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  1. #1
    Panarus biarmicus Moderator (Sports) SmartWombat's Avatar
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    OM-D biggest drawback ... the BLN-1

    I know for most people 2-300 shots and half a day's battery life would be enough.
    But not for me, and perhaps not for many others here.

    With the early adopters getting an offer for a free HLD-6 grip which takes an extra battery, they will all be out looking for a second battery to actually use the extra power.
    So that makes it even harder to find a battery.

    It is almost impossible to get hold of a genuine BLN-1.
    So much so that someone is selling 10 on ebay "buy it now" at twice the list price.
    Olympus are losing out on battery sales obviously, but more worrying for them must be the cheap batteries available from China.

    I ordered a BLN-1 from the Olympus UK website, but then after two weeks had my paypal payment refunded with no explanation. I'm glad I have my money back but I'd rather have another battery.


    With the cheap clones on the market, they are obviously not quite compatible.
    They won't charge in the Olympus charger, only their own.
    Some claim 1450mAH and on the case, but are built with 1020mAH cells.
    Some claim Sanyo cells in the advert, but are actually Zhongshan Tianmao Battery Company cells.
    The resulting capacity is about 15% less than the genuine Olympus batteries.
    Although they report charge state back to the camera, the charge drops off a cliff near the end of their life, and some users have had corrupted memory cards as a result. They are savvy users who know the risk, and know how to recover corrupted memory cards.

    So buyer beware, you get what you pay for; 3 batteries of less capacity (and reliability) than the genuine Olympus battery and a charger, for less than the cost of one real BLN-1 (which you can't get anyway).


    Right now there are potential time bombs of unreliable cheap batteries shutting down the camera mid-write, or just low voltage near end of charge corrupting the memory cards. Then who will get the blame?
    From the beginners, probably Olympus, because the batteries were sold as compatible and it can't just be the battery causing all these problems :mad2:


    I don't remember anything this bad before, even as an early buyer of the EP-1 (you'd think I would learn, eh?) when the EP-1 launched there was a battery shortage but at least there were reputable batteries from Hahnel as a second source.
    And when I bought my GH-1 they had spare batteries on the shelf in the shop.
    Seems Olympus have messed up this time


    Oh there seem to be honest suppliers out there.
    Wasabi Power Battery says "Note: Batteries are NOT decoded. Your camera will not display the battery's run time and must be charged with the Wasabi Power charger." They are also on back-order until 22/06/2012.
    PAul

    Scroll down to the Sports Forum and post your sports pictures !

  2. #2
    Panarus biarmicus Moderator (Sports) SmartWombat's Avatar
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    Re: OM-D biggest drawback ... the BLN-1

    Quick survey of (non) suppliers of batteries ...

    Park Cameras: Out of stock. Available to Order.
    UK Digital: Pre-Order Now
    Digital Toy Shop: arriving soon
    Cameraworld: Not in stock.
    SRS Microssytems : Not in stock.
    Jacobs: 14-21 Days Delivery [but they're in administration]
    Warehouse Expresss: Pre-Order
    Jessops: can't find in search
    Pixmania: can't find in search
    Great Western cameras: (not on the website, phoned them for special order)

    B&H: New Item, Available for pre-order
    Adorama: This item is currently back ordered from the Mfr. We have no estimated time of arrival for this item
    Unique Photo: **** Out of Stock.***


    Blue Nook: Wasabi clone - Out of stock (until June 22).
    365battery.co.uk: clone & charger £38
    mallbox.co.uk: 2 clone batteries and charger £39 (dodgy looking)
    PAul

    Scroll down to the Sports Forum and post your sports pictures !

  3. #3
    Senior Shooter Greg McCary's Avatar
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    Re: OM-D biggest drawback ... the BLN-1

    Paul it's the same for the NEX 7 and probably worse since there is no grip. Not even third party ones. One battery I bought for the NEX works fine put doesn't display how much power is left and for some strange reason I can not format the card with it.
    I also have a grip coming, one day I hope.
    Lucky for me I am not one to shoot hundreds of shots. I can see how this would be a factor in what you use it for.
    I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..

    Sony a99/a7R

  4. #4
    Senior Member OldClicker's Avatar
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    Re: OM-D biggest drawback ... the BLN-1

    Quote Originally Posted by Greg McCary View Post
    Paul it's the same for the NEX 7 and probably worse since there is no grip. Not even third party ones. One battery I bought for the NEX works fine put doesn't display how much power is left and for some strange reason I can not format the card with it.
    I also have a grip coming, one day I hope.
    Lucky for me I am not one to shoot hundreds of shots. I can see how this would be a factor in what you use it for.
    There are third party grips for the NEX 7. Here is one of them.

    sonyalpharumors | Blog | Ownuser battery grip for the NEX-7 now shipping.

    It interests me more because it provides a shutter release port.

    Terry
    -----------------
    I am no better than you. I critique to teach myself to see.
    -----------------
    Feel free to edit my photos or do anything else that will help me learn.
    -----------------
    Sony/Minolta - way more gear than talent.

  5. #5
    Senior Shooter Greg McCary's Avatar
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    Re: OM-D biggest drawback ... the BLN-1

    Quote Originally Posted by OldClicker View Post
    There are third party grips for the NEX 7. Here is one of them.

    sonyalpharumors | Blog | Ownuser battery grip for the NEX-7 now shipping.

    It interests me more because it provides a shutter release port.

    Terry
    That is the first one I have seen for sale. Thanks.
    I am like Barney Fife, I have a gun but Andy makes me keep the bullet in my pocket..

    Sony a99/a7R

  6. #6
    Panarus biarmicus Moderator (Sports) SmartWombat's Avatar
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    Re: OM-D biggest drawback ... the BLN-1

    BestBatt just delivered today.
    The charger is in a KAPAXEN box, the batteries are in unbranded boxes. They even come with instructions!
    The charger has a European two pin adapter to fit on the swivelling US two pin power prongs.
    The charger also has a 12V input and can be used in-car as well as on the mains.
    Like most clone chargers it does not use the sensing connectors, just (+) and (-) power.
    That is probably why the batteries can't be charged in the Olympus charger, without that sense output it can't aggressively charge the battery and sense when it reaches capacity.
    The clone has a trickle charge after it senses "full" charge and changes the light from red to green.
    Batteries were almost fully charged on delivery, changing to trickle charge in an hour or so instead of 3.5 hours.

    MallBox delivered last week.
    The charger and batteries come unboxed, all unbranded.
    The charger has swivelling US power pins, and came with a US-UK 3-pin power adapter.
    The charger only has two pins, using (+) and (-) on the battery and no sensor connections.
    With no manual, I don't know if it has a trickle charge after the red light goes out or not.
    Batteries were almost fully charged on delivery, the charger light went out in about 1/2 hour.

    I'll be using the BestBatt charger as my first choice.
    PAul

    Scroll down to the Sports Forum and post your sports pictures !

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