OM-D third party batteries: has anybody tried these?

[With_Eyes_Unclouded]

First of, I have absolutely no affiliation with this particular seller.

I've just seen those on ebay.co.uk and wondered if some forum member has already tried them. They are in fact available from several sellers, and should be probably available on ebay.com, ebay.de etc also:

B127 2 x 1220mAh Battery + Charger for Olympus BLN-1 BLN1 OM-D E-M5 EM5 | eBay

 

[peak4]

I've tried what appears to be the same battery from 2 Chinese suppliers and a UK one.
Yes they work, they are lower capacity than genuine batteries, depending on the luck of the draw they might be a Very Tight Fit in the battery grip (they all seem fine in the camera itself, they don't charge in the Olympus charger.
Mainly though, at the moment, they are your only option for a spare battery.

 

[RenaudVL]

Same here, got 2x pack on EBay with charger, shipped from China, took 2 weeks.
Work fine, Oly battery doesn't charge in the Chineese charger either...

 

[With_Eyes_Unclouded]

Thank you both!

Yes, my thought is exactly that; they are the only option for now. I don't particularly care if they last as long as the original, and a charger is included in the kit anyway.

I have afternarket batteries for the Pen and they seem to last 70-75% of the original. They also don't report charge correctly; I had them dying on me suddently. I expect those for th EM-5 being the same actually. Doesn't matter; I just need extra batteries just to be safe, just can't tolerate them causing other type of problems with the camera.

 

[GaryAyala]

I just order them from a local distributor, a three pack w/ charger for $40.

G

 

[jeffryscott]

I have afternarket batteries for the Pen and they seem to last 70-75% of the original. They also don't report charge correctly; I had them dying on me suddently. I expect those for th EM-5 being the same actually. Doesn't matter; I just need extra batteries just to be safe, just can't tolerate them causing other type of problems with the camera.

My experience with the replacement OM-D batteries as well.

 

[c_henry]

First of, I have absolutely no affiliation with this particular seller.

I've just seen those on ebay.co.uk and wondered if some forum member has already tried them. They are in fact available from several sellers, and should be probably available on ebay.com, ebay.de etc also:

B127 2 x 1220mAh Battery + Charger for Olympus BLN-1 BLN1 OM-D E-M5 EM5 | eBay

I got the same ones from the same seller. Not really tried them yet as instead of two batteries he sent one, and the charger that came with it was for some Samsung battery. In fairness, he sent out a replacement charger and the missing battery, but it was too late for my Rome trip. They arrived yesterday but I've not had much chance to test them.

Colin

 

[kingfool]

I purchased these from Amazon. Arrived quickly and they seem to work well. I got about 700 shots from the original batt yesterday and have taken about 450 on an aftermarket batt that is still showing 3 bars.

No affiliation with this seller, but they did arrive quick.

Amazon.com: 2 Pack Battery And Charger Kit For Olympus OM-D E-M5 Digital Camera Includes 2 Extended Replacement (1500Mah) BLN-1 Batteries + 2 Ac/Dc Rapid Travel Charger + LCD Screen Protectors + MicroFiber Cleaning Cloth: Camera & Photo

 

[landshark]

I just do not like the idea that none of the off-brand batts will charge in the Olympus carhger

 

[jmschwartz]

I just ordered two replacement batteries + charger from BestBatt.com. Price was similar to those mentioned above, but what was interesting is the statement enclosed in the product description:

"The charger kit comes with both wall charger and car charger, which can charged both Olympus original battery and any third-party replacement batteries. The product works for Olympus OM-D E-M5 Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera."

When I receive the unit, I'll let you know if the "Olympus original battery" does indeed charge in this unit. However, I will not experiment with this until the original Olympus battery supply is sufficient to allow me to purchase at least one backup from Olympus.

Rgds,
Jim

 

[aage]

I bought two chargers with 4 battery´s from bestbatt. They don't last as long as the olympus and they are a little TO tight for the grip ( ok inside the camera ) . I Sanded them down a little bit when back home and now they are just as Loose in the grip as the original.

Have to try them out for a while to be able to judge better.

 

[MrPhotoBob]

I am sorry, but I am not trying to be rude, but if I purchase something and then have to redesign it in order to make it function as I purchased it to function; that equipment is going back just as fast as it was sent to me if not faster. I would never pay a $1300 for a camera and grip and then try to save a few pennies purchasing a piece of equipment that I would have to work on in order to make it fit properly in my camera. I have placed some Olympus batteries on back order and I can wait till they arrives.

