Best Sony Charger for 2023? iSDT NP2 Air Review (for a1, a7Rv, a7iv, a7iii, a7Siii)

iSDT has a Long history of charging lithium ion batteries, and for the past few years, they've been growing into the camera battery charging market. The NP2 Air is a compact and somewhat confusing evolution of their strategy. It's minimalist, cheap, and effective. But what's the catch?? Let's find out!
And to be perfectly clear, I have likely charged FZ100 batteries over 100 times with this charger now. So this isn't just some unboxing. This thing has some serious mileage on it now.
To pick one up:
Amazon US: amzn.to/3Xu1kNs
Amazon CA: amzn.to/3Vp3LiF
To buy an ISDT NP-BX1, the original with a screen and buttons:
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CA: amzn.to/3EZK2AJ
The crazy iSDT Power 200 charger seen in this video • Charge ALL The Things ...
Amazon US: amzn.to/3B5EWRh
Amazon CA: amzn.to/3VlUAzq
And if you're not as crazy as me, a compact 45W charger instead
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*Disclosure: I bought this device with my own money, but I am a member of Amazon, Camera Canada, Adorama and Pergear affiliate/associate programs, and anything that you purchase by clicking on/through my links could result in me getting a commission. That being said, I greatly appreciate you doing so, as it helps to fund this channel's operations, as well as feed my family.

[@WesPerry]

*VERY IMPORTANT NOTE* this charger will prematurely fail if used with a USB power supply that can't provide At Least 30W of power to it. I have one linked in the description, or you can use the crazy 200X charger from ISDT as well. Lower power chargers cause the device to brown out and reboot repeatedly. Unfortunately it seems to lack any sort of under-power protection. Another slightly less common point of failure is not allowing firmware updates to complete. When updating firmware it's Very important to let the process complete without navigating away from the update app, or letting your phone fall to sleep. This has happened to me a couple times, thankfully without issue, but others have found it bricked their device. I have two of these chargers now and each has been through several hundred charge cycles without issue. Play it safe out there! Also of note: since firmware updates it does a very normal 100% charge just like the Sony charger.

[@acksam]

thanks for the awesome product introduction! one question about the iSDT NP2 Air... does FZ100 batteries latch onto the charger when its charging so it wont fall/slip out when met with vigorious movements (backpacking while charging in bag etc..)

[@WesPerry]

They only slide in

[@TheCicada007]

What is your review after 10 months? Shall we still get it? Does it fully charge the batteries? Which model would you suggest?

[@WesPerry]

I have two now, still working great. Received several firmware updates over that period, but they seem to be all done with the updates now. Before the first update it was always borderline on the full charge, but gets it all the way now.

[@R0ots]

@@WesPerryBe warned and warn others. I bought this exact setup after watching your video mate. Got a power 200X and a NP2 Air. Plugged the Air in the 200X, popped my batteries inside the Air and opened the app to see if it was charging at a decent voltage, forced to update. Bricked both units… Now I have 200$ worth of plastic and shit electronics in my office.

[@zolwikwkurwik]

@@R0ots I just bricked my charger when updating the firmware (the app connection droped after 30% progress). Is there a way to fix this?

[@robwasnj]

I bought the original one, didn't last more than a year before it died. Went back to using the original sony ones that have been working for 4 years. Those iSDT ones just aren't well made products.

[@WesPerry]

I can’t say I’ve had any fail yet. I’ve likely run over 1000 charges through the first one!

[@robwasnj]

@@WesPerry Maybe it was just bad luck, actually one side broke, the other still worked but I discarded it. I thought there was a chance it'd be unhealthy for my batteries. I pay more now and stick with all the Sony products, grips, chargers, batteries, etc. Only thing I went non Sony was flash and bough the Godox which works well.

[@Battlem0nk]

NP2 Air is blocky/bulky. Packing it is a pain for traveling.

[@KonstantinGabriel1978]

I am using a patona triple charger ,model 1925 ,input 5V ,3A minimum and with an output of 8.4V at 850mA ( first slot ) 650mA (second slot ) and 450mA for the 3rd slot. The charger has microusb and usbC input . Very travel friendly and most of all charges all 3 batteries at once .

[@WesPerry]

I had never heard of this one before. Looks like it would be charging at about half the speed of these isdt chargers... but only for the first half of the charge. On the second half they're all about the same speed.

[@matshavskogen633]

Does this make sense? The charger says 60% and then charges 267 mAh (+40%) to 100%. Then the acutal battery capacity is 667 mAh? (1020 mAh when new).

