SONY NP-BX1

Short answer: the NP-BX1 is the standard battery for Sony’s compact range, rated 3.6V / 1240mAh and about 4.5Wh, used from the first RX100 in 2012 all the way to the RX100 VII, and also by the ZV-1, ZV-1 II, ZV-1F, the RX1 series, the HX90/HX90V and the WX500. At 4.5Wh it is a small capacity today; official CIPA figures mostly sit between 220 and 330 shots, and planning around 250 is the safer travel estimate. Because these bodies generally support USB charging, two packs plus a power bank is enough for most people.

1. Specs and fitment: one pack behind a whole line

The NP-BX1 is roughly the size of two sticks of gum stacked and very light, which is part of how these cameras fit in a pocket. The cost is capacity — 4.5Wh is about a third of a typical phone battery.

Product line	Main models	Notes
RX100 series	RX100, II, III, IV, V, VA, VI, VII	All seven generations, no battery change across them
ZV series	ZV-1, ZV-1 II, ZV-1F	Vlogging bodies, draw more than the RX100
RX1 series	RX1, RX1R, RX1R II	Full-frame fixed-lens cameras
HX / WX series	HX90, HX90V, HX80, HX60, HX50, HX30, WX500, WX350	Long-zoom compacts
Action cameras	HDR-AS50, FDR-X1000V and others	Used by some models

One warning: Sony also has a similarly shaped but different NP-BN / NP-BN1 line, used by early TX and WX models, and the two are not interchangeable. Check the battery bay or the manual for BX1 before ordering rather than assuming that “small black Sony battery” means the same thing.

2. What 4.5Wh actually delivers

Official CIPA numbers work as an upper bound: the RX100 series mostly lands at 250-330 shots, and the ZV-1 at around 260. Real use comes in lower, because these cameras are typically cycled power-on, compose, shoot, power-off, and every power-up pays a fixed cost in lens extension and system initialisation.

• Stills: 200-280 shots in most situations, closer to 180 if you wander and review frequently.
• 4K video: the RX100 VII and ZV-1 are limited by body thermals and usually stop after 5-20 minutes per clip, so charge is not the main constraint; total continuous recording runs about 45-70 minutes.
• Vlog pieces to camera: a ZV-1 with the screen out, stabilization on and an external mic needs a swap after about an hour.
• Cold: drain speeds up noticeably below 0°C, and at -10°C usable capacity may be only 60-70%. Our -10°C runtime test has more detail; the mechanism is the same for all lithium packs.

The conclusion is straightforward: under 200 shots a day, one pack will do; for travel and full days out, two is the floor and three is comfortable. Fortunately the pack is small enough that three take up almost no room.

3. RX100 and ZV-1: same pack, different appetite

The battery is identical, but the two body types draw quite differently, which directly changes how many you carry.

RX100 series

From generation one to seven the bodies gained a lot — pop-up viewfinder, a wider zoom range, a faster processor — but the battery stayed the same. The result is that newer models are tighter on runtime. The RX100 VII’s 24-200mm power zoom draws heavily while zooming, and constant in-and-out costs charge quickly. Older bodies such as the RX100 III are easier on power.

ZV-1 series

The ZV-1 is positioned for vlogging: screen out, stabilization on, microphone often attached, so it draws considerably more than an RX100. Its CIPA rating is only about 260 shots, and video makes the gap plainer. The ZV-1 II moved to a wider lens with roughly the same runtime.

Both types support USB power, but while shooting the charge rate usually cannot keep up with consumption, so it only slows the decline. For genuinely long recording, external power is less hassle than rotating three packs — though dummy battery options for compacts are less mature than for mirrorless bodies, so confirm that a solution names your specific model.

4. Buying: first-party, third-party, or USB-C built in

BX1 prices span a wide range, from a few dollars to well over a hundred. The difference is not the shell but the cells and protection board. Work through these in order.

