Sony batteries

[Dan Gunn]

Anyone know the difference between a Sony NP-FV100 and the Sony NP-FV100"A"???

I see that the FV100 has been replaced by the FV100A and it makes me think there might be a problem using the original FV100 battery and it might not be a good match with the X70.

I can't get a full charge on the original FV100 and the run time is silly for a large battery.

[Paul Hardy]

I have both in front of me at the mo & the 'A' version is noticeably lighter & has a different spec.......

NP-FV100 6.8v 25Wh 3700mAh
NP-FV100A 7.4v 25Wh 3410mAh

I've had lots of problems with my X70's, so unfortunately can't categorically comment on any battery reliability, but when my cameras used to be reliable (before the original v2 & 4k upgrade) I only had FV100's & they were absolutely fine.

[Dan Gunn]

Paul, thanks for the info. I think I have a pair of counterfeits!

I am very interested in hearing about your X70 problems. Please share.

[Paul Anderegg]

Cameras care about VOLTAGE, so when you see Sony increasing the voltage, you can ignore the mah rating. The mah rating will drop as voltage increases, but the battery capacity remains the same. Cameras will shut down and power off when they reach a minimum voltage, so by increasing the voltage, the more runtime you should be able to get out of the battery cells before they drop to the cameras cutoff voltage. Back in the 90's, Anton Bauer introduced the 14.4v camera battery, to replace the 12v and 13v ones of the time. This would be a similar concept.

paul

[Paul Hardy]

Originally Posted by Dan Gunn

Paul, thanks for the info. I think I have a pair of counterfeits!

I am very interested in hearing about your X70 problems. Please share.

There you go - @Paul Anderegg's explination of the spec difference makes sense, however there definitely is a weight difference, so they must be using different cell types or something.

I did a full wedding yesterday with the FV-100A's (specifically used them due to your thread) & no issues whatsoever - I'll try using the FV-100's exclusively today, but I'm sure they'll be fine too.

With regards to my camera problems - most were down to slightly incompatible SD cards, so we'll keep those out of it. More recently I do keep getting 'This accessory not supported' errors & I've also had a complete camera lockup/crash & data loss failure in the past (had to use a data recovery company to get the footage back). As you all know, you need complete trust in your equipment & just a few errors/glitches at the wrong times can make you lose confidence in your cameras, however overall the X70 has been great & it has by far the best image quality of any camera I've had. If it did 4k/50p I'd be purchasing more of them.

[Dan Gunn]

I received a pair of Sony NP-FV100A batteries Saturday and charged them over night. Quite a difference!
The X70 shows them both at 100% and they do not lose power when they just sit.

My EX supplier is balking about taking back my counterfeits so I am contacting Sony to see if he is a real Sony dealer.

[Dave Blackhurst]

There is often a significant difference between "genuine" and knockoff/counterfeit, even when the product "mostly" looks identical.

Counterfeit/knockoff (as opposed to a branded "compatible" product, which at least should have a "real" manufacturer backing it if it fails) are all about conning the customer with product that is someone else's "brand"/IP slapped on to give credibility.

It shouldn't be a surprise if someone unethical enough to steal the legitimate brands "thunder" to line their pockets would also cut corners in other ways. Typically the "investment" in a knockoff consists of a cheap copy mold of the original product so it sort of looks right (and unless you know how to recognize the "bad" knockoff molds, you'd never typically know the difference), and if there is a label or packaging, it's copied, usually with a few noticeable errors IF you know exactly what to look for. Holo stickers like Sony uses are also knocked off, so even the "anti-counterfeiting" measures may look "sort of" legit!



I have had numerous "issues" when selling a camera and the buyer comes back and says it has a problem... which I can then trace to a bad or fake memory card (usually "branded", but knockoff) or battery, both of which are HIGHLY counterfeited in the marketplace.

Over time, I've found knockoffs in plenty of other product categories as well, so it's not unique to the camera market, it's just that we have to be aware of it when buying batteries and memory.... buy from KNOWN sources, or take your chances that you may have problems!

[David Tayler]

Originally Posted by Paul Hardy

I have both in front of me at the mo & the 'A' version is noticeably lighter & has a different spec.......

NP-FV100 6.8v 25Wh 3700mAh
NP-FV100A 7.4v 25Wh 3410mAh

I've had lots of problems with my X70's, so unfortunately can't categorically comment on any battery reliability, but when my cameras used to be reliable (before the original v2 & 4k upgrade) I only had FV100's & they were absolutely fine.

I got sent a counterfeit FV100 battery--do you by any chance have a photo of the label I could use to get a refund? I can't find an image online of the label....
Much appreciated.

[Paul Anderegg]

I got what I can only assume was a counterfeit Sony FV100A...it won't charge above 95%, and goes dead if left alone for a month. A Watson FV100 I have will charge to 100% and stay at 100% after a month.

Paul