battery charger for EN-EL18b: I purchased a Nikon brand EN-EL18b for my D850. The Nikon brand charger is $369 so I bought a Wasabi charger which in photos seemed to be the exact same...

JimKing Loc: Salisbury, Maryland USA

I purchased a Nikon brand EN-EL18b for my D850. The Nikon brand charger is $369 so I bought a Wasabi charger which in photos seemed to be the exact same charger as the Nikon brand without the Nikon name. My battery will only charge to 65%. Has anyone else had a similar problem?

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I have not had a similar problem, but I do have a suggestion. I bought a Nikon branded charger, used, from KEH at a nice savings. Others may have them as well. Best of luck.

JimKing Loc: Salisbury, Maryland USA

Had not thought of that cjc2, I'll check now.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Although the two chargers appear to be the same, they may have different electrical specifications.

This data is usually on a label affixed to the chargers or engraved in the plastic case. The specifications to note are input voltage (VAC) and output voltage (VDC) and the charging rate which is indicated in milliamperes (m/A).

It is possible that the third party charger is delivering a lower output voltage or operating at a lower or slower charging rate. Some chargers are designed to cut off at a certain level and automatically switch to a trickle charge. There coud be a differential in thresholds between the original charger and the replacement.

Another possibility is that the battery is ageing and no longer will charge to full capacity.

I am not specifically familiar with your chargers but I have had similar issues with different battery and charger combinations. it may be prudent to check theses possibilities out before investing in yet another charger.

Attached is an image of the specs on my Canon charger.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

JimKing wrote:

I purchased a Nikon brand EN-EL18b for my D850. The Nikon brand charger is $369 so I bought a Wasabi charger which in photos seemed to be the exact same charger as the Nikon brand without the Nikon name. My battery will only charge to 65%. Has anyone else had a similar problem?

Didn't your D850 come with a charger ?
OOPs, didn't check first, I see they are different.
Guess your only option is, bite the bullet and buy the OEM charger.
Why cheap out? You paid 3k+ for the camera, only makes sense to buy the OEM batteries and charger. JMO

LenCreate

I once bought a “Nikon” charger for EN-EL15 on eBay. It said and looked like the charger that came with my camera, but it wouldn’t charge the batteries completely. Close inspection showed that the label was similar to the one on a legitimate Nikon, but not exactly the same. I now buy only from authorized dealers.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

JimKing wrote:

I purchased a Nikon brand EN-EL18b for my D850. The Nikon brand charger is $369 so I bought a Wasabi charger which in photos seemed to be the exact same charger as the Nikon brand without the Nikon name. My battery will only charge to 65%. Has anyone else had a similar problem?

$369 for a charger? Wow! I use third party chargers for everything. Maybe Nikon found a way to screw with them.

I have one of these for my D750, and it works fine.
https://smile.amazon.com/EN-EL15-RAVPower-Battery-Versatile-Charging/dp/B01JG6QWUA/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=charger+for+nikon+d850&qid=1552995759&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Also -
https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=charger+for+nikon+d850&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Amazon is very good about returns.

Randyfrieder Loc: Long Island, New York

I use the wasabi charger with my en-el18a and 18b batteries, for my D850, D500 and D810. All of my batteries charge to 100%, with no problem. What doesn’t work though, is that after a while the batteries ask for a “calibration” to be able to track their health and report it to the cameras. The charger acts as if it is calibrating the battery, a yellow light comes on when the calibration button is pressed, but... it just doesn’t do anything.
This has never been a problem, I have never had any problems with these batteries. These batteries are amazing. In fact the battery in my D850, right now is showing that I have taken 2,453 photos since the last charge and there is 73% of the charge left. (En-el18A) I don’t even think about carrying a spare battery, although I always have a few in my car.

Randyfrieder Loc: Long Island, New York

The en-el15 is older and is always in the camera.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

I use Nikon and Watson batteries. I have one aftermarket charger that does not bear either the Nikon nor Watson name Brand. It was cheap. I bought it as a backup to my Nikon charger that came with the camera. It could have charging problems, as mentioned in the OP post. Now, I'll have to see if that charger is defective. Or, if it works at all? I agree with Jerry. $369 for a charger. Wow!

JimKing Loc: Salisbury, Maryland USA

The battery I'm having trouble with is the EN-EL18b which gives me 2 extra frames per second burst shooting. I went for the Nikon brand $154 battery but the charger just seemed over-the-top. Even at 65% charge, it DOES work and gives me the higher frame rate. I don't shoot a lot of bursts so ...?

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

JimKing wrote:

The battery I'm having trouble with is the EN-EL18b which gives me 2 extra frames per second burst shooting. I went for the Nikon brand $154 battery but the charger just seemed over-the-top. Even at 65% charge, it DOES work and gives me the higher frame rate. I don't shoot a lot of bursts so ...?

I just don't get it. You buy a $ 3000 camera a $ 400 grip and a $ 150 battery. You feel you need to save a few bucks by buying a cheap charger that doesn't really work. Hmmmm. Best of luck.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

cjc2 wrote:

I have not had a similar problem, but I do have a suggestion. I bought a Nikon branded charger, used, from KEH at a nice savings. Others may have them as well. Best of luck.

Check ebay for non-OEM chargers. I have used them for years with no problems.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

aellman wrote:

Check ebay for non-OEM chargers. I have used them for years with no problems.

You really need to read the posts. He has a non-OEM charger and it doesn't work properly. I have already suggested a used one from the likes of KEH, etc. Nikon, obviously, has some stuff in its batteries and chargers that the others don't. If the OP really wanted to save money, he should have bought a less expensive set of gear. Best of luck.

JimKing Loc: Salisbury, Maryland USA

To continue, KEH does not have chargers, and I well know how much I've spent on the equipment I have but I feel as though Nikon is virtually attempting to steal money at their charger price. If I have to I will but I will desperately try to avoid paying what I consider an insane price. As I said earlier the charger I have is working and giving me the results in operation that I expect. The only problem is I have to charge more often and I'm not willing to pay Nikon's price for that convenience. I am not cutting off my nose to spite my face here, my face still works.