Z9 Battery and Charger

[BillW]

I was lucky enough to get a Z9 on January 6th (not NPS) and have had fun using it so far. Was photographing bald eagles yesterday along the Mississippi River in a place where large numbers of eagles often gather during the winter to fish.

I have a question about the EN-EL18D battery and Nikon MH-33 charger. The charger has a USB-C connector. The Nikon supplied charging brick says it outputs 3 amps at 5 volts and 15 watts. I was a math major, so I am not so good on electrical things. I think watts = amps X volts? But not sure what that means for my question.

Would it be safe to use the MH-33 with a charger brick that uses a USB-C cable but has higher wattage? I have an iPhone charger that will work with a USB-C cable and is rated at 20 watts (used with a magnetic puck charger for an iPhone). My MacBook Pro charger (even the new one with a magsafe end) will also use a USB-C cable and I suspect has more wattage yet.

It might be convenient to be able to use these chargers with a USB-C cable and the MH-33. But I wonder if it is safe generally? And whether it could have any negative effect on the EN-EL 18D batteries?

I do not see anything in the manual that came with the battery that addresses the use of other charging bricks.

Any thoughts?

 

[agdoherty]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. In general your device won't max out at the wattage listed by the device in the wall when charging via USB, it will just pull what it needs and won't be damaged. And if your device needs more than the source can offer, it just results in a slower charge time.

You could also plug the USB battery bank into your camera directly using the USB-C port and skip the separate charger. It won't charge the battery while the camera is in use as far as i know, but it will power the camera without having to wait and if you turn off the camera or it goes to sleep it will start charging the battery.

 

[Charlie Lasswell]

Any USB PD (Power Delivery) charger or power bank with 15w or more should work. PD devices actually negotiate the volts and amps for charging.

 

[Sam H]

Yes. Like what Charlie have mentioned, it will work for charging. I have measured my ugreen 100W PD charging head charging the EN-EL18D battery using the MH-33 and it is drawing about 20W.

 

[Amasaback]

I have one of these remarkable Anker Nano II USB-C chargers. Will handle any USB-C and is remarkable how small it is. Use in on my Mac, iPad, iPhone and will on my Z9 whenever it arrives. Hopefully soon. Ordered mine day one.

 

[BillW]

Thank you all for the replies. Very helpful.

 

[fcotterill]

Stumbled across this thread as I'm researching Power banks etc to charge ENEL18 batteries, and specifically the ENE18d for Z9. The catalyst is I will be spending 4+ weeks in bushcamps later this month, where powercuts happen. Moreover, one camp has no mains. My core plan is to use a hefty powerbank [Jackery Explorer 500 518Wh] charged from mains or a compact solar panel. So this PSU will also support downloads and backups using a laptop and HDDs.

But more compact powerbanks - eg Anker - are ideal if in dire need in a vehicle, when the heavier PSU is recharging in camp. It seems 12v is not feasible with USB-C yet, unless the vehicle has a built in inverter delivering AC for appliances. The latter is a sound investment in an offroad vehicle, but IME works best with a 2nd diesel-engine spec heavy duty 12v battery, for when the engine is off.

My latest findings are as follows.... There have been a few forum threads (dpr) responding to the pursuit by some of faster charging - particularly mains chargers that can deliver higher than 18-20W, but this may shorten battery life. I'm playing safe and keep charging rate of the MH33 < 20W; even though, as noted above , a well behaved PD device should protect the device. Basically a 3rd party mains PD charger frying a Z9 may void any warranty i.e. if plugged directly into the camera, should the charger misbehaves.

The EH-7P was released mid-2018 as the AC power source for the Z7 (and Nikon list it as compatible with all Z MILCs as well as the D780). The main factor is the power specs of the EH7P (and Z cameras released prior to the Z9) pre date the new v3.1 USB-C PD standard only introduced in May 2021, which can now deliver up to 240W.... Previous maximum was 100W and the EH7P and MH33 are rated 15W and 18W respectively. Both have fixed 5v DC output.

Obviously Nikon decided not to upgrade the EH7P to higher wattage for their Z cameras. It follows that higher output using a more modern PD Mains charger may generate more heat in cables and/or the battery. This likely explains the challenges - if not risks - chasing after quicker charging ie Mains and more powerful DC powerbanks, whether plugged into the camera directly or the MH33.

