OM-D Batteries?

[Akimbo]

Has anyone tried this battery?

BLN-1 Battery for Olympus OM-D E-M5: $18.00
BLN-1 Battery for Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds Camera - BestBatt.com

It seems too good compared to ~$50 for an Oly battery. Also this charger is more compact for travel.

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

The charger does not work with the stock Olympus battery and the stock Olympus charger does not work with the after market battery. I got two before you could get the Olympus replacement battery and did not feel that they lasted as long as the Oly battery. I use them in my land E-M5 with battery grip and the Oly batteries in the housed E-M5, but when I travel I still need to carry chargers for both, so no real upside weight wise.

Phil Rudin

 

[Akimbo]

Thank you Phil for that quick answer. I also bought the HLD-6 handle for topside. I would like to carry the camera with handle around my neck for infrequent shooting, but feel the need for a protective case… like doing the “walking tourist thing” and a camera bag or backpack is too much. Any thoughts?

Warning to others:

“The Olympus Power Battery Holder HLD-6 is a dust and splash-proof battery holder and grip combination”

I was surprised and disappointed that the $300 HLD-6 didn’t come with a battery. It is also a little cheesy that they don’t include the 9V shore-power adapter. It is my fault since I didn’t read about it carefully enough, but they don’t go out of their way to point it out either. However, it is very well made, thought-out, feature rich, and comfortable for normal-large male hands — especially for portrait orientation.

 

[BoltSnap]

So you are saying to stick with the Oly battery and charger?

 

[PHIL RUDIN]

I use a shoulder strap all the time and have not had any problems. Even with the battery grip I can carry it all day without the pain I got from a larger DSLR. I put one battery in the battery grip, NOT the camera and carry the second battery in a pocket or small backpack if I have extra lenses.

For me it is worth staying with the Oly batteries.

Phil Rudin

 

[bvanant]

I have tested several of the aftermarket batteries in a computerized battery tester. The OEM Olympus batteries are extremely reproducible charge to charge and in simulated testing that emulates using the camera with the flash, the Olympus batteries typically last about 35% more than the non-olympus batteries. So yes I would advise using the original batteries if you can get them. If you are not using the flash much and use the viewfinder rather than the screen for focusing then the differences are smaller.
Bill

 

[BoltSnap]

Are the batteries for the OM-D E-M5 peculiar to this camera only or are they used in other Oly cameras? The reason I ask is because I can't find the OM-D E-M5 camera here in the UAE but there seems to be other Oly cameras around.

---------- Post added December 30th, 2012 at 08:21 AM ----------

BTW, how many shots do you get from the Oly battery in this camera (with the flash on)?

 

[deeper thoughts]

thnx for the info

 

[bvanant]

With flash on and judicious use of the back panel display I get about 230 shots with a fresh battery. If I use the camera in the housing with the back display on enhanced mode then I get about 190 or so. I typically change every dive or 2.
Bill