OM System OM-5 Camera Batteries & Charging

If you’re looking for a replacement or spare battery or alternative ways to charge the OM System OM-5’s batteries, here’s a rundown of options.

OM System OM-5 Battery BLS-50. Photo by David Coleman " havecamerawilltravel.com
Text & Photos By David Coleman
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Filed Under: Micro Four Thirds, Power

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The OM System OM-5 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.

Olympus is now OM System

In 2020-21, the photography business of iconic camera brand Olympus was spun off and sold. The core remaining Olympus brand is focusing on medical and scientific products. The camera and photography side was then rebranded as OM System, with the first cameras and lenses under that brand coming out at the end of 2021.

Here’s a rundown on which batteries the OM-5 uses as well as options for charging it.

Batteries for the OM System OM-5

The OM System OM-5 camera uses battery model BLS-50. Whether you’re looking for an official OM System / Olympus battery or an aftermarket alternative, they’ll be listed under that model number.

Official Olympus / OM System Battery

Something that’s a little confusing about these is that they can turn up with either Olympus branding or OM System branding. Either is fine. They’re the same thing–it’s just that the Olympus camera brand is changing to OM System, and during that switchover there are some products still carrying the old branding.

OM SYSTEM OLYMPUS BLS-50 Battery (Grey), 1 Count (Pack of 1)
  • Compatible with BCS 5 battery charger
  • Compatible with all cameras that use BLS 5

Aftermarket Alternatives

OM System recommends that you only use their official batteries. And that’s the safest option. But it also means you pay the manufacturer’s premium prices.

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. Quality control can vary, but I’ve had good experiences over the years with aftermarket battery brands like Wasabi Power, Powerextra, and Watson. There are also other good alternatives available.

Wasabi Power Battery (2-Pack), Dual Charger for Olympus BLS-5, BLS-50,...
  • COMPATIBILITY - Works with these popular Olympus cameras that use BLS1, BLS5 batteries: Olympus E-420,...
  • BATTERY & CHARGER SPECS - Premium Grade-A cells rated at 7.2V, 2000mAh for longer run-time and battery...

How to Charge the OM-5 Battery

There are two main ways to charge the OM-5 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-5 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 micro-USB cable. But I’ve been using stock standard micro-USB cables and USB charging hubs without any problem at all. But if you want to replace the original, official wall charger, it’s model F-5AC.

Something to be careful of is that the camera’s power switch is set to OFF. If the switch is at ON, it won’t charge.

It’s something I’ve been caught out myself with, thinking I’d left the camera to charge but later finding that the battery was still dead. So it’s worth making sure that the camera is powered off and the small orange light comes on.

When you plug the camera in using the micro-USB 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.

Charging light indicator on the OM System OM-5
The charging light indicator on the OM System OM-5.

One thing to watch when you plug it in, though, is that the micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports are right next to each other and look quite similar. It’s quite easy to accidentally try to put the USB cable into the HDMI port. But don’t force it–if it doesn’t go in, the USB plug might be upside down, or you might be trying to put it into the HDMI port.

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 Olympus / OM System one available as well as aftermarket alternatives.

Official External Charger

The official charger is model BCS-5. It’s a single-dock cradle charger that can charge one battery at a time. It’s designed to plug into wall AC power.

OM SYSTEM OLYMPUS BCS-5 Battery Charger for BLS-5 Battery
  • The BCS-5 will not charge the BLS-1 Battery.
  • The BCS-5 is the dedicated lithium-ion battery charger for the BLS-5.

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. For example, you can get dual chargers to charge two batteries at once, or chargers that are powered by USB or DC car charger (the cigarette charger style). A number of the aftermarket spare battery options also include a charger, which can make for very good value.

Powerextra 2 Pack Battery & Dual USB Charger with Smart LCD Display for...
  • Brand-new Li-ion rechargeable battery 7.4V 2000mAh 14.8Wh, professional replacement for Olympus BLS-5,...
  • 100% Compatible with Olympus OM-D E-M10, PEN E-PL2, E-PL5, E-PL6, E-PL7, E-PM2, Stylus 1 Digital Camera.

FAQs

What battery does the OM System OM-5 camera use?

The OM System OM-5 camera uses battery model BLS-50. It’s a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

Does the OM System OM-5 come with a battery charger?

The OM System OM-5 comes with a micro-USB 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 BCS-5).

OM System OM-5 Price & Availability

The OM-5 body has an MSRP of $1200. It’s also sold with a 12-45mm Æ’/4 PRO kit lens for $1600.

Check the current price and available at:

OM System OM-5 with 12-45 Æ’/4 PRO
  • New 20M 4/3 Live MOS sensor
  • Computational photography functions, including Handheld High Res Shot, Live ND, Focus Stacking & HDR…

OM System OM-5 Camera Accessories

These are the model numbers for the official accessories for the OM System OM-5.

  • Battery: BLS-50 lithium-ion rechargeable battery
  • External Charger: BCS-5
  • USB-AC Adapter: F-5AC AC wall adapter
  • Grip: ECG-5
  • Remote: RM-WR1 wireless remote control
  • Eyecup: EP-16 / EP-15
  • Flash:
    • FL-LM3 electronic flash (the smallest of the flash units)
    • FL-900R electronic flash unit
    • FL-700WR electronic flash unit
    • STF-8 macro flash
    • FC-WR wireless commander
    • FR-WR wireless receiver

Related

Images and product information from Amazon PA-API were last updated on 2023-12-01 at 13:50. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

Profile photo of David Coleman | Have Camera Will Travel | Washington DC-based Professional Photographer

Text & Photos by David Coleman

I'm a professional photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. I've been shooting for 30+ years, and my my photos and time-lapse videos have appeared in a bunch of different publications from major newspapers to magazines and books, billboards, TV shows, professional sports stadiums, museums, and even massive architectural scrims covering world-famous buildings while they're being renovated. You can see some of my travel photography here and here.

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