#12,569 in Electronics
Reddit mentions of MR-9 Battery Adapter for Film Camera & Exposure Meter / Mercury MR9 PX625 PX13
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Reddit mentions: 5
We found 5 Reddit mentions of MR-9 Battery Adapter for Film Camera & Exposure Meter / Mercury MR9 PX625 PX13. Here are the top ones.
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MR-9 PX625 PX13 battery adapter for vintage film cameras and exposure meters.Use of 386 / SR43W Silver Oxide battery (1.55 V) to convert voltage to be equal to obsolete MR-9 PX625 PX13 Mercury battery (1.35V).Employ new microchip to match both electrical and physical requirements. Same size as original MR-9 PX625 PX13 Mercury battery in all dimensions.High quality gold-plated brass body and copper contact for lifetime reusable.New product with 1 year warranty. Price is for an adapter only.
Specs:
There are replacements that work perfectly fine. Shoving an alkaline bettery in there won't work because the discharge curve is defferent, meaning that the amount of compensation needed would change over the life of the battery.
Wein Cell batteries only last about a month, but they maintain the same voltage as the old batteries. Similarly, there are adapters out there (I bought this one) that can take a modern battery (preferably silver oxide) and reduce the voltage to match the camera's requirement.
I've used both Wein cells and the adapter. The adapter is more expensive but wins for long-term convenience because you can get the batteries cheaper and they last longer.
I shoot a Canonet and a Canon F-1, which are both designed for PX625 lead-acid batteries. I use an MR-9 battery adapter with a silver-oxide battery to power those meters.
https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Adapter-Camera-Exposure-Mercury/dp/B00CTNZ9H0
I've talked to my camera tech(I've used the same tech for 15 years or so), and according to him a modern 1.5v silver oxide battery will work fine in most situations. Modern films (like Tri-X, TMAx, Ilford HP5, Ektar, Portra, etc) have a ton of latitude. The extra .15v from the modern battery will cause you to overexpose, but not enough to mess with the exposure of modern films in a significant way. If you shoot older emulsions (Ferrania P30, Eastman Double-X, etc) the difference will be much more noticeable.
But really, pick up a battery adapter and a pack of silver oxide batteries. The adapter is expensive, but you can transfer it between a ton of film camera bodies that used that common PX625 battery when new.
Worth noting- a handful of vintage cameras are internally regulated. Several Pentax Spotmatic variants have voltage regulating diodes in their circuitry that allow them to use batteries with a wider array of voltages.
Happy shooting!
This [battery adapter] (https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Adapter-Camera-Exposure-Mercury/dp/B00CTNZ9H0) will allow you to use modern batteries so your meter will work.
The old F-1 and F-1n take a PX625 mercury battery which is no longer produced. This is the modern replacement, but it's a zinc-air battery with a shorter lifespan. There are battery adapters that allow the use of common silver batteries.
The new F-1 with a battery compartment on the front takes a 6V lithium (Duracell 28L) or alkaline (Energizer A544).
There are adapters. And if you don't like buying extra stuff, you could just compare it to a known good camera and compensate with the ISO dial.