gteague Posted August 31, 2020 Share #1 Posted August 31, 2020 Advertisement (gone after registration) hard to find an appropriate place on the forum for this camera. any search returns results for the digital cl, which i have. but this seems the most appropriate place for the question. just today i got in a nice 'mint' cl from japan along with the minolta 40mm lens from another seller. but my question is: what is the best or most used battery for the metering system? i have a few laying around from a gossen luna pro purchase a few months ago and i have a couple of 'adapters' for ?lr44? which i didn't use for that meter. thanks! /guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 31, 2020 Posted August 31, 2020 Hi gteague, Take a look here leitz minolta cl (film). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
luigi bertolotti Posted August 31, 2020 Share #2 Posted August 31, 2020 If it's a Leica CL (or Leitz Minolta CL, but NOT a Minolta CLE) it used the famous Universal PX625 1,35V - out of the market for Mercury usage :there are some alternatives : https://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/sbc_px625.htm (the Weincell MRB625 is easy to find, I think) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gteague Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share #3 Posted August 31, 2020 thanks for this link, but the description of the mr-9 adapter makes no sense considering i have two of them it it plainly says in the description that they don't alter the voltage and that they are for lr44 or a76 batteries, not a 386. perhaps these guys are selling their own version of this adapter without changing the name. but the lr44/a76 is 1.5v alkaline which is quite far from the 1.35v requirement, so my adapters are only adapting the size, not the voltage it would seem. but i think i have a couple of the wein ?? 625 batteries although once you open them they start degrading (air zinc?). and they're expensive.d /guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted August 31, 2020 Share #4 Posted August 31, 2020 Wein cells last as long as you can afford to keep paying for them. After that you look for an adapter and feed the kids instead of buying Wein cells. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gteague Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share #5 Posted August 31, 2020 13 minutes ago, 250swb said: Wein cells last as long as you can afford to keep paying for them. After that you look for an adapter and feed the kids instead of buying Wein cells. i had come to that conclusion as well and i did buy a couple of adapters which use lr44/a76. they were like 2 for $10. but the link the gentleman posted above describes a $30 adapter with voltage regulation built in for a 385? 386? battery. using my adapter with a 1.5v alkaline lr44 battery would seem to the same as using one of the varta 1.5v alkaline batteries which cost only about $3-4, but i think the lr44/a76 can be found nearly anywhere is the advantage there. still, it depends on how dependent the cl is on having 1.35v and how much it's off if it isn't fed that voltage. if it's a constant amount which trends in a smooth curve as the battery ages, that can be handled. /guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted August 31, 2020 Share #6 Posted August 31, 2020 I have an adapter in my Olympus 35RC and it did cost about £35 a few of years ago and it takes the 386 battery. Never a problem, in fact I think the battery has been in since then AND it's been mostly kept in my car during hot summers and cold winters. Of course I turn the camera off, but turning off seems to make no difference to the Wein cell, it turns itself off permanently and quickly. It's not so much that either solution doesn't work, but where your frustration threshold is. I have had a CL and think I maybe did use the same adapter in that, I can't remember, but the current Wein cells are a pastiche of the mercury batteries you could get 'back in the day'. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gteague Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share #7 Posted August 31, 2020 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) i'm gonna check ebay, but the issue is confused by the fact the passive adapter is called mr-9 as well. you have to read real carefully to see if they've put a note in about no voltage regulation. /guy [sadly, they only seem to be available from japan for $50+ i don't know how much shipping] Edited August 31, 2020 by gteague Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted August 31, 2020 Share #8 Posted August 31, 2020 Just now, gteague said: i'm gonna check ebay, but the issue is confused by the fact the passive adapter is called mr-9 as well. you have to read real carefully to see if they've put a note in about no voltage regulation. /guy I didn't get mine from eBay but sorry I can't remember where it was from, I'm thinking it was from a proper film/rangefinder niche supplier. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gteague Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share #9 Posted August 31, 2020 (edited) sadly, the small camera site posted above does not sell to the usa. i found a japanese site selling them for $40 + $22 shipping. i could buy like a dozen of the wein batteries for that. /guy Edited August 31, 2020 by gteague Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted August 31, 2020 Share #10 Posted August 31, 2020 Did I get mine adapter from DAG? Check their parts section. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gteague Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share #11 Posted August 31, 2020 2 minutes ago, 250swb said: Did I get mine adapter from DAG? Check their parts section. they only have the passive ones for lr44 that i already have. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gteague Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share #12 Posted August 31, 2020 i think i'm just going to use the alkalines i have and remember to compensate for whatever meter error i get. after so many years of photography, it's not like i need one except for very exceptional situations. i have the equivalent of the fantastic old black cat paper exposure slide rule on an app. i actually found someone still making those black cat slide rules, but i'm misplaced it too deeply to find. /guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
