Analog Photography Tutorial: Battery Change

Basic steps: How to insert a battery into a Yashica FX-3 (Super 2000), Contax 139 Quartz, Yashica FR-I

In my first video about the Yashica FX-3 I didn't open the battery holder with a coin as it is supposed to be, it was a rather spontanous video, I wanted to take some pictures with it, so before I inserted the 35mm film cartridge I put my video camera to film it. In this new video I hope that you can see it better! :-)

Sometimes a video can be clearer than an oparting instruction booklet, and many times there one cannot even find one for these old, but nevertheless fine analog SLR cameras.

The Yashica FX-3 and the Contax 139 Quartz (along with the Yashica models FX-1, FX-2, FX-7 and FX-D Quartz and others) require 2 x 1,55V silver-oxide (SR44) or 2 x 1,5V alkaline (LR44) batteries.

The Yashica FR-I (along with the FR and the FR-II and the Contax RTS & RTS II) requires a 6V silver-oxide 544 or PX28 battery.

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[LZFILM]

@SuperUltraMegaMark

Your welcome! I hope you can open it without too much damage!! BTW, if the thread on the camera is still okay after your opening, you could use the batteryholder of every Yashica FX as well (FX-2, FX-3 (Super 2000), FX-7, FX-D, FX-103). They are interchangeable. Sometimes one can find one of these camera bodies very cheap with some electronical or mechanical defect!

[SuperUltraMegaMark]

@LZFILM

I think i'm just going to open it with some brute force. Even if that means i'm going to have to use some tape or something to close the batterylid. Such a shame that i have to hurt the camera though.

Anyhow, thnx for your attention. You were most helpfull :)

[LZFILM]

@LZFILM

... it's probably a chemical reaction with acid escaped from the batteries. This would explain why you can't open the batterholder. Unfortunately I have no more ideas how you could proceed now, because I've never experienced this problem before... I'm sorry! If you use some kind of antioxidation solvent take cautions that it can't flow into the camera body!!

[LZFILM]

@SuperUltraMegaMark

Damned, you are right, it's on the Contax RTS/Yashica FR where the battery compartment cover is screwed directly into the bottom cover. I've opened my 139 and the cable on the battery compartment is too short to cut it and to solder it again after cleaning the compartment. I never had a problem with rust on my cameras, so I don't know what you could use for dissolving it. But the colour (blue-greenish) doesn't sound like rust and iron oxidation, ...

[SuperUltraMegaMark]

@LZFILM

So I opened the Contax the way you said and it all came out easy. There was some blue-greenish stuff on the metal. Which is rust if i'm not mistaking.

My thought was to let the rust dissolve or something. 'cuz I still cant get the lid of the batteryholder to open. The batteryholder was still connected to a wire so i can't completely separate it from the camera.

My question: Is there any way to dissolve the corrosion?

[SuperUltraMegaMark]

@LZFILM

Thnx for the Tip

[LZFILM]

@LZFILM

- there is no risk that the film will be exposed.

But I wonder what the reason is for your sticking batteryholder - is it tilted? Or is the slit for the coin deformed?

Well, I hope this will help you! The Contax 139 is a fine analog camera, and I hope you will have much more fun with it!!! :-)

[LZFILM]

@SuperUltraMegaMark

Don't heat it! You could deform the plasticmade batteryholder irreversibly, or even the camera body! If you can't open the batteryholder, open the whole bottom cover. There are three tiny screws that hold it. But use a precision engineering crosstip screw driver (size Ph.0), don't spoil the screws, you still need them!! ;-) Hence you opened it, you can open the batteryholder from the other side. The film chamber is completely seperated from the bottom -

[SuperUltraMegaMark]

You make it look easy. Opening the batteryholder. I just found a Contax 139 in the basement but I cant get the batteryholder to open. Its stuck somehow. Are there any tricks to open it. Like, idk, heating it or what not? There still a film in there though. And it seems like there some film left, so i dont want to ruin it(by idk, heating it or something stupid like that(this is my first old camera and i'm pretty happy with it))

If anyone could give me some tips,

Thnx,

[LZFILM]

@MiqaelRose

I just uploaded the FR-I tutorial. :-)