BLS-1 vs BLS-5 vs BLS-50

[shenstone]

I've a bit of a question

Having just bought an OM-5 i was checking what batteries it took and was pleased to see that it was rated to take the BLS-50 the same as my wife's EM10 Mk2

That means I could charge the battery using her charger whilst "borrowing" a full battery to play with

So she handed me a battery and I noted that it was a BLS-1 that she used to have in her old E620 .. that doesn't work i said.. Yes it does she answered I've being using those in my new camera ever since I had it

Hmmm...

A quick interent search later I read that all of these are 7.2V batteries the BLS-5 1150 mAh the BLS-50 1210mAh and the older BLS-1 a bit less
I've also found various comments saying they are in fact interchangeable except for the 5 and 50 include an extra terminal to communicate with the charger not the camera

and I have found some reputable people saying they use the BLS-1's

https://robinwong.blogspot.com/2014/01/olympus-om-d-e-m10-review-part-1.html
Robin Wong
February 7, 2014 at 3:20 PM
I have just slotted the BLS-1 battery (black) in an E-M10 and it works just fine. I honestly do not know why the table shows otherwise. Perhaps for safety reasons it is not recommended to be used.

SO ... and I am quite aware wha the compatibility tables say I'm wondering if anyone else has experience of using these older batteries in the OM5 and if so did they see any issues

BTW backing up to the top I borrowed her original BLS-50 whilst mine was charging

Regards
Andy

[MJ224]

Hope you like the OM-5 Andy. The IQ is very good, especially with the 12-100mm.

A couple of winges, 1. The USB is the old mini type, it could have been the C connection. 2. Custom modes are difficult to get too. I have C1 set to my personal likes, then I just use the A or S mode and make it work for what I want at the time. 3. The battery has a fairly limited capacity. But maybe the size dictates that.

But I like it. As said the IQ is good, probably not a birders camera, but it is full of bells and whistles, in a small and handy body. Having said that, I am buying a grip for it, the same grip as the EM-5 mk3............:-)

[Ross the fiddler]

When I had bought myself a Christmas present (back in 2013, a year of bush fires), the Stylus 1 & it used the BLS-5 then, I had charged up my old E410 BLS-1 batteries in readiness for Christmas Day so I could start using the camera straight away. The only difference is the over-charge protection in the later batteries otherwise they can be interchangeable in the cameras, although the BLS-50 has the better output.