 

[fcotterill]

The $140 MH33 battery charger unit (launched Dec 2021) is a positive outcome for Nikonians by cutting the cost to charge the newer ENEL18 batteries (but not the ENEL18a). A OEM MH-26a costs $370, and 4+ years back, it took much searching across 3rd party chargers for the bigger battery in the grip (also a clone) for the D850 (to get 9fps). Eventually I got a Wasabi but it's proved flaky calibrating OEM batteries; eventually this showed up only last June with a genuine MH-26a (after I bought a Used D5). The Lesson being clone batteries and chargers for modern ILCs are false economy and worse.

Anyway yesterday I rediscovered a stored EH7P PSU... unused since unpacked (bundled) with one of the first Z7's that shipped in October 2018. So if one owns this PSU already or buys a compatible Mains PD charger delivering <20W, adding a MH33 will deliver a 2nd AC charger for the Z9. Currently, this is subject to being able to find a MH33, because Nikon Japan warns of delays from unprecedented orders! Note this unit will also charge the ENEL18b and ENEL18c besides ENEL18d.

 

[BillW]

I bought an Anker 20W Power Port III charger cube (it uses the PD standard, although I am not entirely sure which one) and an Anker USB-C to USB-C charging cable to use to power the MH-33 and charge my EN-EL 18ds. Seems to work fine (although any effect on battery life would not show up for a while). Might be a bit faster than the EH-7P, although I have not done any organized testing. I think if I wanted to charge a battery in camera, I would probably stick to the Nikon EH-7P.

I also bought an Anker Powercore+ 26800 PD 45W reserve batttery. (Note there is a newer model that I assume would work, but I bought this one because, as noted below, it has been tested by Nikon, at least in the Z7II.) I have used it to recharge an EN-EL18d in the MH-33. According to Thom Hogan’s Z9 e-book, this reserve battery has been tested and approved by Nikon and may be the only one so tested and approved at this point. I could find references to the Anker battery in the Z7II/Z6II and Z5 online manuals, although not in the Z9 manual or reference guide. The Z7II also uses the EH-7P (and ships with it, so I have an extra one, as it is not needed for the MH-25a chargers that charge the various EN-EL15 batteries that the Z7/Z7II/Z6/ Z6II/D850/D500 use).

I can charge the Anker reserve battery with a small charger it came with; I think I could also charge it with my MacBookPro charger which I believe is PD compatible. Presumably I could also use the MacBookPro charger with the MH-33, as it is PD. But it is quite a bit more powerful, so I have been a bit more reluctant to try it.

 

[fcotterill]

Thanks for this detailed feedback, Bill
The context you give underscores the Anker seems the best compact powerbank in light of what Nikon says; and I've found a local importer. The small print specifies low power, presumably the overall 45-48W allows charging several devices at once via the compatible USBC cables:
Output: 5V / 2A
Input: 5V / 3A

 

[BillW]

I’ve also used the Anker Powercore+ 26800 PD 45W to charge an iPad and Apple watch at the same time. It has enough power to charge an iPad more than once. I have a much smaller Anker battery that also does magnetic charging that is more easily pocketable and will charge my iPhone magnetically (I like to keep the lightening port on my iPhone plugged with a rubber plug to avoid dust and pocket fuzz).

I bought an Omnicharge 20+ powerbank a few years back to take on a trip to Botswana that was cancelled due to covid. Thom Hogan recommended it at the time (and may still). It has USB-C and USB-A ports, magnetic charging, DC, and a standard North American plug. It will work with my MacBookPro, iPad and iPhone. I have used it to charge EN-EL15 batteries with the MH-25a, but have not tried it for the MH-33. Expect it would work. Small enough to take on a plane.

We have a cabin on a lake in Northern Minnesota. There are occasional power outages in the summer due to thunderstorms, so I have used my various batteries even when not traveling. And if needed, I can charge them with a solar panel.

 

[Amasaback]

Worth mentioning that the USB-C Power Delivery spec has intelligence to constrain power to what the controlling devices needs for the battery being charged. The Z9 batteries are a pair of 18650s which are the same as many laptops which can take a lot of current. 100 watts+. Any charger with a USB-C connector at any watts will work. I have consolidated my Nikon and Mac chargers into one 65W Anker Nano ii. It is a marvel. Far smaller and lighter. Works great.