[@WesPerry]

You can’t get an accurate idea unless you’re charging from about 0% The charge percentage is based on the battery’s current voltage, not on its actual capacity.

[@Loftikaz]

Sony is faster because it's single battery.

[@ilkoallexandroff]

Have you tried the Zitay 4 batteries FZ-100 charger? I already only trust your charger reviews! Cheers from Japan!

[@WesPerry]

First I’ve heard of it. I can see a couple downsides from the product page as it is, though. That screen is tiny, and hidden Between all the batteries. A very odd choice. I like that it has a cooling fan. Biggest downside is it lacks the center pin, which until recently was indeed pretty common, but that allows more accurate percentage readout and better cell load balancing of the batteries (they’ll last longer and be charged more safely with the center pin).

[@ilkoallexandroff]

@@WesPerry I actually got it, and I’ve been testing it for couple of days! Yeah, the screen and the text in it are really tiny, and need some time to get used to it! It’s changing at total of 36w to 40w 4 batteries at the same time. Nice to know that about the center pin! Thanks!

[@kristofeight9668]

You can update NP2 firmware by usb cable, and will charge battieries to 100%, unless you got last firmware and still can charge to only 90%

[@IvySun-r4i]

Thanks for your testing, It's Ivy from ISDT. We have more new items to test if you need .

[@WesPerry]

@@IvySun-r4i always open to more interesting things ;)

[@IvySun-r4i]

@@WesPerry , Pelased to get your reply, could we have your mail address, so we can discuss more maybe

[@IvySun-r4i]

@@WesPerry Could we have your wechat or skype if possilable ?

[@FrankP83]

ciao Wes , hope you are good! I'm searching now a new charger for my batteries for Sony a7iii, do you still use these ISDT charger?Or do you have some new suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[@WesPerry]

I have two of these now and they’re still my daily favorite ;)

[@willy8539]

Poor quality charger, it should come with a dedicated power brick. Mine got fried twice (first unit + replacement warranty unit) from using 3rd party phone power brick/charger. Shipping is very long, seller is unresponsive; feeling hopeless at this point. Lesson learnt: don't be a cheapskate.

[@WesPerry]

Interesting. I have two that have been in near continuous use for quite some time now. I guess I don’t have any “poor quality charging bricks”?

[@DCMedien]

Quick mention: I noticed that the charger doesn't show the real temperature of the battery. Tried it multiple times, it shows some temperature about the 20 degree mark, but that seems very random. One time I put one battery in who was sitting in my car for hours at 3 degrees, and another one who was in the room. The charger showed me even an higher temperature on the cold battery.

[@japoc]

So, could you plug this iSDT NP2 Air to a power bank and charge NP-FZ100 batteries in a backpack while hiking, for example?

[@WesPerry]

Yeah I do this all the time at weddings But it has to have a very high usb power delivery output, or the it’ll choke and restart, especially when charging two batteries at once.

[@japoc]

@@WesPerry Thanks for the quick reply. Which power bank do you use?

[@WesPerry]

All my power banks are discontinued 😂 For heavy charging I use a Moman v-mount battery that can do 60W over usb c.

[@WesPerry]

Essentially if you want to charge two batteries at once, you need a source that can put out 30W+. For one battery, 18W+

[@japoc]

@@WesPerry Yes indeed, there are power banks with a PD of 45W, so I think that could work. Thanks again!

[@matshavskogen633]

My feedback for ISDT NP2 Air 1. Noisy, and impossible to use quiet. The on/off alarm lives its on life. 2. Lousy manual, not worked trough. 3. And the mAh does not give actual battery capacity. What is it saying??

[@WesPerry]

1. I can’t say any of mine make a peep. I turned off the beep years ago and have never heard it since (have you updated the firmware?) 2. I have never even considered the existence of a manual. Is there something I might be missing?? 😂 3. The mAh count is telling you how much charge it has put into the battery in the current session. If you charge a battery from 0% you’ll end up with the approx total capacity at the end, although this number will overshoot due to the usual power losses in charging (typically 5-15%)

[@matshavskogen633]

1. Firmware 1.3.8 the latest i think. 2. Good for you, but if you compare the Air manual to the one for NP2 you will notice a great difference. 3. I would like to have total and actual mAh, rather than for the session@@WesPerry

[@WesPerry]

@matshavskogen633 there is no way for a charger to accurately guess the total mAh of a battery plugged into it - only how much charge has been conveyed. Any charger that purports to do so is largely pulling numbers out of thin air.

