4 Ways to Charge Sony Camera Battery (No Charger) 4 Types

Ready to start shooting, and your Sony camera has a low battery? Here’s how to charge your Sony camera battery without a charger. Models covered include Cybershot, Handycam, a6000 (mirrorless), and the ZV-1 vlogging camera. Plus guides to battery life, charging times, and ideal operating temperatures. 

How to Charge Your Sony Camera Battery

How can you charge your Sony camera without a charger? Here are four methods.

4 Ways to Charge Your Sony Camera Battery Without a Charger

There are four ways to charge your Sony camera batteries without an external wall charger.

1. Charge with a power bank. Choose a charge port with a minimum of 1.5A.
2. Charge with a computer. Works best direct connected to USB, skipping the USB hub.
3. Charge with a wall plug. Choose a minimum of 1.5A adapter.
4. Charge via USB outlet in your car. Choose 1.5A (or 18-watt) output.

These charging methods apply to all Sony cameras in general. These methods may not work on all models – depending on the age and specific camera model. And all these methods require a USB port in the camera. 

Do Sony cameras come with a battery charger? No, most Sony cameras don’t ship with an external battery charger. What you’ll get is a USB cable and power adapter, so you can charge the battery in-camera.

This is inconvenient for several reasons. The main one being you can’t use your camera while you’re charging the battery. 

So if you want to keep filming while you charge your battery, you’ll need an external charger.

Now let’s get into the four types of Sony cameras – and the specifics for charging them. We’ll cover the Sony Cyber-shot, Handycam, a6000 mirrorless series, and the ZV-1 vlogging camera.

How to Charge Sony Cybershot Camera

Here’s how to charge your Cyber-shot battery in-camera. 

1. Charge with a wall plug. Choose a minimum of 1.5A adapter. Recommended by Sony.
2. Charge with an external power bank. Choose charge port with a minimum of 1.5A.
3. Charge via your car’s USB outlet. 1.5A (or 18-watt) output. 
4. Charge with a computer. Works best direct connected to USB; skip the USB hub. The slowest charging option.

Cybershot Charge Lamp

Sony cameras come with a Charge lamp, usually located on the top of the camera or next to the USB terminal.

When connected to a power source, the charge lamp lights orange, and charging begins. The light will turn off when the battery pack is fully charged.

What if charge lamp flashes? There are three common reasons for this.

1. If charging isn’t finished, it might indicate that the battery isn’t properly seated. Remove and re-insert the battery pack.
2. If this doesn’t fix the problem, you might need to clean the battery terminals. You can lightly clean them with a soft cloth or Q-tip. 
3. A flashing charge lamp might also occur when it’s too hot or cold. Once the temperature returns to the recommended temperature range, it will stop flashing, and charging will resume. 

As with all manufacturers, Sony also recommends charging with a genuine Sony battery charger. 

I haven’t found this to be necessary. I’ve used Wasabi Power chargers and batteries for many years – and for many cameras, including GoPro and Canon cameras. The Wasabi version of the NP-BX1 has more power (1600 mAh) than the original Sony battery (1240 mAh).

Sony Cybershot Charging Time and Ideal Temperature

• Charging Time: 230 minutes (AC Adapter)
• Ideal ambient charging temperature: 50ºF to 86ºF (10°C to 30°C)

Charging time is shortest when the temperature is 77°F (25°C). 

If you operate the camera while tethered to the wall adapter, it will function, but the battery will stop charging.

How Long Do Cybershot Batteries Last?

Here’s how long the NP-BX-1 battery lasts in the Sony Cybershot WX500.

• When Filming: 75 minutes
• Shooting Still Photos: 400 images (shoot more photos by settings “Auto Monitor OFF” to 2 Sec)

USB hubs might not work well or at all. Sony recommends connecting directly to your computer USB port. 

Do I have a Cybershot Camera?

All Sony Cyber-shot cameras use the DSC prefix to their model names. DSC stands for Digital Still Camera. They often feature the Carl Zeiss lens or the Sony lens. 

Some popular Cybershot cameras include DSC-WX500 and Sony Cyber‑Shot RX10.

How to Charge Sony Handycam

Here’s how to charge your Handycam battery in-camera. 

1. Charge with a wall plug. Plug the supplied charge cable into your camcorder, and connect the adapter to the wall. Recommended by Sony.
2. Charge with an external power bank. Choose a charge port with a minimum of 1.5A.
3. Charge via your car’s USB outlet. Choose a charge port with 1.5A (or 18-watt) output. 
4. Charge with a computer. The slowest charging option. Not recommended. Make sure your computer doesn’t go into hibernation or sleep mode, or charging will stop.

Different than the other cameras by Sony, most Handycam camcorders come with a charging cable with AC adapter.

But because they don’t also ship with an external charger, you’ll be forced to charge your battery while connected to your camera. While this might not seem important, it will render your video camera useless while charging. 

Sony Handycam Charging Time and Ideal Temperature

• Wall Charging Time: 205 minutes (AC Adapter)
• Computer Charging Time: 555 minutes (Yes, that’s more than 9 hours!)
• Ideal ambient charging temperature: Around 77°F (25°C). If the temperature is hotter or cooler than this, the charging time may extend. 

