Battery type NH5/800 — compatible cameras

The NH5/800 is a rechargeable 6-volt battery pack specified by Hasselblad for its motor-driven medium format cameras of the 500 EL series. The name reveals the construction: five nickel cells connected in series (5 × 1.2 V = 6 V) with a nominal capacity of about 800 mAh. The factory-supplied batteries were NiCd button cells; modern reproductions and adapters use NiMH or five individual AAA cells.

The NH5/800 is the proprietary power source for the electrically motorized Hasselblad medium format bodies: Hasselblad 500 EL (market launch 1965, modified versions flew with NASA on the Apollo moon missions), 500 EL/M (from 1971, with interchangeable focusing screen), and 500 ELX (from 1984, new TTL-OTF flash control). The later 553 ELX switched factory-wise to a larger compartment for AA cells — for older EL bodies, the NH5/800 remains the original format. These cameras have no mechanical film advance — without a working battery, neither the shutter can be cocked nor the film advanced. The complete compatibility list with search function is at the top of this page.

Hasselblad designed the NH5/800 as a special format only for the EL series — it was never a mass product like an AA cell. The original NiCd packs are practically worn out after 30 to 50 years of storage (self-discharge, memory effect, leaked cells), and Hasselblad itself has long discontinued production. Original chargers and suitable replacement packs today mostly appear used on eBay, often with the same age-related issues. The EU Battery Directive 2006/66/EC has also made NiCd reproduction unattractive: cadmium in portable batteries has been banned since 2008, and regulation 2023/1542 completes the full phase-out including the last exceptions by August 2025.

Today you have several options for a 500-EL series, each with its own strengths and weaknesses:

• AAA NiMH adapter (Ausgeknipst): 3D-printed shell that connects five standard AAA NiMH batteries (each 1.2 V) in series to the required 6 V and fits into the original battery compartment. Advantage: AAA cells are available everywhere, chargeable in any standard charger, and a defective single battery is immediately replaceable. Available as Hasselblad 500 EL battery adapter — either individually or as a complete package with 10 AAA batteries and charger.
• Self-refurbishing the original pack: Carefully open the battery case, remove old cells, solder in new NiMH or NiCd button cells. Theoretically a clean solution, but fiddly in practice — cases often break, soldering temperature stresses the new cells, and the small button cells with the correct height are hard to find.
• Original used battery plus charger: Works if you're lucky — many offered packs are already deeply discharged or leaked. Only worthwhile with a return policy and a functioning original charger (rare and expensive).
• External power supply via dummy battery: Rarely offered special adapters with cable to an external battery holder. Flexible in battery format but cumbersome to carry and practically unusable for reportage.

Important note: The common AAA NiMH adapters (e.g., from Small Battery Company) are explicitly approved by the manufacturer for charging in the original Hasselblad charger — the slow NiCd charging current is fully compatible with NiMH. Please still watch for unusual heating during charging and check the camera's 1.6-A fuse before use.