Olympus OM-1 Meter Battery Conversion.
Have your Olympus OM-1, OM-1N or M-1 professionally converted to enable it to use the modern SR44 Silver Oxide 1.55V cell for its exposure meter.
The Olympus OM-1 range of cameras originally used the 1.33V Mercury Oxide button cell that is generally no longer available due to its environmental issues when disposed of.
As the OM-1 family meter is calibrated to that particular voltage and sourcing a direct replacement cell is not possible, alternatives need to be found.
There are several options, such as the 1.4V Zinc/Air cell, the MR9 adapter or using a separate hand-held meter.
These ways have their advantages, but also disadvantages - the Zinc/Air cells, whilst cheap, may only last a few weeks as they begin to discharge immediately they are activated even when not in use. The MR9 adapter, whilst a good option that allows use of silver oxide cells, is expensive and one is needed for each camera if you have more than one - and it can be lost!
Using a hand-held meter means more than one device to get settings and is a slow process.
So, the permanent one-off conversion is the logical option, that has virtually no downside.
The conversion consists of the installation of a very small electronic component discretely added permanently to the camera meter circuit. The component I have researched and decided to use gives the closest match to the optimal voltage of the original 1.33V Mercury Oxide cell when used with the SR44 1.55V Silver Oxide cell, or equivalent, such as the SR1154. Any other type of cell such as the LR44 Alkaline cell must not be used, as it has a poor discharge curve that cannot be calibrated for.
The conversion is a one-time, permanent solution, so cannot be lost, allows use of the long-lived SR44 cell and gives excellent accuracy to the meter.
The conversion has a 1 year warranty and can often be a same-day service.
UK return postage is included in the sale price!
This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 30 May, 2024.
