Olympus HLD-4 E-3 Power Battery Grip

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Rating : - Essentially a necessity for a fast E3
The E3's fast focus, rapid cycle time, SWD focus system all consume power - the HLD-4 like its previous battery holders allows you to parallel two BLM-1's Olympus BLM-01 Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery for C7070, C8080, E1, E300 & E500 Digital Cameras for twice the shooting time, exposures, or simply a longer timeout so your camera is always ready. You can also charge one battery while still using the camera on the other one if you charge before they both go dead. As before, you get the portrait shutter button which I do use when holding 90 degree rotation. One difference is this can use 6 AA's which is a first for me personally. Olympus's glossy sheet quotes that this will improve focus times - this is generally due to the paralleling of the two batteries and thus the higher voltage when charging flash, running focus motor, logic, etc. 6AA's @ 1.2 V (assuming NIMH) is 7.2V in line with the lithium, or 9V using 1.5V alkaline. There is always a debate here because alkaline cells quickly develop internal impedance and thus don't give you 9V through the life of the cell, while NiMH cells do run 1.2 V or higher for the useful life of the cell. Some experimentation is needed to compare actual voltage delivered to the camera with 2 li-ion vs 6 NIMH cells in the HLD-4. The higher the voltage under load, the faster the camera will operate. In either case, I'm sure the power flexibility it adds will please all E3 shooters. At 199, I'm a bit shocked (no pun intended) at the price as I just paid 84 bucks for my last HLD-3 for the E300 back I picked up off ebay for $170. Getting 2 additional megapixels is not cheap if you want to run the bleading edge; all E3 owners will still find Olympus hardware a great value compared to Canon equivalent backs & lenses as they always have.

• Compatible with Olympus E-3
• Power for extended use
• Ideal for portrait shooting
• Dust & splash proof
• Holds 2x BLM-1

Product Description:
The HLD-4 is a power battery holder created especially for the E-3. It is equipped with a shutter release button and other essential dials for easy operation during vertical-format shooting. The body of the unit is sealed to provide the same high resistance to dust and moisture offered by the E-3. The unit can hold two BLM-1 lithium ion batteries like the ones used in the E-3.

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