Some users of the D800 are reporting problems when using certain CF cards with the Nikon D800. When inserting an incompatible card into the D800, the camera will give an error (CARD ERR). The D800 will not be able to read or format incompatible cards. Most of the compatibility problems seem to occur when using off-brand or cheap CF cards.

The Nikon D800 manual has a list of cards that have been tested and approved for use in the D800 (page 435). To assure compatibility, use a CompactFlash card from Sandisk or Lexar. These cards are approved by Nikon and chosen by professionals for their reliability.

Some CompactFlash cards reported to cause errors with the Nikon D800:
Kingston Ultimate 16GB 600x CF card
Kingston Ultimate 32GB 600x CF card
Kingston Ultimate 32GB 266X CF card
Duracell High Speed 32GB 600x CF card
ProMaster UltraMax 16GB CF card
Hama High Speed Pro 8GB CF card

CompactFlash cards confirmed to work with the Nikon D800:
Sandisk Extreme Pro CF cards
Lexar Professional CF cards

Also see this list of recommended CompactFlash and SD cards to use with the D800.

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DxO Labs performed their benchmark tests on the Nikon D800 and deemed it the best of all digital cameras. It earned an overall score of 95, which is 4 points better than all other cameras they have tested.

Perhaps to be expected, the D800 shines in landscape testing, boasting a 14.4 Ev dynamic range. The real surprise is its low light score of 2853 ISO — essentially the same score as the Nikon D4.

For portrait score, a measure of color depth, the D800 is tied for third place with a score of 25.3 bits, an amazing feat proving that it can stand among medium format rivals like the Phase One IQ 180 and P65 Plus.

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Amazon has updated the estimated delivery for many customers who pre-ordered the Nikon D800 camera. The new estimated delivery dates are from the middle to the end of April, depending on delivery method. Pre-orders were initially accepted on February 6 and 7, but were then closed due to overwhelming demand.

Amazon also updated the D800 product page. They removed the March 20 expected availability date and now display the message: “Usually ships within 1 to 2 months.”

Customers with the Nikon D800 camera on pre-order were sent an email informing them of the situation. Following is the message sent to those customers:

Hello,

We wanted to give you an update on your order for the “Nikon D800 36.3 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera (Body Only).” Although we expected to start shipping the camera to customers on March 20, Nikon will be sending us our initial shipment of this product on March 23, 2012. This means the camera will not ship by our original estimate.

Due to the high demand for this item, we may not be able to fulfill all customer orders at the same time. Since product supplies from Nikon will be very limited, we will ship your product as soon as inventory becomes available.

We hope to see you again soon.

Sincerely,

Customer Service Department
Amazon.com

Please note: this e-mail was sent from a notification-only address that cannot accept incoming e-mail. Please do not reply to this message.

The first Nikon D800 cameras are arriving this week, and the obligatory D800 unboxing videos are being posted online. You will see that unlike the first pre-production unboxing video posted on YouTube, the production version of the D800 includes a full printed manual.