 

[GaryAyala]

I am sorry, but I am not trying to be rude, but if I purchase something and then have to redesign it in order to make it function as I purchased it to function; that equipment is going back just as fast as it was sent to me if not faster. I would never pay a $1300 for a camera and grip and then try to save a few pennies purchasing a piece of equipment that I would have to work on in order to make it fit properly in my camera. I have placed some Olympus batteries on back order and I can wait till they arrives.

We are all different. In order to get backup and/or two batteries per camera/grip now, I don't have a problem with installing the non-Oly battery in the body only, or perform a slight modification to make something work to my satisfaction. That option for me is much better than waiting, lord only knows how long, for Oly batteries.

I use my cameras a lot. It is far better for me to able to continue shooting after my OEM batteries are drained ... than to be up a creek in a barbed-wired canoe waiting for the perfect battery.

Having the capacity to photograph at the end of the day is more important to me than waiting for the perfect power source. My motivation is not a matter of pennies but a choice for photography.

Gary

 

[With_Eyes_Unclouded]

I am sorry, but I am not trying to be rude, but if I purchase something and then have to redesign it in order to make it function as I purchased it to function; that equipment is going back just as fast as it was sent to me if not faster. I would never pay a $1300 for a camera and grip and then try to save a few pennies purchasing a piece of equipment that I would have to work on in order to make it fit properly in my camera. I have placed some Olympus batteries on back order and I can wait till they arrives.

You are definitely not rude, and in fact theoretically right. Nobody here would choose a dubious third party battery over the original, even at 3X the pricetag.

Problem is, originals are currently unavailable. I have two outdoors model shoots next week, and each shall last several hours due to the concept(s). I'm pretty nervous about my single OM-D battery keeping up. One of the concepts includes night shooting using Live Bulb and in general the LCD will be on all the time... What I'm trying to say is, seeking reliable (albeit lower performance) third party batteries is a must for some of us right now.

 

[MrPhotoBob]

I understand what you are saying about needing a back up battery, although I have never used any in any camera that I have ever owned. I shoot mainly with the Nikon D3s and I have Nikon back up batteries for it, but my E-M5 will not become my main system until I get not only the needed lenses for it, but also batteries as well. It was not the idea of using after market batteries that bothered me, but it was having to redesign them in and cut them down in order to make them fit and work in my camera that bothered me. If you can get after market batteries that will fit and work properly in your camera then I say go for it, but having to do some work on them in order to make them both work and fit in my camera and grip is what I would never do. Olympus is stating on their site that they will have all their pre-ordered batteries caught up by the end of this month.

 

[GaryAyala]

Good for you, then don't order non-OEM batteries and slightly modify them for fit. Thank you for your opinion.

Gary

 

[tynn]

i'm a user of these 3rd party batteries and really happy with the performance... i have 3 of this. i took me same numbers of shots with the OEM for a freshly charge of this.

 

[kingfool]

I understand what you are saying about needing a back up battery, although I have never used any in any camera that I have ever owned. I shoot mainly with the Nikon D3s and I have Nikon back up batteries for it, but my E-M5 will not become my main system until I get not only the needed lenses for it, but also batteries as well. It was not the idea of using after market batteries that bothered me, but it was having to redesign them in and cut them down in order to make them fit and work in my camera that bothered me. If you can get after market batteries that will fit and work properly in your camera then I say go for it, but having to do some work on them in order to make them both work and fit in my camera and grip is what I would never do. Olympus is stating on their site that they will have all their pre-ordered batteries caught up by the end of this month.

For what it's worth, I haven't had to modify my aftermarket batteries in order to fit them and remove them either from the body or the grip, though they do seem tighter in the grip.

When installed in the grip the spring that pushes the batteries out when the battery tab is released still pushes the battery out, though not as well/far as the oem battery. When I open the battery door and release the tab, usually about 3mm or so of the battery will be exposed to grab, but it's "grab-able" and I don't have a problem getting them out.

Your results may vary.

 

[jgregs]

I guess I lucked in, was in Korea in May, walked into the Olympus flagship store in Seoul, walked out with a battery for my OM-D ...figured I'd mention it if by any chance someone is there

 

[aage]

MrPhotoBob

It has nothing to do with saving pennies. I would buy the original battery if available , and thats what I will do when available. Third party battery´s don't scare me at all. And expressing your opinion is in no way rude to me either .

Happy shooting.