The Olympus OM-1 mirrorless camera makes reasonably good use of its battery life, but mirrorless cameras do tend to burn through battery life quite rapidly. So you’re going to have to charge that battery sooner rather than later. Or maybe you need to replace the battery or want the extra convenience of having a spare so you can keep shooting while the other charges.
Here’s a rundown on which batteries the OM-1 uses as well as options for charging it.
Batteries for the OM System OM-1
The Olympus OM-1 camera uses battery model BLX-1. Whether you’re looking for an official OM System battery or an aftermarket alternative, they’ll be listed under that model number.
Official OM System BLX-1 battery
The BLX-1 is a 7.2V lithium-ion rechargeable battery rated for 2280mAh.
These are the batteries OM System guarantees to work with the camera, so they’re the safest option.
Aftermarket alternatives to the BLX-1 battery
OM System recommends that you only use their official batteries. But it also means you pay the manufacturer’s premium prices. And, well, they’re not cheap.
In practice, you can often find good-quality aftermarket versions that can work well and be much cheaper.
They appear under a bunch of different brand names, and it can be a little like the Wild West because quality control can vary quite drastically. But I’ve had good experiences over the years with aftermarket battery brands like Wasabi Power, Kastar, Powerextra, and Watson, and Power2000.
How to charge the OM-1 battery
There are two main ways to charge the OM-1 battery: in the camera or in an external charger.
Option 1: Charge the battery in the camera
This is the method that’s available to charge the camera battery right out of the box. The OM-1 comes with the USB cable you need as well as an AC charger.
As always, they recommend in the manual that you stick with the original (and official) wall charger and USB-C cable. But I’ve been using standard USB-C cables and USB charging hubs without any problem at all (but do make sure that the USB-C cables are compatible with PD charging). But if you want to replace the original, official wall charger, it’s model F-7AC.
When you plug the camera in using the USB-C cable, you should see a small orange light come on the back of the camera, down at the bottom right next to the trash button.
OM System says that fully charging the battery from empty, with the camera turned off, takes around 2 hours 30 minutes. I haven’t timed it specifically, but that sounds about right in my experience.
Option 2: Use an external charger
The camera doesn’t come with an external charger, but one is available as an optional extra accessory. There’s an official OM System one available as well as aftermarket alternatives.
Official external charger
The official charger is model BCX-1, and it’s a dual charger (the SBCX-1 is the same charger packaged with a spare battery).
Aftermarket external chargers
As with the batteries, there are also good aftermarket versions available produced by third-party manufacturers. Not only are they often significantly cheaper, but you can also get them in different configurations.
FAQs
What battery does the Olympus OM-1 camera use?
The u003cstrongu003eOlympus OM-1u003c/strongu003e camera uses battery model u003cstrongu003eu003cstrongu003eBLX-1u003c/strongu003eu003c/strongu003e. It’s a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
Does the Olympus OM-1 come with a battery charger?
The Olympus OM-1 comes with a USB-C cable and a wall AC charger that allows you to charge the battery in the camera. It does not come with an external battery charger but one is available as an optional accessory (model u003cstrongu003eBCX-1u003c/strongu003e).
Olympus OM-1 accessories
These are the model numbers for the official accessories for the Olympus OM-1.
- Battery: BLX-1 lithium-ion rechargeable battery
- External Charger: BCX-1 (or SBCX-1, which includes a spare battery)
- USB-AC Adapter: F-7AC AC wall adapter
- Grip/Extended Battery Holder: HLD-10 grip
- Remote: RM-WR1 wireless remote control
- Eyecup: EP-18
- Flash:
Hi David
l have 3 different Olympus cameras the OM-1 M1x and a PEN E-PL10 for all 3 l use a Hanel Cube 3 Pro with the associated charging plates which can be powered from the mains or via a power bank smaller anc easier to carry, worth a look l think.
Best Neil
Hi Neil. Thanks for the tip! These look like a really interesting product. It looks as though they’re sold under the Manfrotto brand in the US, and I’ve just ordered the Nikon version to try out.