The Sony A7 IV is a very powerful mirrorless camera that really packs a punch, but thanks to the official Sony NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh) you can still shoot thousands of shots or record hours of video before swapping batteries.
Sony A7 IV Forum & Facebook Group
If you are looking for further help and advice on the a7 IV or would simply like to share your photos and videos, then please head over to our Sony a7 Forum. If you prefer Facebook then we also run the Sony a7 IV Shooters Group.
Despite the Sony a7 IV costing around $2500, Sony decided to only include 1 x Sony NP-FZ100 in the box but no external battery charger. So out of the box your only option to charge the NP-FZ100 battery is in-camera via USB.
In this guide I’ll be taking a look at both the official and third party battery options for the Sony a7 IV, along with battery chargers and battery grips to extend the battery life of the a7 IV.
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Batteries
The official battery for the Sony a7 IV is the Sony NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh). If you purchased your camera new then one of these should be included in the box.
I really would recommend that you only purchase and use the official Sony batteries in your a7 IV. You can save a few dollars buy purchasing cheaper third-party batteries, but you then risk damaging your $2500 camera!
Sony tries to prevent third-party batteries from being used in all of their cameras. You’ll find that many third-party NP-FZ100 batteries will trigger a warning when used in the a7 IV, and will also not display the battery percentage remaining, and sometimes they will not work at all. Often third-party battery manufacturers will update their batteries to work-around this, but then a firmware update from Sony will start throwing up warnings again or disable their use.
I will cover a couple of third-party battery options, but I don’t recommend that you purchase them as they may end up costing you much more in the long run.
Sony NP-FZ100
The official battery for the Sony a7 IV is the Sony NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh). You will have received one of these with your camera providing it was purchased new.
Watson NP-FZ100
One of the more reliable third-party battery options is the Watson NP-FZ100. However, these batteries can still display warnings and I therefore don’t recommend using them in the a7 IV.
Price Check & Buyer Reviews: Watson NP-FZ100 V3
At: B&H Photo
Battery Chargers
Unlike some of Sony’s more expensive cameras like the a7R IV, a9II and a1, Sony decided not to include an external battery charger together with the a7 IV. So if you want one you’ll need to purchase one additionally I’m afraid.
Sony BC-QZ1
The official battery charger for the NP-FZ100 battery is the Sony BC-QZ1. With this charger you can charge an official NP-FZ100 battery in around two hours.
Sony NPA-MQZ1K
The Sony NPA-MQZ1K multi battery kit is useful if you shoot a lot of video. It can charge 4x NP-FZ100 batteries in approximately 480 minutes. It also allows you to power two USB devices as well as the a7 IV at the same time. The NPA-MQZ1K comes with two NP-FZ100 batteries included, a cable protector and a mounting plate.
Watson Mini Duo Charger
If you are after a low cost dual USB charger then the Watson mini duo charger is one of the better options. It’s a USB charger so isn’t the fastest, but will still charge two NP-FZ100 batteries in around 5 hours. With built-in overcharge, short-circuit, and power surge protections, your batteries should be pretty safe.
Price Check & Buyer Reviews for Watson Mini Duo Charger
At: Amazon | B&H Photo
Battery Grip
The Sony a7 IV shares the same battery grip as the Sony a1, a7R IV, a9II and a7S III. This means that you can also use the same Sony VG-C4EM battery grip.
There is no confirmed third-party grip at this time, although I expect that the Vello BG-S7 might work since this is supported by the Sony a1, a7R IV, a9II and a7S III.
Sony VG-C4EM
The Sony VG-C4EM grip matches the a7 IV body perfectly. It shares the same material and the buttons also feel the same.
The grip holds 2x NP-FZ100 batteries which allows you to double the battery life of your a7 IV.
On top of the grip you’ll find a vertical shutter button to make shooting vertically more comfortable, and a lock switch to prevent accidental use when using the camera’s shutter button. There are also C1 and C2 custom buttons and a shutter dial on the front.
On the rear you’ll find a joystick, an AF-On button, aperture dial and AEL button.
To attach the grip you simply need to remove the battery door from the a7 IV. This is very easy to do thanks to a little switch on the inside of the door. This can then be safely stored inside the battery grip itself. You then insert the column into the battery compartment and tighten the fitting screw.
I own this grip myself and although it’s expensive I do prefer it to the cheaper Meike third-party grip that I also own. It matches perfectly with the camera body so if consistency is important to you then this is the battery grip to go for.
USB Charging
The Sony a7 IV can also be charged via its USB Type C Port. You can also use a Power Delivery (PD) certified power bank to power the a7 IV. However, 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
One such charger is the Anker PowerCore Slim PD. I use this myself and it will comfortable charge the Sony NP-FZ100 battery in camera two times before it needs recharging itself. Unfortunately due to the current chip-shortage it appears these are out of stock in many stores.
Sony A7 IV Resources
FAQs
Sony NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery
Providing you are using the official Sony BC-QZ1 charger, then it takes around 2 hours to fully charge a single NP-FZ100 battery.
This varies greatly. The official CIPA figures for still are: Approx. 520 shots (Viewfinder) / approx. 580 shots (LCD monitor) (CIPA standard). In real life situations you are more likely to get well over 1000 shots.
If you wish to charge the Sony a7 IV via USB you’ll need a USB Type-C charging device that supports the Power Delivery (PD) standard.
Check Price & Buyer Reviews for the Sony A7 IV
At: Amazon | B&H Photo | Adorama | Wex Photo UK
My A74 just arrived. Upgrade from my a7rii. I was appalled to discover that no charger or MANUAL was included. The packaging looked like it was from an outlet, tied with grocery store ties. This is outrageous for 3199 cad camera. I will never buy another Sony camera until they fix this. Beyond cheap.
It was the same with the a7III unfortunately, it seems you have to spend over $3000 US before they throw a charger into the box!
Hi, can tell you there are many possibilities to drain the batterie eben faster, never reached 500 photos!
It is possible to see how the percentage gets down from 100% to 60% or less only shooting about 100 photos!
I bought a second battery but this reminds me of my first iPhone 4, or 4s with battery issues
The camera is superb but the battery does not last long enough for a shoot
How long does it take to charge with the camera using the USB-C PD?
I have only charged it once, so far. Out of the box took more than two hours.
FYI, I would not charge it in camera unless on a video shoot or something like that. One small tug of the tiny cord and the camera can fall and break, plus regular use will likely wear out the usbc port which has happened to almost every usbc port I have used for extended periods of time: android phones, MacBook, etc.
Did the battery have any charge out of the box or did you have to charge it first?
It varies Pete. Normally they are partially charged 60-70%.