On 5/31/2015 6:20 PM, Chuck Norcutt wrote:
I believe Moose used to extol the Wasabi batteries because they were the first that were fully compatible with the
interfaces for the Olympus charger as well as the camera. That was in the early days of m.4/3 bodies.
What Chuck says. The E-M5 was relatively new, Oly batteries were long out of stock everywhere, and I was heading out for
a month in the NE. I think the Wasabi's were fine, saw we through many long days of shooting.
However, they could not be charged on the Oly charger, nor was the reverse possible. I'm pretty sure that's still true
of some third party batteries, perhaps still of the current* Wasabis.
I suspect that almost anything you'd buy today would be fully compatible with charger and camera body but don't know
that.
I think that's not a warranted assumption, based on what I saw when I bought a couple of Progos and charger fairly
recently. I bought it for the 12v power connection and interchangeability of batteries and chargers. The Wasabis now
languish in the battery drawer.
I have Oly batteries and chargers, EZO batteries and Progo batteries as well as a Progo charger. I've never done any
formal testing but think the EZOs have lower capacity. I think the Progos and Olys are about even. The Progos are my
choice and I especially like the Progo charger. This kit gives you two Progo batteries, a Progo charger (that also
charges the EZO and Oly batteries) and includes a 12V car adapter as well as a 220V plug adapter. Unlike the Oly
charger the Progo charger is quite small and has a swiveling AC plug that folds up out of the way. The Oly charger is
much larger and has a long AC cord. (boo!)
Another thing I like about the Progo charger over the Oly is the status light. While charging the Oly has a yellow
light. When the battery is charged the light turns off. You can't tell if the battery is charged or the outlet isn't
working. The Progo charger has a red light that turns on when it's charging and a green light to tell you it's done.
<http://www.amazon.com/Progo-Battery-Charger-Olympus-1600mAh/dp/B00AWVG0J2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433120392&sr=8-1&keywords=progo+battery+for+olympus+BLN-1>
That's what I have, and I like it for the same reasons.
But before you buy you might want to read at least the most positive and
negative reviews here:
<http://www.amazon.com/Progo-Battery-Charger-Olympus-1600mAh/product-reviews/B00AWVG0J2/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_hist_one?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0>
My Oly charger has 5 contacts as does the battery. My Progo charger has only 2 contacts. As I said, I haven't
measured but battery life seems fine. Maybe it's time to measure and get some real numbers.
The review by R.Chase seems to lay it all out rather clearly, although I seem to recall reading one with similar
conclusions that included some practical capacity testing?
Neither charger is ideal for the other batteries, both work with the other batteries. The batteries work in the camera
and seem to fairly well show their charge state. In the real world, moderate differences in capacity don't mean much to
me, as I will always be carrying spares. If the Oly batteries were good for 400+ shots, it would be different, but they
aren't up for a full day's active shooting, no matter how charged. The price I'm happy to pay for a small, light camera
is a couple of those little fabric battery holders you just bought in pocket or bag.
I am fairly convinced that even the Progos haven't fully decoded Oly's interface, and are probably leaving some of their
larger mAhs on the table in use. I've explained my experience/reasoning before.
If I were buying again, and absent some new player with special claims and
reviews, I'd go with Progo again.
Another Charge by Moose
* :-)
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What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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