1. Are the specs honest? 4.5Wh is this pack’s physical ceiling, so claims above 2000mAh are not realistic.
2. Does it have communication contacts? Some bodies check the pack and may show a “non-genuine battery” warning or fail to display a percentage if the contacts are missing.
3. Does it have a built-in USB-C port? These versions charge from a phone cable and skip the dock, which is genuinely useful when travelling. The downside is an extra opening, so water resistance is slightly reduced.
4. Cycle life: the BX1 is small, so at the same shooting volume it cycles more often than a large pack and will show wear after two or three years. That is normal.
5. Quantity beats unit price: two ordinary third-party packs are often more useful than one expensive first-party pack, because the real limitation on these cameras is not being able to swap when the charge runs out.

YO’s NP-BX1 sits in the honest-specs, restrained-price bracket, suitable as a supplement rather than a replacement. It does not chase inflated numbers, and real run time broadly matches the rating — for a 4.5Wh pack, that is worth more than a 2000mAh label. For more compact-camera accessories, see the NP-BX1 category page.

One last practical tip: whichever you buy, run a full charge and discharge on arrival and record the actual shot count. With your own baseline in hand, you can later judge whether a pack is fading instead of guessing.

FAQ

Do all seven RX100 generations use the same battery?

Yes. From the 2012 RX100 to the 2019 RX100 VII, Sony never changed the battery model; all use the NP-BX1. That is also why BX1 packs circulate so widely on the used market.

Can a ZV-1 use an RX100 battery?

Yes. The ZV-1, ZV-1 II and ZV-1F all take the NP-BX1 and are fully interchangeable with the RX100 line. Just do not mix up packs and chargers — the dock is shared, and so is in-body USB charging.

Will a third-party BX1 trigger an “incompatible battery” warning?

On some bodies, yes. In most cases the camera still shoots normally, it simply will not show an accurate percentage or it displays a prompt. When buying, favour packs that explicitly list RX100 VII and ZV-1 compatibility, which tends to work better.

Is a swollen BX1 still usable?

No. When a pack this small swells it presses against the compartment walls, and the risk is more immediate than with a large battery. Take it out of service, isolate it, and send it for recycling — do not try to flatten it or keep charging.

Short answer: for a travel day with an RX100 or ZV-1, two NP-BX1 packs cover most city sightseeing; add a third for heavy shooting or cold destinations. To top up, a 10000mAh power bank and a short cable is enough — roughly the energy of four to five BX1 packs. The settings that genuinely help are not a long checklist but three things: turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standby, disable auto review, and use the RX100’s pop-up viewfinder rather than the screen in daylight. Do those three and a single pack gains fifty or sixty shots.

1. Work out the day first

A typical RX100 day is shoot-as-you-walk: many power cycles and short bursts. Every power-on extends the lens and initialises the system, so real frame counts usually fall below the CIPA rating. The empirical values below are a reasonable starting point.

Itinerary	Expected volume	Suggested packs
City half day (3-4 hours)	150-200 shots	1-2
City full day (8-10 hours)	300-400 shots	2-3
Full day plus short video	250 shots + 20 min 4K	3
Cold destination (below 0°C)	Same as a full day	3-4, kept against the body
Vlog-only trip	1.5-2 hours continuous	3, or external power

One variable is easy to miss: the ZV-1 draws more than the RX100. The screen stays out, stabilization stays on and a microphone is often attached, so the same itinerary needs one extra pack. Newer RX100 models are also tighter on runtime; the Mark VII’s power zoom drops charge noticeably faster than a Mark III when you zoom in and out a lot.

2. Three ways to top up, and which suits travel

The BX1’s advantage is that these bodies generally support USB charging, so a dock is not mandatory on the road. Each route has trade-offs.

Method	Time for one pack	Advantages	Limitations
In-body USB charging	About 2-3 hours	No extra accessories, one cable does it	The camera cannot be used while charging
Dedicated dock	About 1.5-2 hours	Runs alongside shooting; two bays charge two packs	One more charger and cable to pack
Power bank + short cable	Same as in-body	Top up while walking; powers everything at night	Needs 5V/1.5A or better output
Third-party pack with USB-C	About 1.5-2 hours	Charge straight from a cable, no dock	Has to be bought specifically; limited choice

The power bank arithmetic is worth spelling out: a 10000mAh bank is nominally about 37Wh, but after step-up conversion and cable losses roughly 60% reaches the battery, so about 22Wh. Divide by a single BX1’s 4.5Wh and you get four to five packs. A 20000mAh bank doubles that, and doubles the weight — for travel, 10000mAh is usually the better balance.

