Today we are taking a look at an innovative product allowing for fast charging of four Sony camera batteries at the same time – the ZITAY ZF-41Quad NP-FZ100 charger.
About Zitay
Zitay is a Chinese manufacturer of battery, cable, and digital storage solutions. Their innovative products have been around for a few years, and we tested and worked with several of their products in the past including dummy batteries with different connectors and L type batteries as well as L-type charger and Z-type batteries with built-in meters.
Concept
When it comes to high-wattage smart chargers for Sony batteries, there aren’t many on the market and most of that only charge two batteries at a time.
The ZF-41 charger offers USB-C fast charging for 4 Sony batteries, and it comes with smart internal circuitry to protect the batteries from overheating and other damage.
In the Box
Zitay ships the unit in simple cardboard box. Included in the kit are the charger itself, a power brick, a USB-C cable, and a European plug add-on.
Build and design
ZF-41 is a light and compact unit measuring 7cm by 7cm x 2.5cm. The charger cover is made of a hard plastic compound with an aluminum heat sink plate on the bottom. It comes with rubber feet to keep it raised off the desktop for ventilation.
The USB-C power port is on the back of the unit, but alternatively, there is also a DC jack on the right side. Also on the back, the charger comes with a switch for firmware upgrades.
As a safety feature, it’s designed to remain in normal charging mode, so in order to position the switch into upgrade mode, it’ll require a small screwdriver or another fine nib.
The top of the charger features 4 slots to connect batteries, a tiny menu screen, and an even-tinier menu button.
To power the charger, Zitay includes a 4cm x 4cm x 2.5cm 65W power brick. Along with the USB-C port to connect to the charger, there is a secondary USB-a port to charge an additional accessory.
The brick comes with a US plug, but Zitay includes a specialty European plug add-on. This accessory features a sturdy, quick snap-on design that definitely beats using a regular adapter. Thank you, Zitay.
Features
The main feature of the ZF-41 smart charger is the small display in the center. Overlooking the fact that it’s tiny, it provides plenty of information about the charging process.
One really useful feature Zitay provided is being able to check the battery charge status without even connecting the charger. Definitely a time-saver on the shoot.
The screen displays each battery’s voltage and charge percentage, as well as an indicator when the battery is charging. Pressing the menu button will switch to a secondary screen to display the total power draw, volts, and amps, as well as the unit’s temperature.
A long press on the menu button will bring up charger information with firmware version and date.
Zitay promises that the smart circuitry in their charger protects the batteries from overcharging and will stop power spikes. It will display a warning in case of excessive temperature, voltage, or power. In our tests, we haven’t seen those messages.
In Use
We tested the charger with 4 batteries, and it was surprisingly fast, simultaneously charging all 4 of them in under 2.5 hours. Charging a single battery took about 1.5 hours.
We monitored the charger’s temperature throughout this process, and it only got to 55°C, which is pretty warm, but not too hot to the touch. As far as power, the charger didn’t go over 40W.
We also did a test to compare charging speed against an older Zitay 2-battery charger that we’ve been using for about a year. Even when connected to the 65W power brick, the old charger took over 3 hours to complete the charge of 2 batteries. The ZF-41 finished in under 2 hours.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Zitay made a very portable and efficient charger. With heat control and power delivery, it’s ahead of the competition. The only thing we would change on it is the size of the screen with its tiny hard-to-read text, and maybe add a sound notification when the charge is complete.
Ultimately, though, what you want from a charger is to fill the batteries as quickly as possible without compromising their lifespan. And the ZF-41 does that pretty well.
Pricing
As for pricing, the charger is sold on Amazon for under $60.
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Hi Art Podolsky, only a question, Where can I find the firmware to update the Zitay ZF-41? . I have gone to the manufacturer’s website and I have not found anything.
best
Rober