Battery type NH5/800: Compatible cameras

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

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

Hasselblad designed the NH5/800 as a special-format battery exclusively for the EL series. It was never a mass-market product like an AA cell. The original NiCd packs are almost universally worn out after 30 to 50 years in storage (self-discharge, memory effect, leaking cells), and Hasselblad itself discontinued production long ago. Original chargers and compatible replacement packs now appear almost exclusively used on eBay, often with the same age-related problems. EU Battery Directive 2006/66/EC made NiCd production even less attractive: cadmium in portable batteries has been banned since 2008, and Regulation 2023/1542 completes the phase-out by August 2025, including the last exceptions.

If you have a 500 EL series camera, you have several options today, each with its own strengths and weaknesses:

• AAA NiMH adapter (Ausgeknipst): Shell that connects five commercially available AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries (1.2 V each) to provide the required 6 V and fits into the original battery compartment. Advantage: AAA cells are available everywhere, can be charged in any standard charger, and a defective individual battery can be replaced immediately. Available as the Hasselblad 500 EL battery adapter, either on its own or as a complete package with 10 AAA batteries and a charger.
• Rebuilding the original pack yourself: Carefully open the battery housing, remove the old cells, and solder in new NiMH or NiCd button cells. A theoretically clean solution, but fiddly in practice. The housings often break, the soldering temperature stresses the new cells, and small button cells with the correct height are difficult to find.
• Original used battery plus charger: Works if you’re lucky, but many packs on offer are already deeply discharged or have leaked. Only worthwhile with a right of return and a functioning original charger (rare and expensive).
• External power supply via dummy battery: Rarely offered specialty adapters with a cable to an external battery holder. Flexible in terms of battery format, but cumbersome to carry and practically unsuitable for reportage work.

Important note: 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. Nevertheless, please watch for unusual heating during charging and check the camera’s 1.6 A fuse before use.