In practice the least fussy routine is: top up one pack from the bank over coffee or lunch, then charge everything on the dock back at the hotel. You leave the next morning fully charged and never have to do arithmetic on location.

3. Nine settings that save power on a trip

All of these are in the RX100 menus, ordered by how much they affect runtime. Do the lot and a pack typically lasts 20-30% longer.

1. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: switch them off as soon as a transfer finishes. Bluetooth standby keeps the camera draining slowly even when “off”, which explains the common complaint of losing charge without shooting anything.
2. Turn off auto review: showing each shot for two seconds looks harmless but is a high-frequency drain.
3. Use the viewfinder in daylight: the RX100’s pop-up EVF draws less than a bright screen and is easier to see in strong sun — two wins at once.
4. Set screen brightness to medium manually: auto brightness keeps ramping to maximum on streets that alternate light and shade.
5. Set auto power-off to 1 minute: shorter standby beats switching the camera on and off by hand, since every power cycle drives the lens in and out and costs more than it saves.
6. Zoom less with the power zoom: the zoom motor is a heavy consumer; decide the focal length before you raise the camera.
7. Disable digital zoom and clear image zoom: these keep the processing pipeline busy and cost image quality as well.
8. Turn off unnecessary stabilization for video: on a gimbal or tripod, in-body stabilization buys nothing.
9. Do not delete photos in camera: reviewing and culling shot by shot on location is one of the heaviest operations you can run. Do it at the hotel on a phone or laptop.

4. Storage, security checks and cold

Lithium batteries must travel in the cabin, never in checked baggage. At 4.5Wh the BX1 is far below the 100Wh declaration threshold, so three or five is no problem, but insulate them anyway: original packaging, a battery case, or at minimum tape over the contacts so they cannot short against keys or coins. For the full rules on quantities and declarations, see the guide to flying with lithium batteries; the rules apply to all consumer lithium packs.

Cold is the most practical problem on a trip. Below 0°C a lithium pack’s internal resistance rises and usable capacity falls; at -10°C it may be only 60-70%. The remedy is plain: keep spares in an inside pocket warmed by your body and swap as needed, and put the camera inside your jacket after shooting instead of leaving it hanging in the wind for an hour. Back indoors, do not power up immediately — let the body reach room temperature and condensation clear first.

Finally, set expectations on quantity. BX1 packs are cheap and small, so carrying one more beats worrying about the level on location. YO’s NP-BX1 is built for exactly this “carry a few without thinking about it” pattern, with honest capacity figures and a price that suits buying three at once. For more on RX100 bodies and accessories, see the NP-BX1 category page.

FAQ

Are two RX100 batteries enough for a trip?

For city sightseeing, generally yes. If you are out all day with a high shot count, or heading somewhere cold, three is safer. Given how small and inexpensive the BX1 is, an extra pack costs far less than a missed photo.

Can I charge an RX100 from a power bank?

Yes, the body supports USB charging. Two caveats: the camera cannot shoot while charging, and the bank needs a stable 5V/1.5A or better output — a low-current bank may be rejected as unsupported and refuse to charge.

Why does the camera show one bar left and then shut down?

Lithium voltage falls quickly at the end of discharge and the body estimates remaining charge from voltage, so the last segment is often inaccurate. Cold or an aged pack makes the jump more pronounced. Counting shots taken is more reliable than reading bars.

Do the ZV-1 and RX100 share batteries?

Yes. The ZV-1, ZV-1 II, ZV-1F and the whole RX100 line use the NP-BX1, so packs, docks and in-body USB charging are all interchangeable. The only caution is not to run old and new packs in parallel for long periods, which can confuse the charge reading.