[@matshavskogen633]

When changing input device to one with 65W the issue with beeping and noicyness disappeared. Now it´s behaving as expected when sound is off! Desirable would be the battery health five stars as the one on the former Idst Np2. I do not understand how to interpret the milliohm value.@@WesPerry

[@WesPerry]

Yeah that’s an unfortunately common issue. This thing requires a Lot of power, as it can reach 24W of draw with two batteries. It fails and reboots repeatedly without sufficient power being supplied.

[@jonathanptaylor]

I’m liking this charger so far. The lack of display doesn’t bother me and I like the small footprint. I can’t find a way to use the app to stop the annoying ‘tones’ that the charger emits, I know you could do this through button presses on the old version. Also, as a novice, I have no idea what all of the data on the display is actually telling me, including whether I get a feel for battery quality from the displayed data. The documentation for the app is non existent which is frustrating. So, if you like data but don’t know what the data is telling you, there is no way that I can find to look any of it up. I also have no idea if there is a maximum input wattage limit. I have a 45w USB charger but am not sure if I would be able to use it. Bottom line - the documentation sucks, but the charger seems fine.

[@WesPerry]

In the app there is an “alarm tone” toggle at the bottom to turn off the sounds.

[@WesPerry]

There’s no such thing as max input wattage for anything. A device will use however much power is available to it if appropriate. It will use a max of 32W in my testing/experience. It will occasionally glitch and read that it’s using more than that, though (when it isn’t).

[@jonathanptaylor]

@@WesPerry thanks. I had assumed that was for an alarm on the phone not the charger.

[@WesPerry]

Yeah the wording was likely set by someone who doesn’t speak a lot of English ;)

[@matshavskogen633]

That "alarm tone" troggle lives it´s own life. And even when off the device is wery noicy. @@WesPerry

[@eljavix]

One wonders How much more expensive could it be to put a 5 led charge level indicator for each battery? Maybe even a small electronic button for fast/slow charge? Still, I've been charging my whole life just with an LED "complete" charge indicator, so really.... It's not a killer feature, specially having the app option.

[@WesPerry]

Yeah, that would be really nice to still have. They obviously worked Super hard to have the most aggressive price point possible. A second model with just a Little more interface wouldn't be unwarranted.

[@nikhilnh]

Just purchased the NP2 Air charger. Was able to charge the battery once, however after the initial charge the app is unable to connect to the charger . The charger also refuses to charge the battery ( No charging light appears while charging the battery ). Tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app, no luck. Customer Service appears to be non existent. Don't know if I got a dud, makes you wonder if the charger would be rendered useless if it loses connection to the app.

[@WesPerry]

Charger works fine without the app, but it does need a firmware update through the app before it works Really well on its own.

[@Shawn_X20A]

I have a question though.. if my charger's output is at 100w will it fry the np2 air?

[@WesPerry]

The wattage is the available power. A usb device will only take what it needs.

[@RickMentore]

Sony cameras accessories are almost always the best, from speed light to batteries chargers, not to mention lens, however invariably they are terrible over priced! Gone are the days when Sony had to lure users in with cheap body price, then make their money back with accessories. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, WP!

[@WesPerry]

This one has features so easy that Sony could only dream of it… have you ever tried to use Bluetooth on a Sony camera?? 😩😂

[@RickMentore]

@@WesPerry I currently shoot the 7IV and "Old faithful," A6000. No, never tried Bluetooth. I shoot mostly weddings /events so not much need for Bluetooth.

[@WesPerry]

a7iv has bluetooth for supposedly easily tethering to your smartphone for GPS tagging of images (among other things). But at the end of the day it only works intermittently and drains a bizarre amount of battery life when connected.

[@RickMentore]

@@WesPerry Hers a video for you WP, "How much do you uses the new features on your Camera." I rarely use the new features on the 7IV. I do benefit from the auto features like faster eye focusing and grater MegaPixels but to go in the menu and exploit new features, almost never! However, its nice to know I have Bluetooth, touch focusing and full articulating touch screen and the rest of it!

