SmallRig NP-FZ100
SmallRig NP-FZ100 Battery I use my Sony A6700 and A7R V cameras daily, and the NP-FZ100 is the most common battery type I deal with. While these batteries boast impressive capacity compared to most other mirrorless camera batteries, I find it necessary to carry a few spares throughout the day. I generally prefer the original batteries from the camera manufacturer since third-party alternatives often fall short in delivering the promised capacity or show a decline in performance after a short period of use. In some cases, using a third-party battery can even trigger error messages from the camera.
SmallRig NP-FZ100 USB-C Charging port
But I made an exception and decided to use the SmallRig’s latest NP-FZ100 battery with built-in USB-C charging. The first reason is that I am really happy about the SmallRig products in general, and have never had a serious problem with any of them. And the second reason is that the innovative USB-C charging feature makes it a very versatile and convenient option for me in the field. USB-C cables are everywhere nowadays, even Apple finally moved to USB-C charging with its latest iPhone 15 series afterall!
SmallRig NP-FZ100 Key Specs
Built-In USB-C Port
Up to 3.8 Hours of Recording Time
2400mAh Capacity
SmallRig NP-FZ100 compared to Sony battery
Compared to Sony NP-FZ100 battery
NP-FZ1000 has a 2400mAh Capacity, 120mAh more than the original Sony NP-FZ100’s 2280 mAh capacity. To be honest, in real life usage I didn’t experience the SmallRig battery lasting longer than the Sony one, they are probably the same as there are many factors affecting the real life usage such as efficiency, heating but this performance is still good as many other third party batteries can’t even get close to the Sony.
SmallRig NP-FZ100 Can be charged with the original Sony Charger as well
I also haven’t received any warnings and error messages while using the SmallRig battery, and the Sony charger charged the SmallRig battery without a problem. Overall, I am really happy about the SmallRig Np-FZ100 battery replacement. Time will show how its endurance will change, but so far no problems.
SmallRig NP-FZ100 Box
I like that SmallRig made this battery blue instead of the typical black, it is easily distinguishable now from the other batteries.
SmallRig NP-FZ100 Available in various types
SmallRig’s USB-C batteries are also available for the following battery types:
Canon’s LP-E6NH
Nikon’s EN-EL15C
Sony’s NP-FW50
Fujifilm NP-W235
Nikon EN-EL25
What is in the Box?
SmallRig NP-FZ100 USB-C Rechargeable Camera Battery
Battery Cover
USB-C to USB-A Charging Cable
SmallRig NP-F970 Battery
SmallRig NP-F970
However, there is another USB-C battery other than these that I have been using very often is the NP-F970 with built-in USB-C charger. I have been using these L-series batteries to power my camera monitors and studio lights. The reason I find this one even more useful in my workflow is that the devices that uses L-series batteries don't have in-device charging options (well, except my ifootage Shark Slider Nano ) like the in-camera charging options that my cameras do, so I have always been relying on the dedicated chargers for NP-F batteries.
SmallRig NP-F970USB-A port
SmallRig NP-F970 USB-C PD Input and Output
Now the SmallRig NP-F970 saved me from this by providing an on-battery charging. Moreover, this battery can also be used as a Power bank via its USB-C and USb-A outputs, so you can use your small devices or batteries using this battery as the powersource, which makes this even more useful. There are also LED battery indicators on the battery that shows the percentage of the charge. Well done SmallRig!
SmallRig NP-F970 Charging the NP-FZ100 battery
Here the NP-F970 is powering the Hollyland MARS M1 Wireless Field Monitor
SmallRig NP-F970
SmallRig NP-F970 Key Specs
USB-C input/output port and USB-A output port (as a power bank)
Supports 20W USB PD to be fully charged in six hours
10,500mAh nominal capacity for longer runtimes
SmallRig NP-F970 with Box
What is in the Box?
SmallRig L-Series / NP-F970 USB-C Rechargeable Camera Battery
Battery Cover
USB-C to USB-C Charging Cable
Limited 1-Year Manufacturer Warranty
Price and Availability
SmallRig NP-FZ100 USB-C battery is selling for $45 (Amazon / B&H Photo ), that is $33 cheaper than the Sony battery , this is a big savings.
SmallRig NP-F970 Charging battery has an MSRP of $80 (Amazon / B&H Photo ), $89 less than Sony’s NP-F970 which retails for $169.
Besides, the SmallRig is rated as 10,300mAh whereas the Sony is 6,300mAh, and the SmallRig can be used as a power bank. Looks like a sweet deal, right?
