OM SYSTEM SBCX-1 Battery and Charger Kit for OM SYSTEM OM-1 Camera

Using the own manufacturers products means you get the real things doing the right things. Expensive yes, but, when you use some third party equipment you don’t know quite how its performance is affecting your expensive equipment.

Quickly charges batteries. Not cheap but a good well made charger

I had bought a "3rd party" charger which was poor. Bit the bullet and got the real thing. Expensive but worth every penny.

As other reviews state, it’s better to have a dedicated battery charger than charge in camera, don’t know why camera companies can’t include with the camera but I suppose it’s a way of making extra money. Charger is great also bought to get the battery as hard to come by at moment, only problem the item described says you get a cable but there is no cable in the box, hence four stars!

If you've purchased an OM-Digital OM-1 or similar camera recently, you will have discovered that OM Digital no longer provide a battery charger with their flagship camera - which seems quite "cheap" of them given the price of the camera itself. This charger will allow you to charge a pair of BLX-1 batteries simultaneously... As I like to try and do with a review, I'll offer positive and negative observations:-++ Positive +++ Made by OM-Digital, so it should be safe to use with original batteries - and won't over- or under- charge them...+ Provides two charging bays, so you can recharge a pair of BLX-1 batteries simultaneously - particularly handy if you use the battery grip with your camera...-- Negative --- Outrageously expensive for what it is.- Is presented with nothing more than a USB-C socket - and no mains adapter or transformer of any kind.- The OM Digital Power Adapter is only available direct and cost me £49.99 in November 2024== WARNING ==Having purchased one of these units... and then spent an additional £49.99 [November 2024] to purchase the separate power adapter... and then waited 10 days for OM-Digital to get it to me using "next day" delivery [bought direct as not offered on Amazon]... the mains adapter for this charger finally turned up today. The box included the transformer, an IEC mains cable with a US plug; an IEC mains cable with a UK plug... and no USB-C to USB-C cable to **actually connect the Power Supply to the Charger**.Honestly, this is just OM-Digital participating in the worst kind of trolling of their customers.There's nothing fundamentally wrong with this unit... but it simply should not be necessary for customers to have to buy ... a separate charger... a charger mains adapter ... and then a connecting cable. All of this should have been provided with the camera.Micro Four-Thirds is a fantastic format and the OM-1 Mk 2 is a brilliant camera. But it is let down by this disgusting penny-pinching from OM-Digital. By all means buy one of these - they're genuinely useful - but don't forget to order a PSU and cable, or have a reliable USB-C presented PSU to hand.

If it said on a tin what it says on the box, it would do what it says on the tin

I bought this as my new camera needed it. It works well and had it been half the price as it should be I would have given it five stars

The BCX-1 is not a battery charger in itself. It should be described as a dual battery-bay charging accessory. There is no mains cable, no AC mains adaptor / power supply nor USB-C cable included. In order to charge batteries via this device you need the OM System F-7AC2 switching power supply and the CB-USB13 cable included with the OM-1 camera, or suitable alternatives. The product description should make this clear.The BCX-1, with suitable power supply (*not included*), merely facilitates the charging of BLX-1 batteries (two simultaneously) outside the camera body. That's it. That's all it does. As such, I regard it as poor value for money. Even though build quality seems good, and dual power output seems double that of cheap aftermarket offerings, you're still basically paying £100+ for a plastic moulding, six LEDs, some simple power splitting circuitry, and eight sprung pins. At that price it should have a built in AC converter as well as the USB-C input (for a portable power block).At time of review, this SBCX-1 kit seems to be the only way of acquiring a second genuine battery for the OM-1. That's either logistical incompetence or outright cynicism. Either way it leaves a bad taste.