Canon AE-1 Battery: Which One and How to Change It

Canon's spec page lists the Canon AE-1 power source as one 6V 4G-13 battery or one 4LR44 alkaline battery. The 4LR44 is the one you will find today, and it is sold under a pile of names: PX28A, A544, 476A, L1325, V4034PX and K28A all describe the same 6V cell. The silver oxide version is the 4SR44 or PX28, and Duracell's lithium version is the PX28L (also labeled 28L or L544).

Sources disagree on what the original cell was. Canon's museum page calls the 4G-13 a mercury oxide battery, while Canon's own AE-1 manual lists the 4G13, Mallory PX 28 and Eveready No.544 under silver oxide, and iFixit's device page says 6V silver oxide. For buying a battery in 2026 it makes no difference: any 6V cell in the 4LR44 size fits.

Alkaline is the easy, cheap choice. One iFixit answer says the A-series cameras regulate voltage, so alkaline works and the meter stays accurate until the camera shuts down; the seller Ausgeknipst warns that alkaline voltage drops steadily and suggests checking the battery regularly. A repair-forum answer adds that alkaline does not last as long as silver oxide. You do not need lithium: Canon specified alkaline or silver oxide, even though one iFixit poster insists on the Duracell lithium.

Canon lists the same 6V 4G-13 or 4LR44 for the AE-1, A-1, AT-1 and AV-1, and the AE-1 Program takes the 4LR44 too. iFixit notes that every Canon A-series camera and the New F-1 share the battery type. What changes from model to model is how the camera tells you the battery is good.

That is also why search results get confusing: listings for AE-1 and AE-1 Program batteries are often mixed together, as Wit & Folly points out. Search by the battery name (4LR44, PX28 or A544) and confirm 6V, and the camera model stops mattering.

The job needs no screwdriver. Canon intended the hot shoe cover (the manual calls it the viewfinder cover) to double as the tool for opening the battery door.

• One 6V 4LR44 battery (Energizer A544, Ansmann PX28, or a Duracell PX28L lithium). Prices below.
• The hot shoe cover from the top of the camera, or anything thin and blunt to press the door tab.
• A clean, dry cloth or a clean pencil eraser for the contacts. Canon's manual says to wipe the battery poles and camera contacts with a dry cloth, and Energizer recommends an eraser or cloth.
• A small coin, only for an AE-1 Program with the accessory grip fitted.
• A spare battery. The AE-1 has no mechanical backup speed, so a dead battery ends the day, and Canon's manual recommends carrying a spare.

Press the battery check button and watch the meter needle in the viewfinder. Canon's manual says the battery is good if the needle rests at or below the battery check index and should be replaced if it rests above it. Camera-wiki describes the same thing as the needle staying below the halfway mark, and one owner reading the manual on Talk Photography places the mark at f/5.6.

The original AE-1 does not beep. If you watched a video of an AE-1 Program beeping and your AE-1 stays silent, nothing is wrong: the beeper arrived with the Program. If the needle does not move at all, one cause to rule out first is a battery put in backward.

Yes, as a stopgap. Four 1.5V LR44 cells stacked together give the same 6V as one 4LR44, which is the trick shown in videos such as Jonhobbycollection's on YouTube. The catch is size: an LR44 is 11.6 mm wide and 5.4 mm tall, so a stack of four is 21.6 mm long against 25.2 mm for a 4LR44, and one guide says to tape the stack and add a little metal foil to fill the gap.

Use four fresh cells from the same pack, since Duracell warns that mixing old and new batteries lowers performance and can cause leakage. Micro Battery listed a Maxell LR44 10-pack at $3.30 in October 2026, enough for two stacks with two cells to spare. Swap in a proper 4LR44 when you can.

Work through these in order, starting with the battery itself.

• Needle does not move at all: take the battery out and check its orientation against the diagram, then confirm it is a 6V cell.
• Battery is new but there is still no power: look for corrosion on the battery contacts, which iFixit lists as a possible cause of a dead AE-1. Rub them gently with a clean pencil eraser or cloth, as Energizer recommends; skip the soda soak suggested on some repair pages.
• Battery check reads above the index: Canon's manual says that means the battery needs replacing. If a fresh cell reads that way, check that it is a 6V cell and that the contacts are clean.
• Shutter does not cycle properly or hangs: iFixit says an almost dead battery is a common cause, so try a fresh cell first.
• Shutter will not press at all: check that the lock lever is on A, not L.
• Door will not stay shut: the door or its tab may be broken. The same replacement door fits the AE-1, AE-1 Program, A-1 and AT-1, and it is swapped with the battery out without opening the top cover. Fotofix has a YouTube video on replacing it.
• Shutter wheezes when it fires: that is the so-called Canon cough, which Kamerastore ties to a dirty mirror magnet, not the battery. A new battery will not fix it.

Canon's manual gives about one year with normal use. Wit & Folly's author replaced the battery in an AE-1 Program sooner than that, and Canon's manual says to turn the lock lever to L whenever you are not using the camera, to prevent battery drain. A lithium PX28L has more capacity (160 mAh against 100 to 140 mAh for alkaline), but at $11.99 against $4.49 for an Energizer A544 it is optional, since Canon specified alkaline or silver oxide.

Cold matters too. Duracell says extreme heat or cold reduces battery performance, and Canon's AE-1 manual has special precautions for using the battery below 32°F (0°C), in Part II. If you are new to the camera, our guide on how to load film covers the next step after the battery, and the film camera battery finder lists cells for other cameras.