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Sony a7III Battery and Charger Guide

You are here: Home / Sony Alpha Mirrorless Cameras / Sony a7III / Sony a7III Battery and Charger Guide

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Last updated: January 9, 2021 by Timothy Mayo - 7 Comments

Hello and welcome to my Sony a7III battery and charger guide which aims to cover all you need to know about which batteries and chargers can be used with the Sony a7III, including both original Sony and third-party options.

For those of you that own the Sony a7III you most likely already know that it doesn’t come with a dedicated charger like its more expensive siblings the a7R III and a9. But don’t threat, because as well as Sony’s official charger there are also a number of third-party chargers that you can use to charge the Sony NP-FZ100 battery that the a7 III supports.

sony a7iii battery and charger guide

Contents

1. Sony a7III Official Batteries
2. Sony a7III Third Party Batteries
3. Sony a7III Official Battery Chargers
4. Sony a7III Third Party Battery Chargers

Sony a7III Forum & Facebook Group

If you are looking for further help and advice on the a7III or would simply like to share your photos, then please head over to our friendly Sony a7III Forum. If you prefer Facebook then I also run the Sony a7III Shooters Group.

1. Sony a7III Official Batteries

If you want the best possible battery life from your a7III and guaranteed compatibility then I would highly recommend sticking with the official Sony NP-FZ100 battery. However, please be aware that Sony has issued a warning regarding counterfeit NP-FZ100 batteries which bear the Sony logo and look very similar to the genuine Sony battery pack. To avoid purchasing counterfeit NP-FZ100 batteries, I’d recommend only purchasing from official Sony approved dealers. Also, if buying from Amazon make sure they are coming from Amazon directly and not a third-party seller.

Sony NP-FZ100 Battery

The Sony a7III uses the new NP-FZ100 which doubles the battery life compared with the smaller NP-FW50 battery found in the a7 II. Still, if you are shooting all day then you will probably go through at least one battery. Personally I’ve never gone through more than two NP-FZ100 batteries in one day whilst shooting wildlife and motorsport (stills) with my a7III. If you are shooting a lot of video then you may well go through more than two batteries.

sony a7iii battery np-fz100

Capacity: 2280mAh
Battery life stills: 2000 shots (best I’ve got when shooting sports/wildlife).
Battery life video: 2.5 to 3 hours (approx)
Recharge time (with Sony BC-QZ1 charger): 150 minutes (approx)
Recharge time (in camera via USB-C): 285 minutes (approx)

Price Check & Buyer Reviews for Sony NP-FZ100 Battery

At: Amazon | B&H Photo


 

2. Sony a7III Third Party Batteries

Very Important Note: With recent firmware releases and new cameras Sony has really gone to war with third-party batteries. When used many third-party NP-FZ100 batteries will display a warning message stating that the operation and safety of this battery cannot be guaranteed. You can ignore the warning by pressing OK and the batteries will still work, however the percentage indicator next to the battery icon also disappears so you will not know how much battery you have left. My advice would be to stick to the official Sony NP-FZ100 batteries, saving a few dollars by purchasing third-party batteries that could potentially damage your $2000 camera is not worth the risk.

NP-FZ100 RAVPower

If you do insist on using third-party batteries in your a7III then the RAVPower NP-FZ100 are reported to work well and not throw up any error messages at this time (this could change with new firmware updates). These batteries are also bundled together with a dual charger.

NP-FZ100 RAVPower Dual Batteries and Charger for a7III

Capacity: 2000mAh
Battery life stills: 1500 shots (approx)
Battery life video: 2 to 2.5 hours (approx)
Recharge time (with Wasabi charger and wall adapter): 180 minutes (approx)
Recharge time (in camera via USB-C): 300 minutes (approx)


 

Price Check & Buyer Reviews for RAVPower NP-FZ100

At: Amazon

3. Sony a7III Official Battery Chargers

Unlike the Sony a7R III and a9, the a7 III does not include the Sony BC-QZ1 charger in the box. I can only guess Sony needed to save a little money somewhere with all the technology they packed into the a7 III, and so the charger was dropped. You can still charge in camera via USB-C, but this takes approximately 285 minutes to fully charge one official NP-FZ100 battery, compared with only 150 minutes when charged via the Sony BC-QZ1 charger.

Sony BC-QZ1 Battery Charger

The Sony BC-QZ1 is Sony’s official battery charger for their NP-FZ100 battery, it will charge a single battery in approximately 150 minutes.

Sony a7iii battery charger bc-qz1

Price Check & Buyer Reviews for Sony BC-QZ1 Charger

At: Amazon | B&H Photo


Sony NPA-MQZ1K Multi Battery Adaptor Kit

The Sony NPA-MQZ1K multi battery kit might be a very useful addition to your a7 III if you shoot very long video sessions and need as much power as possible. This kit can charge four batteries (NP-FZ100) in approximately 480 minutes. It also allows you to power two USB devices as well as the camera at the same time. The NPA-MQZ1K also includes two NP-FZ100 batteries, a cable protector and a mounting plate. You can find full details on Sony’s website here.

