Customer Reviews

Sony NP-FP90 P Series Camcorder Battery for Sony Camcorders

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Just so potential buyers are aware, the battery itself is pretty big (the dimensions currently listed by Amazon includes the packaging). For comparison, the FP50 battery that came with my HC42 camcorder is about 1/3 the thickness. I realize the larger battery size is the tradeoff for having a significantly longer run time before recharging (I'd guesstimate almost 4 times as long).

The size doesn't bother me since I use the camcorder mounted solidly into place, and long battery life is my primary requirement.

But if I were primarily handholding while recording, I'd consider getting two FP50's (instead of one FP90) because of its compact size. The FP90 is heavier, and as it sticks outward pretty far the camcorder is less balanced; both conspire to make the camcorder more difficult to hold steady.

A word of warning:

** You must use a genuine Sony brand InfoLithium battery with any Sony camcorder **

If you've shopped around, you may have run across some off-brand FP-90's that are a fraction of the price of the Sony brand - that's because they're Chinese-made knock-offs that are kind-of sort-of InfoLithium compatible, and they only work as they should perhaps 50% of the time. Reviews of these batteries report them working fine one minute and not at all the next, sometimes working fine for days and then stopping, sometimes requiring the camera being turned on and off several times, etc. Skip the hassle and buy this actual Sony product, I paid only $72 from an Amazon Marketplace Seller.

The FP90 is certainly large on a modern camcorder battery scale, though 1 3/4" deep doesn't sound like much, it does make my DCR-HC36 resemble a sub-compact car hauling a couch. No one will mistake this for being a slight battery. I personally find the extra mass helps balance and steady the camcorder.

Manufacturer claims of battery life are usually overblown, but I'm still pleasantly surprised at the 4+ hours I can get from this battery. This is hours longer than any stock/included battery, and more than adequate for recording an entire one-hour MiniDV tape. High-capacity batteries are best charged overnight, so I'm not sure what the charge time is, only that it's ready to go in the morning.

Overall, the FP90 is big in every way, and worth the price of admission. Five stars for Sony's marathon battery.

I bought the Sony NP-FP90 to go the Sony DCR-SR80 (an excellent camcorder). I took it on vacation and was extremely satisfied with its performance. Not once did it die or come close to losing power. The real test is going to be the upcoming holiday season when I take hours of footage. I also plan to take some footage of my band Threshold, so I'll let you know how it performs, I don't anticipate any problems. If you have the need for long periods when you will be away for an AC outlet, get one of these for your camcorder, you will not be dissapointed.

I have two of NP-FP90 since Sep. 2006 for our trip to Grand Teton & Yellowstone NP.
While receiving them, I charged and discharged them completely for three times and they had pretty stable performance. It still have over 95% of capacity if I just left it along for three months and then still played as very beginning.

I give it five stars after owning them for more than six months. Considering of getting the third one so that they will cover more the recording time on my DCR-SR100 with SQ.

Great battery! Important to have a brand name. This was a replacement for a NON brand name battery that a big box sold me. The camera rejected the off brand battery. Note to others, with Sony mini DV cams you have to use brand name batteries.

This is definitely a necessary battery upgrade for anyone that bought any of the hard drive based sony camcorder. The battery that came with the camcorder has about 90 minutes or so of battery. However, with this battery you get about 300 minutes. This is enough for anyone. Plus, if you get the portable charger, you can charge one batter while you use one. From my experience, this is good for the whole day of filming. Normally, you do not record the whole time.

I would highly recommend getting this battery. It is definitely worth it and much cheaper on Amazon than at circuit city or best buy.

I have been using the battery for the past 6 months and there have been no problems. I haven't used my power cable since I got the portable charger and this battery.

I use this battery with my Sony HDR-HC3 camcorder and it works great, lasts a long time.

If you are putting together a package deal with a Sony Camera, this additional battery is awesome! It simply gives you all of the time in the world to take pictures, video, and the like. I get about 300 minutes plus shooting time, so when I am on an assignment and need to have the camera on for a great deal of time, this battery saves the day. This coupled with the standard battery you get with the camera gives you just about all you can handle in terms of capacity. Its quick recharge and great ease of us makes this indespensable in my camera bag.

This bat. lasts for ever....it lasts 4x as long as the one that came with my Sony camcorder.

This battery does not fully charge up! I contacted Sony and I have not been guarenteed like expected.