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Re: [OM] Tech questions: time lapse, batteries

Subject: Re: [OM] Tech questions: time lapse, batteries
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2021 12:11:14 -0700
On 4/9/2021 6:45 AM, Lawrence Woods wrote:
I'm still trying to figure out how to use a new-to-me Olympus E-M1 II.  This 
week's problem is with a time lapse movie.

I set <. . .>

My assumption is that I am omitting some other setup setting, but what?

Wish I could help, but I've not done time lapse, nor see it on my horizon. You don't say whether this was with OEM battery or Wasabi.


---------

My second question is about third-party BLH-1 equivalent batteries in the E-M1 II.  One brand I have (Watson) seems to function the same as an Olympus battery.  Another (Wasabi Power) gets a message on the  LCD display at power up "Olympus batt. recommended" and does not show a power percentage below the green battery icon like the Watson and Olympus batteries do.

I have a pair of Wasabis. Neither shows those symptoms. No start-up message and 
green % numbers show properly.

  * Any idea why some batteries are recognized as foreign, and others not?

Communications. If the protocol hasn't been properly and completely reverse 
engineered, there may be trouble.

OTOH, if yours are recent, I don't understand why they don't work as mine do. 
Contact Wasabi about replacement?

 * Are there any other functional differences between OEM and
   third-party batteries in an E-M1 II camera?

By "functional" you mean operational, as opposed to capacity? If so, it might vary by brand, so impossible to accurately generalize.

If the link Piers posted doesn't make your brain swell, it does answer a lot of 
questions about capacity, etc.

Ages ago, the Wasabis I had for my E-M5 clearly didn't have the capacity of OEMs, and didn't communicate well with the camera. My theory was that, absent battery comms, the camera defaulted to a pure voltage based evaluation of remaining energy, and cut the Wasabi's off prematurely. But they could have just been crappier. I had to retire them, after a lot of time and use, when they started swelling; subtle, but affected getting in and out. I felt I got my money's worth.

I don't believe this story says anything at all about current Wasabi batteries, only that one doesn't know much before serious use over time. And by that time, either it's too late, or time to replace, pessimist vs. optimist views.

Another factor is that there are undoubtedly fewer assemblers than brands. Thus, one could agonize between two brands that are internally identical. I'll bet there are also brands that change suppliers.

Moral? Either buy 'em and try 'em, or cough up for OEM. For me, a couple of Wasabis and a better charger is a bargain even if they aren't quite the same practical capacity.

 * Are there any situations or modes using the camera where I should
   avoid using third-party batteries because of those functional
   differences?

If your time-lapse results vary with battery brand, that would be one.

Watts Up Moose

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