Here's a for real Olympus BLM-1. Oly doesn't have it anymore but
there's probably lots of left over stock in retailer's stores
<http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Lithium-ion-Rechargeable-Battery-Packaging/dp/B0000TU7IG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336924410&sr=8-2>
I'm always a little nervous about 3rd party lithium-ion batteries but
manufacturers prices are so high that I've been buying them anyhow.
What I do if I can is find an equivalent battery produced by a major
battery manufacturer such as Duracell. From their website
<http://www.duracelldirect.com/olympus_evolt-e-500_digital-camera_accessories.aspx>
I wasn't sure if this was a BLM-1 compatible of BLM-5 compatible but
there is a comment by one of the reviewers that it's fine in his C-8080
which uses a BLM-1.
Finally, I suspect the "incompatibility" between the chargers for BLM-1
and BLM-5 is that the BLM-5 probably has higher capacity. I'll bet that
if you stuck a BLM-5 into the BLM-1 charger that it would charge OK but
maybe not to full capacity.
Chuck Norcutt
On 5/13/2012 11:25 AM, William Sommerwerck wrote:
> This is technically OT, as it's about digital cameras.
>
> Tomorrow is my birfday. Olympus sent a marvelous "gift", a $10 discount on a
> $40 purchase. (How about a free lens? God knows, I've owned enough OM Zuikos
> to justify two or three.)
>
> Browsing the accessories, a spare battery for my E-500 seemed a wise
> purchase. The BLM-05 is $50, $40 after discount. Plus shipping, of course,
> and Olympus will likely find a way to tack sales tax onto that, even if it
> doesn't have a Washington business presence.
>
> Then I look closer. The BLM-05 requires the BLC-05 charger. Well, I already
> have a charger, right? Uh, no. "This battery can only be charged in the
> Lithium Ion Battery Charger (BCM-5). ... it cannot be charged in the Li-Ion
> Battery Charger BCM-01..."
>
> So, if I buy a new battery, I also have to get the charger. The kit of both
> is $80, $70 after the birthday "present".
>
> This is exactly the sort of thing that should be illegal. There's no
> //good// reason for it, so it's not only unfair to the customer, but it
> wastes the materials needed to build an unnecessary charger.
>
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