willeica Posted August 31, 2020 Share #13 Posted August 31, 2020 20 minutes ago, gteague said: i think i'm just going to use the alkalines i have and remember to compensate for whatever meter error i get. after so many years of photography, it's not like i need one except for very exceptional situations. i have the equivalent of the fantastic old black cat paper exposure slide rule on an app. i actually found someone still making those black cat slide rules, but i'm misplaced it too deeply to find. /guy An article I wrote about Wein Cells some years ago is here. https://www.macfilos.com/2016/04/29/2016-4-26-leica-m5-small-battery-company-wein-cell-battery-solutions/ William Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gteague Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share #14 Posted August 31, 2020 some beautiful shots in there. i love the tree bark. tks! /guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gteague Posted August 31, 2020 Author Share #15 Posted August 31, 2020 (edited) i can't find the other wein battery i bought for my sekonic meter, but i did get two more of them today and put one in the cl. i waited 30 minutes then set shutter to 1/60th and asa to 100 and hit the battery check button and the indicator is at the very top of the notch. i hope that's at maximum and not at minimum, but will have to wait to see which way the trend is. we're about to get rain and i doubt i'll go out and live fire with film today but what i am going to do is put the 40/2 on my digital cl and test it. but i'm glad to see the sign of life from the meter. i realized i could test it real fast. i set it to asa200 (i got 4 rolls of fuji 200 and will start with that) and 1/60th at 2.8 and the indicator was exactly in the center. i took my digital cl to the same spot and it gave the exact same reading. i heard the film cl meter is a little 'spotty', but i haven't finished the manual yet. very pleased it seems to have a good meter although to keep it accurate i suspect i'll be buying the wein batteries unless i can find the adaptor. i sort of eyeballed the distance the rangefinder was returning and they seemed ok. i only have one eye and it has astigmatism, so /m/ cameras have never worked for me--i tried like 5 of them without success. but i ordered a very compact laser distance meter and if i can't come to terms with the rf i can manually set distances and really the only issues will be under 10, maybe 15'. and i can use hyperfocal distance although i've never had any luck with any camera using even a strict CoF and i don't trust it to yield a photo even close to being in focus. here's an iphone shot of the lecia cl 'twins' with the tl 23/2 on the digital one. /guy Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Edited August 31, 2020 by gteague Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/312881-leitz-minolta-cl-film/?do=findComment&comment=4037264'>More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted September 1, 2020 Share #16 Posted September 1, 2020 You should enjoy the CL. I bought a used one in the 1979s and it became my main travel camera for things like a 10 day bicycle tour of Scotland - small and light enough to tuck into my handlebar bag. By the late 1990s the meter was sticky and out of cal, but after a full CLA around 2009 it has been fun again. I kept the meter calibrated for the original voltage and have used both Wein calls and and MR9 (with 386) with good results. I've had at least one MR9 fail after a few years though. I also have an M5, and also kept its meter original adjustment, although DAG suggested calibrating it for 1.5 V. If it were needing a service now I'd have it recalibrated to 1.5V and use silver cells. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gteague Posted September 1, 2020 Author Share #17 Posted September 1, 2020 tks @TomB_tx! any idea what strap will work with the vertical lugs on the cl? i've looked all over and an original one just isn't to be found and i don't want to risk getting one too wide to fit through the lugs. i could use a regular strap, but the metal split rings would eat up those lugs. tks, /guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shac Posted September 1, 2020 Share #18 Posted September 1, 2020 Is this what you were looking for? http://www.smallbattery.company.org.uk/sbc_mr9_adapter.htm 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gteague Posted September 1, 2020 Author Share #19 Posted September 1, 2020 they don't ship to usa. yeah, that's the most promising place. there's some on ebay from japan for up to $90 with shipping and untrustworthy descriptions. tks! /guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted September 1, 2020 Share #20 Posted September 1, 2020 I still have the original strap on my CL - plastic, about 3/8" wide. The M5 lugs are similar, and on that I used an old Pentax strap - same width - that would loop through the lug and attach to itself with a rivet-type connector. If you can find a thin enough leather strap, wrap through the lugs and sew the end back to the strap. Another option: I have a nice half-case for the CL that has metal strap loops on it (both sides at top). I got it from eBay seller Mr. Zhou (Zhou Camera Case) several years ago. I don't see that case shown in his store now (but does show a CLE case), but you could contact and see if they still offer it. I can post a picture of it later. I use their cases on several cameras. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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