My A7III battery basically died mid-shoot today and I've got a huge wedding gig this Saturday so I'm panicking a bit. I need at least three spares but I really cant afford the $80 a pop for the official Sony ones right now. I spent all morning looking online and saw Wasabi Power and Neewer keep popping up. Some people say Wasabi is the gold standard for third-party but then I read a horror story on a subreddit about them swelling up and getting stuck in the camera body which sounds like a total nightmare. Then there's SmallRig that people seem to like because it has a USB port? I'm just so confused if any of these are actually safe for a 10 hour day or if they'll throw those annoying warning messages...
Honestly, Ive been through the same panic before a big gig, so I totally get the stress. Ive used dozens of off-brand batteries in my Sony bodies over the years. Wasabi is decent but yeah, the swelling issue is real if you leave them in a hot car or use a cheap fast charger that overheats the cells. I have had a Wasabi Power NP-FZ100 2250mAh Battery for three years and it is finally starting to lose capacity, but it never actually stuck in the tray. If you want to avoid the annoying warning pop-ups, you gotta look for ones with the latest decoded chips. Right now, Im big on the SmallRig NP-FZ100 USB-C Rechargeable Camera Battery. The built-in USB-C port is honestly a lifesaver because you can charge it via a power bank in your bag between sets without needing a separate cradle. Its super convenient for long wedding days when youre away from a wall outlet for hours. Neewer is fine too, specifically the Neewer NP-FZ100 Replacement Battery 2280mAh sets, but they feel a bit lighter and cheaper than the SmallRig ones. Just a heads up though, no matter what third-party brand you pick, they usually report the percentage slightly wrong compared to the OEM ones. If it says 15%, it might actually be about to die... Just swap them out early to be safe and youll be fine for that wedding gig.