On 5/6/2015 8:23 AM, David Irisarri wrote:
Hi all,
I have to E-M5 cameras, 2 years ago when I bought them there wasn't
Olympus BLN-1 batteries for sale yet so I bought the Premium Tech
batteries with 1500mAh. I have to say that after two years I usually
pick Premium Tech batteries instead of the Olympus ones because they
last longer or it feels like it. A couple of weeks ago I traveled to
South Spain to visit my parents (now I live in NJ :) and it was quite
warm. Batteries were lasting like one to two hours max! even the
Olympus batts sucked! I don't know anything about batts and I wonder
if someone could recommend me high end BLN-1 batts for the E-M5.
These batteries aren't immortal. If you have been using them heavily, they may
have simply lost capacity.
I've never used mine where they were really hot for any length of time. I have got out to shoot in 105+°F weather, but
not for long, before retreating into AC. :-) Continued use in high temps may also hasten aging.
is there a 2000 mAh battery for the E-M5?
I rather doubt it. Energy density only goes up slowly, if at all, in mature
battery types, so size tends to limit capacity.
Also, I'm not sure the printed ratings are entirely meaningful in terms of
actual usage:
As with you, when I got my E-M5, spare Oly batteries weren't available (and ridiculously expensive). I bought a couple
of Wasabi Power batteries, rated at 1300 mAh, vs. the 1220 of the Oly BLN-1. When I sorta kept track of life, there was
a fair amount of variation, due to how I was using the camera, camera settings, temp., etc. But overall, it was clear
that the Wasabis gave significantly fewer shots pics per charge than the Oly.
I added a Progo to the mix, because, unlike the Wasabis, it could share the Oly charger, and was supposed to show charge
level more accurately in the camera. It's rated at 1600 mAh, but it didn't seem to me to have more practical capacity
than the Oly.
Then I read a review (reviews?) of the Progos on Amazon asserting a lot of stuff about voltages, chargers and
capacities. The gist of it is that the Progos get their higher capacity rating in part through a higher nominal voltage,
7.6v, vs. 7.4 for the Olys. At least one guy claimed to have confirmed through testing that the Progos didn't reach
their full capacity charged on the Oly charger. (And the reverse, the reason for which, if I knew it, I've forgotten,
was claimed to be true.)
The other factor, impossible to fully verify, is that batteries other than the Olys don't quite communicate properly
with the camera. I certainly felt this was true of the Wasabis. My assumption, based on experience with the Wasabis and
thought/speculation, is that the camera, when not getting full info from the battery, takes the safe road, and shuts
down at a certain voltage, rather than risking lost shot(s) and unexpected shut down from insufficient power. With their
own, and well reverse engineered third party, batteries, they can rely on working closer to the end of battery power.
The Premium Tech batteries I see on Amazon say that, like the Wasabis, they can only be charged on their own charger,
not the Oly charger. Which probably means they aren't fully coded to communicate with the camera and thus may give you
unreliable charge remaining indication on the camera and leave some of their charge unused.
In any case, I wanted interchangeability on the road, so purchased a set of two more Progos with a Progo charger.
Although I match battery and charger brand when practical, I like that I can mix and match with no problem but perhaps a
few less shots out of a battery one time.
I prefer the third party chargers because they can operate on 12v when we are on the road in our little RV. So I tend to
use the Progos most on the road.
Later OMDs add a quick sleep (and wake) function that I think will extend
battery life significantly on the E-M5 II.
Fully Powered Moose
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