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Explanation of Sony Camcorder Battery Naming

Camcorder-battery-shop.com 2006-10-23

Typical Sony batteries are the NP-FP90, NP-F550, and NP-QM71D.Generally, Sony Info-Lithium batteries are named LL-LLNNNL where L is a letter and N is a number.Another way to show this is NP-spNNND where "NP" seems to indicate a Sony InfoLithium, the "s" indicating charging speed, "p" the physical size, the number indicating electrical size, and the D indicating a display.

The "s" is the charging speed and usually "F" for "Fast" which means regular (keeping consistant with Sony's regular tape being called "Premium"?). The "Q" means QuickChargeable in special Sony Quick chargers which is faster than normal charging "F". A Q battery can be charged at the regular rate on a F series charger, and an F battery can be charged on a Quick charger but will charge at the regular rate. Only if a Q battery which can accept a high charge current will charge quicker when on a Quick charger. I don't like charging at high current rates though since you can't get as much total charge in, it heats up the batteries (reducing longevity) and I usually have enough spare batteries that I don't need to quickly recharge them.

The next letter ("p" above), if present after the speed "F" or "Q" and before the number, indicates a physical size or form factor or what the battery can mount to. If there is no letter here, then the battery fits the FX1, PD 170, and VX2000, etc. I think this may be the "first" or oldest size. The letter "M" indicates a size common to fitting 2003 camcorders like the DCR-TRV33 and some Sony c. The "P" size is smaller and fits onto new Sony camcorders such as the HC42. The "F" sized fits the DCR-IP55. A The HDR-HC1 will use the "M" series as in NP-FM50 and NP-QM71D.

The larger numbers indicate a larger charge capacity. A "50" won't hold as much energy nor power the camcorder as long as a "70", etc. However, the more charge a battery will hold, the larger physically it is in size and weight and the longer it takes to recharge the battery. While the preceeding letter indicates the physical mount, a larger number means one dimension of the battery will be larger. Thus, a NP-FM30 and an NP-FM70 look the same from one end (where they mount), the NP-FM70 is 2-3 times deeper/longer.

The "D" letter at the end is present only if the battery has a built-in (to the battery) indication of charge remaining. This is not nearly as accurate as hooking the battery to a camcorder and using the estimation of time remaining on the Battery Display, but it is handy for taking a loose battery alone (not attached to camcorder), pressing a button on the battery, and seeing with 3-5 LEDs how much charge is in the battery.