[@WesPerry]

Although I don’t Think about it, I use the effortless dynamic range and well controlled high iso colour of the a7iv more than anything ;)

[@bobmusikk]

ISDT Power 200 W, any alternative? If not using it what do you recommend? 20, 35, 65w

[@WesPerry]

There are lots of others out there You just need something that can supply at Least 30W with 12V usb c 2.0 (something that only does 30W max would likely overheat and throttle with long charging sessions). I suppose I should dig up a cheaper option for this…

[@WesPerry]

Here's a really nice compact one. I just ordered one at 40% off for Black Friday! amzn.to/3gEQGCZ

[@TheFandangovideoguy]

hi there...I just got a Sony FX30 with 2 genuine batteries but NO charger was included in the box (cheap Sony! ) and I don't want to pay too much for the Sony charger so I need a third party charger that is reliable and safe! I will not buy third party batteries as I'm a bit concerned about "warning messages" appearing on the screen! but I think that getting a third party charger would be ok but not ALL chargers are created equal...is this the best one I can get? Pls help!

[@WesPerry]

Yeah, it’s the best one right now. (As long as you update the firmware)

[@WesPerry]

The charger, when linked with the isdt app, can receive firmware updates. With base firmware doesn’t always get batteries to 100%, post updates (they come out regularly still), it works much better.

[@TheFandangovideoguy]

@@WesPerry wow..interesting...I didnt see an app on the apple store...maybe under a different name...ok...thanks

[@WesPerry]

It’s called ISD Link

[@TheFandangovideoguy]

@@WesPerry oh man...I'm blind..it's all on your video...I'm tempted for sure...the other ones- Neewer etc are cheaper but take 4 hours or longer to charge...this one is faster correct? but safe? That's the most important thing. I don't want to damage my brand new Sony batteries...my precious ones! LOL! thanks...I watched the video...if I didn't want to be bothered with the app and all that, what charger would be second to this but simpler? Just with an LCD display? simple stuff....thanks

[@yao4738]

Hi there, I am looking for the fastest and safe battery charger for my FZ100 batteries and came across this, however the Ilano 18w battery charger just came out which promised PD charging, could you do a comparison video between the NP2 Air and the Ilano? Thanks!

[@WesPerry]

This does faster PD charging than that.

[@yao4738]

@@WesPerrythanks, have you encountered any issues with NP2 air pin destroying the fz100 batteries? I saw some reviews on Amazon that are quite scary, saying their camera randomly switched off after using the battery with the charger.

[@WesPerry]

@yao4738 I’ve been through thousands of charges without issue. Most issues seem to come from one of three places: 1) they use them with a charger that doesn’t have enough power. This thing will draw close to 30W of power on fast charge. If it doesn’t have enough it gets really dicey. Doesn’t seem to be aware when it’s plugged into a lower powered charger. I use mine with the ISDT 200 charger with a 65W output. 2) they don’t update the firmware. They often ship with old and problematic original firmware. All issues have been fixed, but they Need to be updated 3) they don’t let the update complete. If you leave the app during the update procedure you risk bricking the unit.

[@yao4738]

@@WesPerrythanks, gonna place an order now, also I just subscribed :)

[@User-pq2yn]

Why 3.6 stars on Amazon? 35% negative reviews. 20% - * 15% - **

[@WesPerry]

Puzzling to me, but I think it’s mostly from people using usb power adapters that aren’t up to the task. This thing can draw almost 40W of power, which will push a lot of power supplies over the edge.

[@User-pq2yn]

@@WesPerry Now I have the answer to this question. My NP Air2 burned out after 6-7 uses. I connected the original power supply that comes with the a7IV to it. This is a common problem. All the negative reviews are due to the fact that it dies almost immediately. There's a reason they don't sell them at B&H.

[@WesPerry]

@@User-pq2yn The power supply that comes with the a7iv isn't even remotely capable of operating this charger, unfortunately. This device requires at least 30W to function safely/normally. I would say about 85% of failures are due to use with power supplies that are well below spec for the charger. Admittedly, they should include a warning about this, or have it intelligently enter a low power mode to prevent damaging the device. (the other 15% are people who quit the app during a firmware update and brick it... which also shouldn't be possible but is an incredibly common issue with many such devices these days, from video lights to chargers to gimbals to etc etc)

[@User-pq2yn]

@@WesPerry my device burned out the moment I connected the Xiaomi 33W charger. So the charging power was acceptable

[@zolwikwkurwik]

Does the charger remember the last used charging mode? Can it run on fast charging standalone without the app?

[@WesPerry]

It does yes. Even after being unplugged. Which I found quite surprising.

[@zolwikwkurwik]

@@WesPerry thanks for this!

[@We.R.Comics]

Have you tried the small rig dual charger?

