Sony A7C Battery and Charger Guide

Despite its small body the Sony A7C still manages to squeeze in the Sony NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh). This is the same battery that you will find in Sony’s larger full-frame Alpha cameras such as the flagship Sony A1.

In this battery and charger guide I’ll be taking a look at both the official and third-party battery and battery charger options for the Sony a7C mirrorless camera.

Batteries

The official battery that is compatible with the Sony a7C is the Sony NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh). Providing you purchased your camera from new then you should already have at least one of these batteries, since the a7C does include one in the box.

Although there are third-party batteries available that I will come on to in a bit, I’d strongly recommend only using the official Sony batteries.

Most third-party batteries will throw up a warning and also fail to display the battery percentage remaining when used in the Sony a7C. Batteries that don’t throw this warning today might do so in the future when Sony updates the Sony a7C firmware.

I will cover a couple of third-party battery options but I don’t recommend that you purchase them.

Sony NP-FZ100

The official battery for the Sony a7C is the Sony NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh).

RAVPower NP-FZ100

The RAVPower NP-FZ100 include a dual charger and are probably one of the better third-party options. I’m afraid that I can’t confirm if these will throw a warning message or not, but like I mentioned earlier I’d recommend sticking with the official Sony batteries as a firmware update can soon change things.

Watson NP-FZ100

The Watson NP-FZ100 is another battery option for the Sony a7C, but again I do recommend sticking with the official Sony batteries.

Battery Chargers

When it comes to charging batteries for the Sony a7C there are a few options available.

Sony BC-QZ1

The Sony BC-QZ1 is the official battery charger from Sony for the NP-FZ100 batter. This is a mains charger and will charge a single NP-FZ100 battery in around 2 hours.

Sony BC-ZD1 Dual Battery Charger

The BC-ZD1 is a high-speed charger for Sony’s NP-FZ100 batteries. It can simultaneously charge two batteries in approximately 155 minutes when connected to a USB Power Delivery (PD) compatible power supply with 30W or higher output and a USB cable with USB PD support (3A) or higher current.

• Charges two NP-FZ100 batteries simultaneously in approximately 155 minutes when connected to a USB PD compatible power supply
• Equipped with an indicator lamp that shows the battery charging status in 5 stages
• Width approx. 84.5 mm x Height approx. 29.2 mm x Depth approx. 70.0 mm, weight approx. 149g
• With heat dissipation measures plus built-in heat monitoring and control

Sony NPA-MQZ1K

The Sony NPA-MQZ1K multi battery kit is able to charge 4x NP-FZ100 batteries in approximately 480 minutes. You can also power two USB devices as well as the Sony a7C at the same time. Two NP-FZ100 batteries are included with the NPA-MQZ1K.

Watson Mini Duo Charger

The Watson mini duo charger is a dual USB charger that can charge two NP-FZ100 batteries in around 5 hours. So although it’s not as fast as the Sony BC-QZ1, if you are not in a hurry then it’s a perfectly good charger that also includes built-in overcharge, short-circuit, and power surge protections. There’s a USB power adapter and micro-USB cable included.

Battery Grips

There are currently no official or third-party battery grips available for the Sony a7C. Although we may see one from a third-party at some point, I don’t expect Sony to bring out a battery grip for the a7C, since this camera was designed to be small and compact and by adding a battery grip this will no longer be the case. Sony has also never created a battery grip for their smaller APS-C cameras like the Sony a6400.

USB Charging

The Sony a7C can also be charged via its USB Type C Port and you can also use a Power Delivery (PD) certified power bank to power the a7C. The battery does need to remain in the camera, and if the camera is turned on the battery will not charge.

ANKER 10,000mAh PowerCore Slim PD

The Anker PowerCore Slim PD is just one of the many power bank options that are well suited to the Sony a7C.

Continuous Power

If you need to provide power for longer shoots then here are your options.

Sony DC-C1 DC Coupler

The DC-C1 DC coupler allows for a stable power supply during long shoots or streaming by providing continuous, reliable power to cameras compatible with NP-FZ100 or NP-FW50 rechargeable battery packs using an external power source such as a USB PD (65 W or more) compatible AC adapter and USB cable with USB PD support (5 A).

• Supplies power directly from an external power source such as a USB PD compatible AC adapter (65 W or more) to a camera body that supports NP-FZ100 or NP-FW50 batteries
• To prevent accidental cable disconnection, the DC-C1 is equipped with the locking screw hole, or an anchor loop can be used to secure the cable to the USB port ​
• 1.6m cable connects plug-in plate to the power supply assembly for flexible setup during shooting
• Equipped with Power Indicator Lamp that shows the power supply status
• Width approx. 52.0 mm x Height approx. 70.6 mm x Depth approx. 32.0 mm

FAQs