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Battery Care
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| While non-battery powered cameras can be found (e.g. Olympus Trip 35), and mechanical cameras such as Rolleis, Voigtlanders and Graflex don’t require them, most cameras made since the mid -1970s are powered by electricity in the form of batteries.
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Button-style batteries are commonly used in 35 mm SLR cameras, which may take just one or as many as four batteries to maintain proper function of their built-in meter, shutter and programming options. Each of these batteries needs to deliver a full 1.5 volts of power to your camera. Among other things, insufficient power can cause your mirror or shutter to seize up, jamming the camera. Always buy batteries with 100% silver oxide content. Varta brand batteries are a good choice. The button-style batteries that once powered such classics as the Pentax Spotmatic were made with mercury, and are no longer available. The Wien company has developed an air-powered 1.5 volt battery to replace them.
Varta also makes lithium batteries, which are the stubby cylinders found in many point-and-shoot cameras, as well as certain models of semiautomatic SLRs. Lithium batteries come in 3 volt and up sizes.
Alkaline batteries (AA, AAA, C, D) power cameras and many flash units. Used in combinations of two, four or six batteries, alkalines tend to have a shorter life than lithium or silver oxide batteries. For this reason, many photographers have switched to rechargeable batteries, especially for digital equipment. If you do use alkaline (or rechargeable) batteries, remove them from your equipment for storage. Unused for long periods of time, they can leak and corrode the interior of your valuable equipment.
We recommend replacing your batteries annually; your birthday could be a date to remind you. Be sure to replace all batteries at the same time. You might also want to make a set of spare batteries a standard part of your camera kit. Properly stored, they last for years. Many so-called camera malfunctions are simply due to dead or weak batteries.
Use a proper voltmeter to check your batteries. Kominek Camera has one, and carries a full selection of replacement batteries. |
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