[@WesPerry]

I did yeah. It's just a generic rebadged charger not even worth mentioning.

[@jacques424242]

Gonna order one soon. Coupla questions. First, is QC better than PD for powering this? I think you suggested using a Type-A port rather than Type-C port for charging. Second, was gonna order an Iniu 30W one-port USB-C PD3/QC3 charger for it. Would overheating be an issue? Should I go for the two-port 45W version for twice the cost?

[@WesPerry]

PD is better for this, but you can use either. I have, however, noticed that the charger Expects a lot of its power supply when plugged into a PD port, and will overrun the current allowed and reboot when not plugged into something capable of providing 30W+ when both batteries are slotted in. On a QC port it expects less and is less prone to this overrun behaviour. When looking at a two port charger, you have to make sure each port can put out a certain amount of power. Sometimes two ports will end up with less per port than a single port with ostensibly less output.

[@WesPerry]

My favourite charger at present is the massive ISDT Power 200 series (there are a few, varying max outputs). The ports all have separate power controllers that don't reset and rebalance according to Other devices being plugged in, unlike 99% of other chargers on the market.

[@jacques424242]

Thanks for this. The Power 200 appears to be a power supply, not a battery charger per se. I don't see any way to connect it to a battery other than through the NP2, NP2 Air, or other charger with a USB input. Am I missing something? It's also much bigger than the 45W PD cube on my shopping list. Two other questions: Of the many chargers I've investigated, only Sony's and ISDT's have three pins in the battery bay. All the others have two. Is this of any consequence? Is it used to communicate battery status or temperature to the charger? Also, do you have an informed opinion of the XTAR SN4 or Zitay 4-bay chargers?

[@WesPerry]

The third pin is for more accurate battery % and (supposedly) for cell leveling. Better to have either way.

[@WesPerry]

The Power 200 is indeed just a supply. It works well with just about anything. So to charge a Sony battery yes you need something like an NP2 Air.

[@35mmraw]

Is there an option to charge three batteries or more at once?

[@WesPerry]

You can’t fit more than two in it. Each slot can have three different Types of batteries inserted, but only on type at a time. You can charge two different types on either side simultaneously, but that’s about the end of it.

[@quagmire321able]

Got the NP2 Air based on Wes' recommendation... testing it now and its looking good except, it somehow wouldn't update its firmware when connected to the ISD Link app.

[@WesPerry]

Did the update prompt come up and fail, or just didn’t prompt at all?

[@quagmire321able]

@@WesPerry prompt came up, I selected update, countdown began and counted down; and there is nothing after that. Still the same version after all that is done

[@WesPerry]

What version number is it?

[@WesPerry]

Mine are on 1.0.1.2 now

[@quagmire321able]

@@WesPerry 1.0.1.1

[@ulyssessait]

whats with the 7:22 tho

[@WesPerry]

🤔

[@ulyssessait]

@@WesPerry star trek guy 🤣

[@WesPerry]

@@ulyssessait you'd best believe it 😏

[@LensVid]

Nice one Wes. We also use the ISDT (the original one, we have two units). The thing is that not having a screen seems super annoying - even a small screen would be fine but just an up and one LED - I don't know...

[@WesPerry]

Yeah, just a Little more LED action sure would be nice. But I've gotten so used to this that the app is on my Home Screen (a highly coveted position!), and I'll probably get one or two more haha. They hit a shockingly aggressive price point with this thing, though, so odds are adding a screen would nearly double the price of the unit.

[@IddoGenuth]

@@WesPerry Yeah it's strange. They are a strange company - did you get it directly from them or purchased it (I was never able to talk to them).

[@WesPerry]

I purchased it I’ve tried to start a relationship of some kind with them, but they don’t seem to speak that language… both literally and figuratively lol One would think they’d want to work with me, as I’ve literally sold Hundreds of their original charger 😂

[@LensVid]

@@WesPerry Yeah we have two videos on their chargers as well. I don't get those companies - just take an international sales/marketing person - how much is it really...

[@zolwikwkurwik]

Connected the app to the charger and got the info about new firmware. Clicked upgrade and after 30% lost connection with the app. Now the charger blinks red and green all the time and can't connect it anymore. Is there a way to unbrick the charger?

[@WesPerry]

Try unplugging the charger for a minute, plug it back in and try to reconnect to install a new update?

[@zolwikwkurwik]

@@WesPerry the app can't find the charger anymore. Why there's no PC app for firmware updates?