Now that we're in the world of USB charging, I'm getting more and more complaints about "my battery isn't charging in my Z System camera." Things didn't become simpler with USB charging, they became more complex. Today you have to run a checklist to make sure things are working as they should:
- Am I using the correct USB-C PD charger? For the Z8 and Z9 (and MB-N12), Nikon recommends 45 watts (15 volts at 3 amps). For the Zf and Z6 III, the recommendation is 27 watts (9 volts at 3 amps). For the Z5, Z6II, Z7II, Zfc, Z30, and MB-N11 Nikon recommends 15 watts (5 volts at 3 amps).
- Am I using too much power from a multi-port charger? Another device may be taking so much power that the port you're plugged into is now less than required (see bullet just above for minimum requirements).
- Am I using a USB-C PD charge compliant cable? The recommended Nikon-supplied cables are listed at nikon product support.
- Am I using the correct USB port? That would be only the bottom connector on the Z8.
- Is the battery I'm using in-camera charge capable? For the Z6III and Z8, that would be the EN-EL15B or EN-EL15C.
- Is NETWORK > USB set to MTP/PTP or USB-LAN? It won't work when set to iPhone.
- Is the camera turned Off? In standby also works, but sometimes increases the timing for the next one.
- Did I wait long enough for PD negotiations to resolve? Often an issue with batteries that are fully depleted.
Holy Miles Morales, that's a lot of dependencies, and I'm not sure I've caught them all. But more often than not, one of the above is tripping someone up on the Zf, Z6III, Z8, or Z9 these days, as Nikon made changes to the charging for those cameras.
Update: several people have emailed me saying their non-Nikon camera "just worked." Well, maybe. A number of the earlier USB power uses are going to run up against the "common charger" problem in Europe. While the camera may currently charge off of a brute force 5W USB-A, that may not work when you see that European offices, homes, airports, cars, and more are all using USB Power Delivery only. Also, some of the settings in the Nikons are there for a reason: there are conditions where you don't want charging to happen when a USB-C connection is present. While it's true that they're uncommon, I appreciate the ability to deal with them when they do arise.
