The mercury oxide batterys (625) for my OM-1 and Luna-6 are getting old and I am going on a trip so I need spares.Can anyone suggest a proper substitute for the now, unavailable mercury oxides. I'm leaving in a week or so I don't have time to order via the web. Thanks S.L.Mitchell

-- S.L. Mitchell (mitmad@bc.sympatico.ca), December 15, 1999

Answers

There are a few ways to deal with the lack of mercury cells. Some of them depend on your camera or meter whether they will work well or not.

1. There is an alkaline replacement for the 625. The problem is, most cameras and meters do not have a voltage regulation circuit in them. They depend on the voltage characteristics of mercury cells. For an unregulated circuit the voltage of an alkaline starts too high, the reduces over the life to a point of being too low. For color print film, the meter error may be within the film latitude.

2. Wein cells. These are zinc air cells that have been designed to emulate a mercury cell. They are readily available at most better camera stores. They do suffer from high cost (compared to alkaline) and shorter life than the mercury cells. The life can be extended by removing them from the camera/meter and replacing the stick on seal.

3. The CRIS adapter. This is a voltage regulator that holds a 76 silver cell and supplies a fairly stable voltage. These run about $40. Also the combo is a little thicker than the 625 cell, and will not fit all cameras/meters.

4. For a while at least, mercury cells are available outside the US. I have found them in Canada and Europe at camera stores. Varta, who was the last manufacturer to still offer them, stopped making them early in 1999. So what is out there is all there will be.

-- Terry Carraway (TCarraway@compuserve.com), December 16, 1999.

Varta PX 625 cells fill up a hook at my local camera store in Toronto. They're still commonly available in 'Our Home and Native Land.'I'd stock up if they're on offer anywhere in BC.Usual price is around CDN$5.

-- Gary Watson (cg.watson@sympatico.ca), December 19, 1999.

Thanks to all for your answers. I started searching speciatly stores and I found a place in Vancouver B.C. that has PX 625s, 400 of them as a matter of fact, they just imported an order from Germany. They were not of the opinion that the manufacturing of these cells has ceased as they just got some. They also told me that the 625s were one of the only cells that had enough mercury in them to make them worth recycling so they have the facilities set up to do this in Europe and do recyle them. The price they are charging is $3.65 CDN. plus tax. Polar Advanced Battery Technologies Tel. 604-294-5008

-- SL. Mitchell (mitmad@bc.sympatico.ca), December 20, 1999.

I heard that Varta had stopped making them and someone in Germany contacted them early last summer and confirmed that production stopped the first part of the year. Of course there are LARGE stocks of them around still, but they will go away.

BTW at $3.65 CDN, I may have to make a trip up that way.

-- Terry Carraway (TCarraway@compuserve.com), December 20, 1999.