Micro 4/3 OM-D E-M5 BLN-1 battery (alternative)

Yeah, the last generation had an updated version that I think was in response to a certain country's electrical/safety certification, but the batteries were still interchangeable. Unfortunately, it sounds like we now have a completely new battery. It was a long run while it lasted! :D

I hope Blue Nook develops some Wasabi batteries for this ASAP!
 
the whole battery/charger thing for electronic devices really gets on my nerves.
I'm away at the moment. With me I have 9 batteries of 3 different types (3 for my 'phone, 3 for the E-P2, and 3 for the DP2s); I also have 3 different chargers. one for each battery type; Plus if I didn't use a card reader & wanted to connect any of these devices to my computer, I'd need 3 different kinds of USB cable.
 
Basically all the new cameras have or will have new batteries this year because of a law that was passed in Japan (to improve the reliability of batteries and minimize the risks of explosions and stuff). That's true for Nikon D4, D800, Canon 1DX, the new Sony DSLRs, the E-M5, etc.

pdh I feel your pain :eek:
 
It appears Olympus has made the BLN-1 battery very proprietary. There are some aftermarket semi-copies out there, but they require their own charger, and will not charge in the OEM charger. I really do not wish to carry two chargers and have to pay attention as to which battery is inserted into which charger. It has something to do with "decoding" the battery/charger, i.e. they "talk" to one another with unique handshaking. I suspect it goes beyond the new law in Japan. All this would not be so bad, but presently there is not a BLN-1 battery available anywhere, at any price in the U.S.
 
Not sure how much of this is proprietary and what is the new Japanese law. I remember last year when the new PENs were released, they were shipped with a different battery (very slight difference) and charger in Japan than in the rest of the world, presumably to meet the legal requirements.

I think the availability issue (which is frustrating) is tied to the supply and demand of the camera itself, and Oly prioritizing batteries for shipment of new cameras, rather than accessory/additional batteries.

I did buy a set of ebay batteries, supposedly Japanese cells with higher capacity, and had one go out on me super quick this past weekend. I had great luck with Blue Nook's Wasabi cells for my PENs and Pentax, so hoping they have stock soon.
 
jemanner said:
It appears Olympus has made the BLN-1 battery very proprietary. There are some aftermarket semi-copies out there, but they require their own charger, and will not charge in the OEM charger. I really do not wish to carry two chargers and have to pay attention as to which battery is inserted into which charger. It has something to do with "decoding" the battery/charger, i.e. they "talk" to one another with unique handshaking. I suspect it goes beyond the new law in Japan. All this would not be so bad, but presently there is not a BLN-1 battery available anywhere, at any price in the U.S.

Err... I ordered a "semi-copy" battery set online from bestbatt, and yes, it does have its separate charger, but the charger does charge also the original battery. Given that it's also a whole lot smaller than the original charger, works fine for me.
 
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