Sony NPA-MQZ1K Multi Battery Adaptor Kit

Price Check & Buyer Reviews for Sony NPA-MQZ1K

At: Amazon | B&H Photo


 

4. Third Party Sony a7III Battery Chargers

If you aren’t keen on paying for the official Sony charger or would like a dual charger, then there are a number of third party chargers on the market. My personal preference is again to stick with the official Sony chargers, especially when charging the official Sony NP-FZ100 battery. That said, I do have the Newmowa dual battery charger that at least in the short-term appears to be working just fine, however I only use it as a last resort.

There are many more battery chargers on the market, but unless I can find genuine reviews or have tested them myself then they won’t be included here.



Hahnel ProCube 2 Dual Charger

The Hahnel ProCube 2 is one of the nicer dual chargers on the market. It will charge two NP-FZ100 batteries at the same time in around three hours. It also includes charging plates for the NP-FW50 and NP-BX1 batteries. So if you own other A7 cameras, an a6000/6300/6500 or an RX100 then the Cube2 will charge them all. There is also a full size USB socket on the rear to charge a mobile device, but unfortunately this port is disabled when two batteries are charging. It does work when there is only one battery on the charger.

hahnel procube 2 sony np-fz100 dual charger for a7iii

Price Check & Buyer Reviews for Hahnel ProCube 2 Charger

At: Amazon | B&H Photo


Check Price & Buyer Reviews for Sony a7III

At: Amazon | B&H Photo

Sony a7III Resources

Sony A7III Memory Cards

Best Sony A7III Memory Cards Tested

The Best Sony a7 III Accessories

Sony a7III Accessories Guide

The Best Sony a7III Lenses Guide

Best Sony a7III Lenses

sony a7iii battery grip extension guide

Sony a7III Battery Grip and Grip Extension Guide

sony a7iii battery charger guide

Sony a7III Battery and Charger Guide

Sony a7III Dual Card Setup Guide

Sony a7III Dual Card Setup Guide

sony a7iii sample images gsd puppy long hair

Sony a7III Sample Images (RAW & SOOC JPGs)

sony a7iii manual

Sony a7III Manual (PDF) Download

latest sony a7iii firmware update

Sony a7 III Firmware Update Version 3.10

Sony Alpha Forum

About Timothy Mayo

I love shooting wildlife the most but will happily point my camera at pretty much anything. I started Alpha Shooters in 2017 to share my own photographic journey and experiences shooting with Sony Alpha. The site has since evolved into a popular community and resource. You can also find out more about my story here or follow me on Instagram if you wish. I also have a YouTube Channel but haven't published much content over the past year due to spending more time changing smelly nappies and also launching our community forums. However, I do plan to get back to creating content for YouTube in 2021!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susan Beardwell

    January 31, 2021 at 6:35 am

    Hi Timothy,
    Is there a facility anywhere in the a7m3 menu to turn on a warning sound/light when the battery level is low?
    I get so absorbed when I’m out shooting that I don’t think to check battery level and twice I’ve been caught out at a crucial moment as I press the shutter and see the dreaded “battery exhausted”. I know I should build a battery check into my routine but you know how it is when you’re “in the zone”…
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Timothy Mayo

      February 1, 2021 at 4:11 am

      Hi Susan. Thanks for your comment here! Unfortunately I don’t believe there is an option to sound a warning when the battery drops below a certain level. If you are often exhausting the one battery when out shooting then it might be worth adding a battery grip do double the battery life. Of course, this does add more weight and bulk to the camera unfortunately. Have a nice week! Tim

      Reply
  2. Fabalytic

    January 25, 2021 at 3:27 pm

    Really helpful, need to add some additional batteries for coming trip. Much appreciated post!

    Reply
    • Timothy Mayo

      February 1, 2021 at 4:14 am

      Glad to hear that it helped you out! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Drew Gragg

    August 8, 2020 at 10:12 am

    Thanks for the useful info, Timothy! Just wondering, why do you prefer sticking with official Sony chargers when charging the official Sony NP-FZ100 battery?

    Reply
    • Timothy Mayo

      August 11, 2020 at 10:14 am

      I just feel more comfortable with the official Sony charger knowing that it’s unlikely to ruin those expensive batteries. I have been using the Newmowa dual-charger a bit and one of my batteries casing has cracked. Although I can’t say for sure if that was the fault of the Newmowa or not, it could have been the Sony charger or something completely unrelated, but I’m very careful with my gear and it hasn’t been dropped.

      Reply
      • Drew Gragg

        August 11, 2020 at 11:31 am

        Thanks for the reply. I went and ordered a Nitecore charger. Does two batteries at once, and it seems legit. Nice price too. But if it fries a battery I will report back!

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