Over the last few years, we have seen quite a few developments in battery technology. Batteries are getting smaller, lighter, smarter, and increasing in capacity. However, most of these advances in technology have been for V-mount or AB Gold mount batteries, not for smaller batteries that are used in mirrorless cameras.
Well, now Chinese manufacturer NITECORE has come up with a Smart Camera Battery called the NFZ100, for the Sony a7III, a7RIII, and the a9. The ILCE-9 style batteries are claimed to be the first smart camera batteries that can be managed with a mobile app.
By using an app called NNERGY you can do real-time battery monitoring. NNERGY will display battery percentage, voltage, battery health, charging cycles, as well as information when the battery is being charged.
There is also a Storage Mode that will automatically reduce the batteries charge down to 70% if you haven’t used it in more than 10 days. While this is a handy feature for extending your batteries life, it may be an inconvenience when you go to grab a battery and then realize it is only at 70% charge.
The app also features a way where you can label your batteries by entering the last 3 digits of the serial number. This allows you to know exactly which battery is which if you are monitoring multiple batteries.
Capacity & Safeguards
The NITECORE NFZ100 is a 7.2v 2280mAh (16.4Wh) battery.
The batteries also have a built-in power balance circuit that is claimed to maximize the batteries lifespan. There is also overcharge protection, over-discharge protection, overcurrent protection, overvoltage protection, and short-circuit protection.
Weight
The battery weighs in at 82.5 g (2.91 oz).
As a comparison, Sony’s own NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh) weighs in at 85 g (3 oz).
Firmware Upgradable
In a nice touch, NITECORE has made the NFZ100 batteries firmware upgradeable. What this means is if Sony brings out a new camera that uses ILCE-9 batteries you can update your battery so that it will work with that camera.
The ILCE-9 battery is probably going to be the type of battery used in the next iteration of the a7S.
Price & Availability
The NITECORE NVZ100 batteries cost $39.95 USD and they are now available to purchase. As a reference, Sony’s NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh) costs $78 USD.
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