More affordable OM-1 batteries

[Ian]

While OM-System have at last provided a body for me to get acquainted with, only one battery was provided. I[m quite tempted to get cheap third party one - or buy a new Power Bank as the on I have had for quite some time is now playing up.

I'm not expecting a third party battery will show percentage charge as that is custom chip function on the genuine BLX-1. It looks like third party batteries are 2000mAh instead of the genuine battery's 2280mAh, but not a great issue for a back-up battery.

There is a huge range in prices, though.

Has anyone bought a third party battery? Care to share details?

Ian

[Ray99]

I'm using the Hahnel Extreme HLX-OX1. It's chipped and does seem to report the charge status accurately. It is only 2000mAh but it doesn't seem that noticeable using it in the grip. So far I'm quite happy with it.

[Ian]

I'm using the Hahnel Extreme HLX-OX1. It's chipped and does seem to report the charge status accurately. It is only 2000mAh but it doesn't seem that noticeable using it in the grip. So far I'm quite happy with it.

That looks like a quality battery, but it's not (as far as I can see?) that much cheaper than a genuine BLX-1.

Ian

[Ray99]

This is true. From memory it was £10ish cheaper, not a lot. It does talk to the camera though which is what I wanted. My experience with independent brands is they often don't.

[AJW]

Newell make one for the OM1 in their Pro series (£59 @ Park cameras) - https://newell.pro/product/newell-bl...y-for-olympus/ - but you might have difficulty in locating a retailer. Only Park in the UK and none in France according to their website.

The Canon version was extensively tested by these people - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DjFAR91of8 - 09:00-16:00 - and they found no discernible difference in performance when compared to the original.

I have used a Hahnel Extreme BLH 1 in my EM1:2 and found it no different to the Olympus original.

Andy

[Ray99]

Very interesting review of the Newells. I've used Newell products in the past and generally like them. However they didn't talk to my Nikons, which was a bit frustrating, and I notice they make no mention of doing so in the product blurb or the review. I would have thought they would have if they did given that it's a big issue with third-party batteries.

[jima]

Not a very useful review, I'm afraid. Batteries supplied by the manufacturer not randomly sourced so always a possibility of cherry picking, no dissection so no idea what the cells are, what their real rating is and how well the controller PCB is designed and made. Camera manufacturers will pick the cream of the cell crop for their packs and the best cells cost, hence the price. The rest then trickle down the chain to other makers. There are makes out there which do use good branded calls and in some cases outperform the Olympus packs in both capacity and longevity. The Olympus packs are not 100% perfect, I have had one die on me prematurely and another reduce in capacity prematurely. The OEM pack is always the safe route but there are other choices which are more cost effective (and perhaps available) but the real trick is to know which are the good ones and which are the runts of the litter. I certainly would not choose Newell on the basis of that YT segment.

[RedRobin]

A point which came up in another discussion was that lithium batteries longevity is helped by them not being zero emptied or 100% charged. I don't know if this is so with the OM BLX-1 but I understand they may have some electronically built-in protection. Either way, I simply don't understand photographers paying significant money for a camera and then not using their proprietary batteries - It removes the risks of the unknown. Are photographers generally such a tight-fisted bunch? 😆

[RedRobin]

Ian, my answer to that is that branded anything is usually the price it is for good reasons. For example, I used to race bicycles (many decades ago!) and the price was, and still is, the sum of the costs of all the components. The higher quality the components then the higher the total price. But it's the retailers who generally put up prices so they can make profit.

Certainly, shortage of supply is an influencer. However, when I received my OM-1 in early March and only one battery could be supplied, I had a surf photography trip for a few weeks in Portugal and so instead of investigating a third-party battery I bought a portable and pocketable weatherproof battery pack and it has continued to be extremely useful and lives in my camera bag together with OM's USB-C cable. It will recharge my iPhone etc too.

[Ray99]

I have learned the hard way that 'off brand' batteries are not always the best value for money. For my work related power tools I now only use the manufacturers own batteries.
I would much prefer to purchase an OM BLX-1 rather than the off brand I did but they are just not available. Just checked with all the major sellers before I typed this and they are all 'pre order'. You may have seen in a previous post of mine I offered to go halves with anyone who just wanted the charger. Strangely the charger+battery kits are readily available. One person was interested, it would have been a good deal for them, sadly it fell through.

[Ross the fiddler]

I'm another that will only stick with OM batteries. Better to get a power bank instead (at this point).

[pdk42]

I'm not expecting a third party battery will show percentage charge as that is custom chip function on the genuine BLX-1. It looks like third party batteries are 2000mAh instead of the genuine battery's 2280mAh, but not a great issue for a back-up battery.

