Clarification of AA battery use with E-3 HLD-4 grip

[Ian]

Originally Posted by say123

Now that E3 v1.3 firmware is out, did anyone tested AAs with the HLD4 and noticed any improvements?

Not yet, but it turns out that my HLD-4 developed a fault anyway and has since been replace since that article.

Ian

[say123]

someone had commented on this forum (china 4/3 forum) that olympus HLD4 design is 'bad'.

He disassembled the HLD4 and replace with new diodes and claims it works better. However, this is quite an old thread, but something to think about.

http://www.four-thirds.cn/forum/view...hlight=&page=1

[Life of Brian]

Originally Posted by mikefellh

I don't believe Olympus suggests using the RCR-V3 in their manuals so you can't blame them.

If you had asked in the forum before making your purchase, you could have gotten your answer before wasting the money.

Sorry I did not keep track of this thread and noticed the above.

Quite incorrect, Olympus do not make any mention of not using "rechargeable" CR-V3's in their FL-36 Manual, I checked and informed Olympus of it at the time. The reply was less than curteous although I would make alowances for translation. After my purhcase I checked with one or two other websites and they specifically stated they would not work with an FL-36/50. I think before making bolshy statements you should check before starting off with "I dont believe" . "I dont know" would have been nearer the mark.

[Ian]

I don't have six freshly charged NiMHs at the moment, only four - so I have put these four and two half -used alkalines into my HLD-4 and fitted it to my E-3. The battery level was in the red and switching to live view shut the camera down.

I then thought I'd try the same batteries and HLD-4 with an E-30 - and it worked much better. The battery indicator started off full green, though this dropped to half power after a minute or so. Switching to live view didn't crash the camera either.

I'm charging up another set if NiMHs, so I'll try the E-3 and E-30 with the HLD-4 again tomorrow.

Ian

[Vortexartist]

Has anybody tried the Olympus Battery Holder (PS-LBH1 W) that holds 3 CR123A batteries and is supposed to be used in place of the BLM-1? Does it work better than the AA's in an HLD-4?

[Ian]

I've updated this article with this appendix:

The E-3 v.1.1 firmware update 'Increased the number of storable still pictures by improving the battery check when the Power Battery Holder HLD-4 is attached.' Personally, I didn't see a great benefit. In the v.1.3 firmware update released in February, Olympus said it 'Enhanced the accuracy of the battery check when using the Power Battery Holder HLD-4.' Well, I've just had a chance to try out a set of alkaline AAs and a freshly charged set of AA NiMH batteries in the HLD-4 power grip on both an E-3, with v.1.3 firmware, and on an E-30 body. The disappointing news is that I don't really see any evidence that things have improved on the E-3. This is all the more frustrating as alkalines, at least, work fine on the E-30, though NiMH rechargeables remain of limited use as the battery flat indicator quickly kicks in. My advice is, if you really need to use AAs with an HLD-4 on an E-3, it's for absolute emergencies only. You should switch off the LCD screen and avoid using live view. Advanced technology AAs, like Panasonic Oxyride, are the best to choose.

Ian

[say123]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the update.
Just to confirm, did you use the same grip on the 3 different bodies?

[Ian]

Originally Posted by say123

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the update.
Just to confirm, did you use the same grip on the 3 different bodies?

The grip I used last year has since been replaced as it developed a fault when used with BLM-1 batteries.

But I used the same replacement grip with my tests on the E-3 (same body as last year's) and E-30 today.

Ian