I am not unintelligent by any means, but occasionally certain things just miss my 'knowledge radar'. They are not normally big issues, but they still make me feel silly as I think I should have picked up on them as they probably waved at me as they passed in previous years.
Part of my photography uses my SLRs and 120 cameras, and as you probably know most SLRs need button cell batteries to operate fully. By luck, for me these are all the same size – the 1.5 volt SR44 or equivalent.
I have tended to buy the alkaline versions, based on the historic of development of batteries through my life, and pioneered by the brand with the copper top that goes on and on when others become exhausted. As a child playing with battery operated toys, this was excellent. This good news story is etched on my brain.
One of my cameras takes silver oxide, alkaline or even a slightly bigger lithium cell, which is what set me thinking. I know the older cameras that took mercuric oxide based batteries sometimes need adaptors to use modern equivalents. Some adaptors include voltage regulators, as these voltage differences can affect meter readings, but may not actually damage the camera.
My own cameras do not use mercury based batteries, so this is a not a specific issue that affects me, but I realised the 3 types above probably had different characteristics due to their chemistry.
Silver Oxide – These can cost a little more alkaline. They have an important characteristic, they have the ability to maintain a more stable voltage. This characteristic makes them better and possibly essential for metering equipment such as light meters, where a stable voltage is required. These batteries have a 'W' or 'SW' suffix. This relates to low or high drain applications, and when there is a choice I have decided to always try and get the 'W' version for high drain applications. I am not sure if it makes a difference in real life, but the logic seems well founded.
Alkaline – This type of chemistry should be longer lasting than silver oxide, but their voltage drops off faster than silver oxide from first use. This could affect the accuracy of the built in light meter, so these batteries are no longer my first choice.
Lithium – The Lithium chemistry is the odd one out for me, as I can only use them in one camera. They can have a shelf life of up to 10 years, and should outlast both the above in use. I can use one battery instead of 2 SR44s, which is less fiddly. However, if I use my camera in cold weather (0 degrees celsius or less), lithium chemistry can stop working until it warms up again. I have not found any information about voltage drop during use, but I suspect they are like silver oxide in that respect. As all batteries should now be disposed off in recycling centres, the pollutant element of lithium is not quite such a consideration, but is still a negative.
Conclusion
I have decided to buy silver oxide batteries, mainly because they fit in all my cameras. I will probably renew them every 6-8 months as the cost is not prohibitive. If we were still in a film only era, where I used my camera every day for a few hours, I would probably buy the lithium version as it would survive heavy or extended use better.
Incidentally, I realise cameras may have built in voltage regulation or bridge circuitry, but I cannot assume this.
