those are not the key characteristics for OM ( and
>>> other brand SLRs from the same era.) What you want is the longest life
>>> without significant drop in voltage under brief high drain, as is
>>> imposed by shutter magnets. The key phrase on Energizer sheets is
>>> "Designed for use on low continuous drain (operating the meter) High
>>> plse on demand (operating the shutter).
>>>
>>> However, that doesn't mean as much as the shape of the discharge curve.
>>> If you look at the spec sheets, you will see that the EPX76 is just a
>>> slightly higher capacity version of the 357/303. Both have a life, with
>>> flat voltage, under standard test load, of about 400 hrs. The 357/303H
>>> life is about 600 hrs.
>>>
>>> If you get any more useful life out of EPX76s than 357/303 batteries in
>>> OM use, it will be minimal.
>>>
>>> I believe the batteries Bill is selling will be similar to the 357/303H.
>>> The Sony SR44W/357 and the old Energizer 357 were the best performers.
>>> One hopes the 303/357H is a revival of the old 357. Looks like it from
>>> the spec sheet.
>>>
>>> So, yes the batteries Bill is selling are better than either of the
>>> battery types you have. And no, they still won't last long in real cold.
>>>
>>> Moose
>>>
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