9x NP-FZ100 batteries compared, which battery has the highest capacity?

If you buy a current Sony camera, the chances are good that you will use an NP-FZ100 battery. Usually, these also offer a very good runtime, but Sony also wants to pay well for this.

For an original Sony NP-FZ100 battery you pay around 70€, which is a very proud sum!

However, there are hundreds of alternative batteries that advertise the same capacity at a much lower price. But is this true? Are the batteries really as good as the original?

For this comparison I bought 9x NP-FZ100 batteries and send them here now in the comparison, which is the best battery?

9x NP-FZ100 batteries in comparison

Let’s first take a look at the 9 batteries in this comparison.

(Links to Amazon, prices as of 04.02.23, may have changed in the meantime!)

Our batteries vary in price between 24.99€ and 73€. The most expensive battery is of course Sony’s own battery, followed by the K&F Concept NP-FZ100, although the latter comes with a charger.

However, most batteries cost between 34€ and 40€. Only the Powerextra NP-FZ100 stands out at the bottom. This is supposed to have the highest capacity with 2500 mAh, but costs the least money with around 25€.

Special case Blumax and NEEWER

Blumax and NEEWER have two very special batteries. They have an integrated USB-C charging port. This allows you to charge the batteries directly on a USB-C charger.

This takes just under 4 hours and is definitely an added value, especially when you travel as light as possible.

Read more in the review of the Blumax NP-FZ100 Gold Edition with USB-C.

Blumax NP-FZ100 Gold Edition mit USB C

The weight

All batteries have a good fit and accordingly fit into my Sony A7R IV without any problems.

But let’s take a look at the weight of the batteries. Normally lighter is of course better, but too light batteries are always “suspicious”.

And here we directly have a suspect. Thus, the “akku-net Powerakku für Sony Typ NP-FZ100” has the lowest weight, although the battery promises the highest capacity with 2500 mAh.

Sony’s own battery, on the other hand, has the highest weight and significantly so.

The test setup

I test the batteries with an electrical load. With this load I discharge the batteries and measure the capacity.

I discharge the batteries to +- 6.0V, at which the Sony cameras declare the battery as empty.

There are two runs here, once with 0.2A and once with 1.5A load Why 1.5A? Sony specifies the runtime of the A7R IV at 90 minutes when filming, which results in a load of 1.52A with a battery capacity of 2280 mAh of the original battery. This will pretty much be the “worst case” load the battery will ever experience.

The 0.2A is a rather slow discharge, like during leisurely photography.

The measured values

Now we come to the measured values. I give the values in mAh here, but the original measured values were in Wh, which I convert to mAh, at the given 7.2V.

Let’s start with the elephant in the room, Sony’s own battery is the best. I checked these readings several times and even bought a second original battery, and yes, it really does have a bit more capacity than all the replicas.

The differences are not huge, but already visible.

The Blumax NP-FZ100 Gold Edition and the Baxxtar Pro battery NP-FZ100 Generation IV follow in 2nd / 3rd place as the best replicas.

The lightest battery in the test, the akku-net battery, also had the lowest capacity. Thus, the weight of a battery is definitely an indication of the possible capacity.

The two batteries with a USB-C port also perform quite well in the test field. I was a bit disappointed by the K&F Conecpt battery, which is actually quite expensive.

Conclusion

Are you looking for the NP-FZ100 battery with the highest capacity? Then you have to continue to use the original Sony NP-FZ100, which simply offers the best capacity.

The best replica battery has about 10% less capacity, for half the price. Fair? I would say yes!

The best replica battery is the Blumax NP-FZ100 Gold Edition, followed by the Baxxtar Pro battery NP-FZ100 Generation IV. Both super batteries, which one I would choose would depend on the price and set.

The Blumax NP-FZ100 Gold Edition is apparently only available in a double pack and with a charger, which of course raises the effective price a bit. The Baxxtar Pro battery, on the other hand, is also available individually.

I would like to give a small positive mention to the Blumax NP-FZ100 Gold Edition with USB-C. If the concept of an NP-FZ100 battery with USB-C port sounds interesting to you, then this is also a great choice!