Is there an off brand that will work in my camera? I really don't want to pay for an Oly battery if I don't have to.
Yes. There's a package of two batteries plus charger. I have a set, and they're working so far. Got them on Amazon. Wasabi batteries on Amazon I think I saw a recent thread saying that a few people had trouble with Wasabi batteries swelling. I'll see if I can dig it up. OK, not recent, but here's the thread: https://www.mu-43.com/showthread.php?t=50781
Another vote for Wasabi here; I've two of them for my E-M5 and have had excellent service out of them. I had an issue with the original Wasabi charger I received and the supplier (Blue Nook) handled the issue with speed, dignity, and aplomb . Regards, Jim
I've found batteries with the Progo and Maximal Power labels work fine in my EM5. The latter were from an ebay vendor, and Progos sell both on Amazon and ebay. Both brands will charge on the Olympus BCN1 charger if necessary, but not to full charge, only to about 90-95%. For a full charge, you need a generic charger.
Got 2 Progos with a compact charger on Amazon for E-M1 a couple months ago, working great. Barry Sent from my iPad using Mu-43
I have been using my Progos (charging them either in the genuine Oly or the provided Progo charger, whichever one is handy) for about a year. No issues. However, I *THINK* (this isn't a scientific statement) they don't last as long, but I wouldn't call it a significant difference. I use my genuine Oly batteries (got them to throw in one for free when I bought the camera, then I picked up a barely used one with an Oly charger for $10 from a guy who was switching to all generic) when I'm on trips and expect a lot of use out of my camera...the Progos are mainly for puttering around in my city/country, and sometimes as backups for the Olys, when I'm feeling particularly OCD on a trip and think that there's a point to taking 5 batteries.
As an FYI, I got a pair of those and they've worked fine, but they give me somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 of the number of shots I get from the genuine Oly batteries.
I'm just looking for a backup. I have yet to run out of power but for $20 I'd like to keep shooting if it ever comes to that. (I wonder why OM batteries last so much longer?)
It's probably simply higher capacity cells. I've had no problems with the Wasabi batteries and a couple go back almost two years with no issues. I recently got a Watson in a bundle from B&H and it also seems to be safe and reliable but also doesn't seem to equal the original Olys. Bottom line, as backup/insurance batteries, these are great choices. They're probably fine, period, but the difference is that I can almost always go a full day on the Olys and I never get a full day on the aftermarket batteries.
With 1 Progo battery in the E-M1, I took 600+ shots (raw + jpeg, no bursts) at a 2 hour concert recently; with the LCD and EVF on (auto-switch); kept the camera powered on the whole time. The battery indicator was at 2/3 afterwards. I'm not convinced the Oly battery lasts longer. Barry
I've got two years of using the Wasabi batteries to convince me that the Oly batteries deliver more shots. There are at least a couple of things that could be factors. First, I've tweaked the battery indicator a good bit and never found it very accurate, and it's definitely non-linear. The only real feedback on battery capacity happens when the battery reaches the end of its charge. Another factor is that these batteries, like a lot of lithium cells, need some cycling before they reach full capacity.
The Olympus batteries last longer because they are a different cell chemistry and pack an extra .2 volts of charge. If you charge your Progos or any other compatibles in the Olympus charger, the circuitry shuts them off .4 volts before their full charge, so now they have an added handicap.. I charge the different types now in their own charger which negates any benefit from having extra batteries and a single charger when travelling.
I got a pair of Maximal Power batteries off ebay for $17.89 and they work just fine in the Olympus charger. I can't tell the difference between the "genuine" and these as far as performance goes.
I have those too. They also shut off .4 volts earlier than they would in a generic charger. That's about 10 % less power available. Still, if you carry two spares, it rarely matters,
Holy Swelling Wasabi's, Batman! I have four Wasabi's and had swelling with two of them. The first one I was lucky to get out of the camera - it was really tight. The second one I noticed was rubbing going in and immediately tossed it. Disappointing. Sort of related - an instructor in an online class mentioned that you should be careful about batteries over-heating and swelling in a flash. Said this caused a flash unit to literally explode in his studio - sending "shrapnel" flying (no one hurt). Gave me a shudder thinking about it while I pried the Wasabi out of my E-M5.