I think any 3rd party battery will have to be chipped, otherwise the camera won't properly recognise it.

[Lez325]

I think any 3rd party battery will have to be chipped, otherwise the camera won't properly recognise it.

I agree- I personally NEVER buy 3rd party batteries- I have 4x Olympus batteries - expensive but that's my choice lol

[RedRobin]

Me too! I NEVER buy third-party batteries. It's not exploiting the full potential of the 'built-for-purpose' OM batteries and whatever people say about the risk it gives me peace of mind.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

[Ray99]

How on earth have you managed to get 4? They are like hens' teeth.

[wanderer]

2 OM-1 bodies. 6 BLX-1s in total! Buying at the right time. None showing anything less than full life.

[pdk42]

Over the years I've purchased non OEM batteries and had variable experiences. Some are just plain awful - poor capacity, rapid deterioration, swelling. Some others have been quite good - almost as good as OEM (e.g. Hahnel). I think for the small and simple, non-chipped batteries (e.g. for the Pens etc) then a decent non-OEM is probably fine. But for the larger capacity, chipped batteries that many newer cameras are now using, I'd stick to OEM.

[Bikie John]

My experience pretty much matches Paul pdk42's, and I have come to the same conclusions. I have been quite happy to use Hahnels in the earlier E-series cameras and with compacts, but wouldn't use one in the E-M1 Mk II or OM-1. But if you need a battery for your OM-1 and can't get hold of manufacturer's originals you don't really have much choice!

John

[RedRobin]

But John you DO have a choice other than third-party batteries and that's a portable pocket-size powerpack which can connect directly to your camera via USB-C.

As I wrote previously somewhere in this forum, my OM-1 arrived in time for a long photo trip to Portugal but with only one battery and so the powerpack answered my needs and I still use it occasionally even though I now have two batteries and a grip.

[Ian]

My view is that batteries are not really rocket science. You don't need a Jaguar battery for your Jaguar. in fact, Jaguar don't make batteries. OM System don't make batteries. To extend the car analogy further, cars don't use OEM tyres, but you should use a tyre of good quality and the correct specification.

There is absolutely nothing wrong on sticking to a genuine OEM battery.

My only point is that we deserve a choice of dependable batteries apart from OEMs.

Is there a risk of a third party battery being problematical - yes, of course. But OEM batteries can go wrong, too, though relatively rarely.

I had a couple of Olympus batteries for my E-M1 Mark II, plus an inexpensive third party battery, but from a brand that had a decent reputation (EXPRO). I only used the EXPRO as am emergency backup and it has been perfect for that. It doesn't show battery percentage in the camera, but has been100% reliable and after nearly 5 years, continues to work dependably.

OEM is best does certainly apply in some cases - printer ink, is a good example. With a few notable exceptions, genuine inks for ink-jet printers is, in my opinion a must, because printer inks are much closer to 'rocket science' than batteries

Ian

[JohnofYork]

I was looking around with regard to 3rd party batteries for my new toy (OM-1i) and came across this interesting discussion - so thought I'd share it

https://seldomscenephotography.com/2023/02/20/om-1-battery-testing/

[MikeOxon]

I'd be more interested to know how many cycles the batteries can be taken through before losing significant capacity.

[Ross the fiddler]

Non OEM batteries may not have over-charge & over-temperature protection & why I won't use them (had to for the E-M5 to start with).

[blu-by-u]

I got one of this to try as I will need a minimum of 3 blocks for my Bromo trip

https://www.ulanzi.com/products/ulanzi-olympus-blx-1-type-lithium-ion-battery-3287?_pos=1&_psq=blx&_ss=e&_v=1.0

So far, it's been charging and displaying correctly the %. Only catch, I was advised by the seller not to use the cradle to charge but to use the USB C port on the battery.

[Harold Gough]

For my EP-2 and EM-1 I have third party batteries. Because such batteries sometimes swell slightly I use an Olympus one on the body of my EM-1 and others in the grip. I only ever use Expro, of which the grey series can swell quite badly with frequent use.. The white series are much better but I have one which is a tight fit in the EM-1 body.

Harold

[wanderer]

I have a grey one for the EM-1 as well as 2 Oly ones.. It is a snug fit.

[nc_killie]

I use 3rd party batteries (DSTE?) in my OM1. They have identical 'specifications' and I have had no problems. I have used 3rd party batteries for Canon and Olympus cameras for many years and have never had a problem (famous last words)!

[Ross the fiddler]

Identical? I'm not sure I would necessarily believe those specs given on the batteries though.