Do film SLRs need batteries & other dumb questions

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/05/2006 05:40:11 PM · #1

Hey. I have a sudden urge to go buy some B&W film and take out my dad's film SLR camera and try it out. I'm a complete newbie at this obviously, so I know nothing about SLR's really. So do I need batteries, which I'm assuming yes, so what kind and where do I get them? Is there anything I can do that will break the camera that I should avoid, besides dropping it of course. Any links to sites that explain would be good, I can't find anything that's not selling me a camera instead of telling me how to use it.

hanneke

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

07/05/2006 05:42:54 PM · #2

Hmm, not sure, but in my Nikon there had to be special (expensive) batteries for film.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

07/05/2006 05:45:06 PM · #3

Which film SLR camera?

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

07/05/2006 05:45:32 PM · #4

My Canon film SLR uses a lithium battery.

The type of battery needed depends on the camera.

07/05/2006 05:45:44 PM · #5

Okay I found this on the Canon Camera history site that my particular camera takes One 4G-13 6 V mercury oxide battery or 4LR44 alkaline battery where can I get this, at what price and what does it look like so I'll know?

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

07/05/2006 05:46:05 PM · #6

Originally posted by faidoi:

Which film SLR camera?

Canon AT-1

kyebosh

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 80-200mm f/2.8L

07/05/2006 05:46:19 PM · #7

There are mechanical cameras that do not require batteries, but if a camera has an lcd display on it, that's one way to tell it has a battery.

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

07/05/2006 05:48:29 PM · #8

Originally posted by moniepenny:

Originally posted by faidoi:
Which film SLR camera?

Canon AT-1

Here's the specs for you... google is your friend

//www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/SLRs/at1/index.htm

Tamron 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD

07/05/2006 05:51:58 PM · #9

Originally posted by moniepenny:

Less then $5.00, but looks like you can find it for about $2.00-$3.00.

MadMan2k

Sony Alpha a6400

07/05/2006 05:54:57 PM · #10

It looks like that one might work without a battery since it has manual rewind, but you need a battery for the light meter to work. If you don't have one, you can probably just go out and use the sunny f/16 rule (Shooting a frontlit subject on a sunny day at f/16, set the shutter speed to the closest corresponding number of your ISO - with ISO 100 film use 1/100th of a second). If it's not sunny I wouldn't know what to do without a meter, except maybe expose by one stop higher?

You might be able to get a battery at Radio Shack, I found one for mine there. It was like 15 bucks though.

07/05/2006 06:05:30 PM · #11

Originally posted by faidoi:

Originally posted by moniepenny:
Okay I found this on the Canon Camera history site that my particular camera takes One 4G-13 6 V mercury oxide battery or 4LR44 alkaline battery where can I get this, at what price and what does it look like so I'll know?

Less then $5.00, but looks like you can find it for about $2.00-$3.00.

Where?

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical DF for Nikon

07/05/2006 06:05:58 PM · #12

Originally posted by MadMan2k:

Radio Shack's all went out of business here. : (

Apple iPhone

07/05/2006 06:07:02 PM · #13

check at the camera store or walmarts they still ahve some batteries fo rfilm cameras in stock

07/05/2006 06:11:28 PM · #14

Originally posted by moniepenny:

Originally posted by faidoi:

Originally posted by moniepenny:
Okay I found this on the Canon Camera history site that my particular camera takes One 4G-13 6 V mercury oxide battery or 4LR44 alkaline battery where can I get this, at what price and what does it look like so I'll know?

Less then $5.00, but looks like you can find it for about $2.00-$3.00.

Where?

I googled the battery and a couple places had it at that price.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/05/2006 06:12:05 PM · #15

Originally posted by moniepenny:

Radio Shack's all went out of business here. : (

I thought they only closed 10% of their stores.

hanneke

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

07/05/2006 06:18:16 PM · #16

Originally posted by faidoi:

Originally posted by moniepenny:

Radio Shack's all went out of business here. : (

I thought they only closed 10% of their stores.

they're probably all in her neighbourhood :P

Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D

07/05/2006 06:19:51 PM · #17

Originally posted by faidoi:

Originally posted by moniepenny:

Radio Shack's all went out of business here. : (

I thought they only closed 10% of their stores.

All the one's in this city and I think all or most in Canada have closed.

Djabordjabor

Nikon D3

07/05/2006 06:24:51 PM · #18

I've Nikon Fe, an old manual focus film slr. It uses battery but they're very small and I change them very rarely.

BlueZamia

Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

07/05/2006 06:26:17 PM · #19

I think these people have the4LR44 Its cheep
link
If the camera works w/out the batteries, I think there is an insert w / the film that suggests apature shutter combos for basic situations.

My photo prof made us hand in our batteeries for the first 2 weeks of the semester, so in 1981 most cameras functioned without them. I had a Minolta compleely manuel. don't know which model.

quiet_observation

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

07/05/2006 06:30:09 PM · #20

In some older manual cameras, the battery powers the light meter.

Most stores that sell cameras would have the batteries. You could order online but you would probably pay more in shipping than what the cost of the battery is.

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

07/05/2006 07:10:53 PM · #21

Thanks for all your replies guys. I've rumaged through the camera stuff and have found the manual. Surprisingly enough there is a battery in the camera and it's working, I didn't expect that since it hasn't been used in more than a year.

Also, I don't buy anything online at all - My mom won't let me get a paypal account and I have no credit cards, lol.

So yeah, if anyone has any sites that explain film slr usage rather than just specs, that would be great!

Bugzeye

07/05/2006 07:16:03 PM · #22

Do you have a Walgreens near you? I have found bats for my Canon AE-1 Program and my Wifes Old Minolta both there. I believe the price ranged from 4-8 dollars the minolta bat cost double the price of the other.