How Long Do Handycam Batteries Last?

Here’s how long the NP-FV70 battery lasts in the Sony Handycam AX53.

• When Filming Continuous: 150 minutes
• When Filming Typical: 75 minutes. Typical filming refers to the usual start/stop, zoom, switch shooting mode, etc. 
• Playback time: 250 minutes

Both recording times are based on an ambient temperature of 77°F (25°C), with the LCD monitor open. And with a fully charged battery.

Some popular Handycams include: AX53 4K and CX405 HD

How to Charge Sony a6000 (Mirrorless Camera)

Here’s how to charge your mirrorless a6000 battery in-camera. 

1. Charge with a wall plug. Plug the supplied charge cable into your camcorder and connect the adapter to the wall. Recommended by Sony.
2. Charge with an external power bank. Choose charge port with a minimum of 1.5A.
3. Charge via your car’s USB outlet. Choose charge port with 1.5A (or 18 watts) output. 
4. Charge with a computer. The slowest charging option. Not recommended. Make sure that your computer doesn’t go into hibernation or sleep mode or charging will stop.

Mirrorless a6000 Charge Lamp

The charge lamp for the a6000 is located above the micro USB terminal, where you’ll insert your micro USB cable to charge it. 

When connected to a power source, the charge lamp lights up (orange) and begins charging. The orange light turns off when the battery reaches full charge.

What if the a6000 charge lamp flashes? There are 3 possible causes for this.

1. If it hasn’t finished charging, it can indicate that the battery isn’t properly seated. Remove and re-insert the battery pack.
2. You might also need to clean the battery terminals. Residue can affect terminal connections. You should gently clean them with a soft cloth or Q-tip. 
3. A flashing charge lamp can also occur when it’s too hot or cold. Once the temperature returns to the recommended range, it will stop flashing, and charging will resume. 

Sony a6000 Charging Time and Ideal Temperature

• Wall Charging Time: 310 minutes (AC Adapter)
• Computer Charging Time: Not listed, but will take much longer than when using the AC adapter
• Ideal ambient charging temperature: Around 77°F (25°C). If the temperature is hotter or cooler than this, the charging time will be longer.

If you’re looking for a charger and additional NP-FW50 batteries, you should consider Wasabi. Their charger can charge 2 batteries at once. And this 2-battery pack is less than the price of one from Sony.

How Long Do a6000 Batteries Last?

Here’s how long the NP-FW50 battery lasts in the Sony a6000.

• When Filming Continuous: 90 minutes
• When Filming Typical: 60 minutes. Typical filming refers to the usual start/stop, zoom, switch shooting mode, etc. 
• Shooting Still Images: 180 minutes shooting 360 images, using screen. Life decreases to 155 minutes (310 images) if using an electronic viewfinder.
• Playback time: 275 minutes viewing still images, approx. 5500 images.

Both recording times are based on an ambient temperature of 77°F (25°C), with the LCD monitor open. And with a fully charged battery.

Specs above are for the Sony Alpha a6000 mirrorless camera. While the fine details will differ slightly, they are similar for the newer Sony Alpha a6100. They both use the same battery. 

Learn more about the NP-FW50 in our Sony a6000 Battery Guide.

How to Charge Sony Zv-1 Vlogging Camera

Here’s how to charge your ZV-1 battery in-camera. 

• Make sure that the battery (NP-BX1) is inserted into the camera.
• Connect your supplied micro USB cable to your camera and power source.
• If charging via a wall socket, choose an AC adapter with a minimum 1.5A. This rating is printed on each adapter. The AC power adapter from my Samsung phone is 2A – so check yours, and it might have enough power.
• If charging via a car USB adapter, choose a connection 
• You can tell it’s charging when the orange charge lamp is lit. When it turns off, it is fully charged. If the charge lamp flashes, this means there is a charging error. This could be caused by improper temperature. Or by a poorly seated battery.

Sony ZV-1 Charging Time and Ideal Temperature

• Wall Charging Time: 150 minutes 
• Computer Charging Time: 285 minutes
• Ideal ambient charging temperature: 50ºF to 86ºF (10°C to 30°C)

If you operate the camera while tethered to the wall adapter, it will function, but the battery will stop charging.

If you’re looking for additional batteries and an external charger, I recommend Wasabi Power chargers and batteries. We’ve used this brand for many years and across many camera brands. 

How Long Does NP-BX1 Last?

Here’s how long the NP-BX-1 battery lasts in the Sony ZV-1. 

• When Filming: 45-75 minutes. 
• Shooting Still Photos: 260 – 410 images (shoot more photos by settings “Auto Monitor OFF” to 2 Sec)

These estimates are based on shooting at an ambient temperature of 77°F (25°C). Get more footage by reducing other operations (zooming, stand-by, turning on/off) and just film continuously. 

The ZV-1 is a vlogging-specific camera by Sony.

More reading: How to Connect Sony Camera to a Computer and Television

Your Turn

While I’ve done my best to cover all the details, your Sony camera might have other charging requirements. If you aren’t sure, you should check your user manual. 

Have a tip or hack to share? I would love to hear it below!