Battery Question - Silver Oxide

[kanephotos]

Hi,

Today I picked up an Olympus XA and it has two LR44s installed as opposed to SR44s. From googling it seems to voltage is slightly different 1.5 vs 1.55 and the LRs lose voltage as they discharge.

There's a relatively large price difference so my question is how important is this for light meters? Do I need to go SR?

Thanks

 

[hunnymonster]

It's going to depend on the circuit design in the meter and how it handles battery voltage variation (eg as it discharges, terminal voltage will drop from the nominal value printed on the packet)

That said my hunch would be that it will be the simplest/cheapest arrangement possible that will mean the open terminal voltage of the batteries will be important - so if it calls for SR44 use SR44; if it calls for LR44 use LR44

 

[kanephotos]

Thanks Jason, given the camera only has aperture priority mode and the cost of film I think you're probably right - better safe than sorry.

 

[hunnymonster]

Overnight thought - the latitude of negative stock possibly would allow it to be used anyway. Positive is less forgiving though.

Of course you might dong the meter built-in is a CdS based one and has decayed too so it may not meter accurately.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

The XA uses battery for everything the shutter release included.. however as has been suggested the latitude of colour film is so great a small difference in exposure is unlikely to be meaning full. I have both a xa and an xa2both of which give excellent exposures with silver batteries.

 

[kanephotos]

I got hold of some SR44s. As a means of experiment I looked at the shutter speed with the existing LR44s (camera with the camera, not sure on age) and the shutter was showing between 1/8 and 1/15. Swapped them for the SR44s and it showed between 1/15 & 1/30. Looking at the exact same wall with same aperture and ISO.

So seemed to be about a full stop out with the lithium batteries.