I was given some old photography gear recently, quite a bit of it and going through the tubs (and removing corroded batteries from Metz flash gear and other stuff) I found one AA battery. Before I could say anything my son had grabbed the battery tester and put the battery in. The battery from memory is from the 70s/early 80s. I do not remember the red Eveready past the 70s but couldn't find much information online (Australian Union Carbide product).
Most of the gear in the tubs is from the 70s or earlier.
I'd never even heard of a Miranda 35mm camera and I spent a lot of time around photography gear from 11 years of age (71) up.
I do see people selling vintage batteries, dead ones, mine still has near full capacity which absolutely shocked me, especially considering all of the corroded batteries in some very nice Metz flash gear, two separate Nikon DG body and lens combinations (35-135, 50mm f1.4) (in near new condition) plus motor drive and thankfully easy to remove and clean up battery contacts. One 1971 Miranda 35mm EE (Sensorex I think), I'd never heard of them, also in near new condition but it's battery cover wasn't the coin slot type, it was the knurled chamfered edge of a ring that was terribly hard on the fingers. Lucky for me I found a trick searching online where someone else used canned air and inverted it and used the refrigerant to chill the cover and shrink it. I was already familiar with the refrigerant gas in the canned air because we use it for other purposes but it also worked a charm on the little cover and I go the battery out and cleaned it all up. Originally it took 1.35 volt mercury batteries and I believe the 1.5 volt LR44 (which fits) will throw the meter out a little . I can live with that but believe there may be a zinc oxide replacement or a hack to use such a thing.
Oh, a model C brownie in nice condition in a new original case (original with cardboard packaging)
I have to pick up some M2x5 bolts and M2 nuts (brass) to replace rotted rivets on battery compartment contacts on a Metz 32 CT3 and a Metz 45 CT3.
I also removed the battery from the new condition Cosina and a few other gems (Yashica, Kodak Disc camera, light meters and an Agfa development talk I'm going to check for leaks), buy some film, buy some c-41 chemicals and have a go at processing (I haven't done that in over 50 years but it can't hurt), I'd like to put a roll through each of the SLR cameras I just got. I've acquired, 6 large tubs of equipment including some very interesting books, lenses (no prime unfortunately) and everything in between. I can't do a dark room, I already have an old enlarger under my house and no darkness or spare space to put a dark room, There's some little gadgets relating to developing too. And some very nice Hoya filters plus other little cameras.
My ex brother in laws father passed away some time last year and he had his own dark room for many years, even better when he bought his farm and had his own private runway and hanger at his property, lovely bloke made a fortune (to the tune of tens of millions of dollars) but got too busy for photography in the 80s and didn't upgrade past some cheap point and shoot digital cameras, pity, very smart business man. His family (children) inherited a significant amount of money, my ex brother in law spent $350,000 cash on a new top of the range F150 Lariatt (with a $10,000 bull bar that's worth more than my entire car 4 times over) and large caravan and retired and now travels around the country at his leisure. Good luck to him, he's always been a good friend even after he and my younger sister divorced and both remarried. He passed all of the photography equipment on to me because I often discussed it with his father and he always knew I had good gear. It will all go in my collection and I'll look after it.
I remember those red batteries from my yonger days. Seriously amazed that something from way back then still held some charge. Really nice grab mate, be interested to see how your film processing goes!
I remember those red batteries from my yonger days. Seriously amazed that something from way back then still held some charge. Really nice grab mate, be interested to see how your film processing goes!
Yes, it shows as fully charged. The funny thing is I see them being sold used as vintage batteries but dead, I don't usually store acid related products as collectables (but I will keep this one battery where I can keep an eye on potential acid leaking). I wish I still had some of my old 45 volt batteries from old valve radios.
I did B&W processing and enlarging as a young teen. We also had photography as an option for sport at high school, including processing. I took that because I am a self confessed wimp. Fishing too, a chance to sit by the river and smoke or have the GF down there (not going into details).
I got enlarger timers and electronic calibration device (Paterson enlarging meter which got a full strip down and new 9 volt battery terminals fitted (corroded batteries in that too)), colour charts/filters/so much stuff I'm not familiar with. My experience with enlargers was trial and error and careful watching of the timer to get optimum exposures.
My favourite score though is a Nikon lens scope converter. I slapped a 300mm f4 lens on it last night and pointed it at the moon and was surprised with the view. I've been told by someone in the know it's a straight through 10 times magnifier which makes the 300mm lens decent for the viewing.
I'll post a photo of some of the cameras later.
I was given some old photography gear recently, quite a bit of it and going through the tubs (and removing corroded batteries from Metz flash gear and other stuff) I found one AA battery. Before I could say anything my son had grabbed the battery tester and put the battery in. The battery from memory is from the 70s/early 80s. I do not remember the red Eveready past the 70s but couldn't find much information online (Australian Union Carbide product).
Most of the gear in the tubs is from the 70s or earlier.
I'd never even heard of a Miranda 35mm camera and I spent a lot of time around photography gear from 11 years of age (71) up.
Eveready changed to a square gold bordered version of their 9 lives cat logo in the mid to late 1980s, and then to a square white bordered version of it in the early 1990s. I've found a photo on ebay of a bunch of Canadian sold ones with the white border. Australia had the same label design at that time as well.
In the early to mid 1970s, for general sales, with that red oval 9 lives cat logo, there were only Eveready silver, and red batteries. Alkaline Eveready Gold Energizer did exist with that old logo, but they were not common to see at all.
In the early 1980s, Eveready introduced the Eveready Black, Super Heavy Duty batteries range with the oval logo.
Miranda was a camera manufacturer from Japan through to the late 1970s. In the 1980s, the brand was used by Dixons in the UK, which is where I remember their name from, due to their ads in the UK camera magazines I bought in the mid to late 1980s.
Thanks for the information Jenifur!
The late father of my friend could have well bought the Miranda in England, he was of British descent (actually moved to Australia at 8 I believe) and travelled the world with numerous trips to the UK.
In 1982, I was working as a shop assistant for a local Price-Rite hardware branch.
The electrical and batteries were an area of the shop I had to look after, so I remember a bit about what stuff was carried, and what was available from the trade magazines.
Getting a Zenit 12XP 35mm SLR camera in 1984, is why I started reading the photo magazines, looking for tips to help beginners. The UK magazine, What Camera, was a regular order at my local newsagent.
One of the things I learned well was f-stop, and how that relates to image brightness and depth of field sharpness. Stuff that still is important for astronomy.
One of the things I learned well was f-stop, and how that relates to image brightness and depth of field sharpness. Stuff that still is important for astronomy.
That's always the first tip I give people when they advance from phone cameras to the real thing.
