Sony A7 IV Battery and Charger Guide

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

FAQs