I’ve just tried my Patriot 16GB LX Series 600x CF card and it’s constantly coming up with an error every time I insert it into the Nikon D800. It might be an idea to avoid buying it until some possible firmware update for the D800 is released to allow the use of it.
The Lexar Professional 600x 16GB works perfectly!
Update (28/03/2012): From the comments left on this post I’m assembling a list of the cards and if they work or not. Please leave a comment if you can help add to the list…
Update 2 (22/01/2013): I’ve just updated the list based on the 100+ comments. I’m still surprised that Nikon or memory manufacturers haven’t come up with a solution. If any manufacturers wish to contact me to remove their card(s) off the list by sending a supporting statement I’ll happily do so.
Confirmed to work by users:
- Adata 533x 32GB CF
- Kingston 16GB 133X CF (report of some photos not being written to the card after 20+ shots)
- Lexar 16GB & 32GB 600x Professional
- Lexar 8GB 300x Professional
- Photofast 32GB 366x
- Photofast 533 x 8+16+32 GB
- Pixelflash 600X 64GB Light Speed Professional
- SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro (CF & SD)
- Sandisk Extreme Ducati Edition 4+8 GB
- Silicon Power 400x 32GB
- Transcend 8GB (133x)
- Transcend 32GB 400x CF (note one report of it erroring out)
- Transcend CF 600x 64 GB
- TRANSCEND 32GB CF 600x works fine
- 8GB eye-fi pro
Errored out:
- Acumen 16gb 600X
- Delkin UDMA 8GB & and UDMA6 8GB
- Duracell 16GB & 32GB 600x CF
- Duracell Pro Photo SDXC 64GB
- Flashraptor CF 32gb 600X UDMA6
- Hama High Speed Pro 8GB CF
- Kingston 32GB 266X card
- Kingston Ulitmate 266x 32GB and 16GB
- Kingston ultimate 600x 16GB & 32GB
- Kingston elite pro 133X 16GB
- Lexar 32gb 1000x (Commenter has been in contact with Nikon Tech Services)
- MustangFlash Interlagos 633x 32GB
- Patriot 16GB 600x LX Series
- ProMASTER UltraMax 16GB
- Sandisk Extreme Pro 64gb
- Silicon Power 400x 64GB
- Transcend 32GB 400x (one user (Ben Ten) commented that it worked fine in theirs)
- Transcend 32GB 600x
- Formatting issues with the Trancend 32GB SDHC
Please bear in mind this is not a post about what cards to buy, it’s simply a list of cards users have found to produce errors. It does not take into account faulty cards, wrongly formatted cards or perhaps the odd broken camera.
One commenter (Bazza) left a link to a site that has done speed testing on various CF & SDHC cards. I’m sure many will find it handy to check out
http://robgalbraith.com/bins/camera_wb_multi_page.asp?cid=6007-12451
Hi
Glad I came across your blog as I thought it was just my D800, picked the camera up yesterday and all three of my new Kingston Ultimate 266X failed to work but the old San Disk and Lexar CF work fine. Great camera but shame I’ve now got to restock on cards
Transcend 32GB 600x CF card doesn’t format in my d800e. The format command shows “red” and won’t let me select it. It does seem to take and record photos, however.
I can confirm that the Mustang 32G CF card does not work in the D800. It’s weird, though, that the Mustang SD card works.
Joy
I have 2 Duracell brand 16gb – 600x CF cards that don’t work in my D800E. It looks like I will go with the Nikon recommendations.
Komputerbay 64gb (both CF and SD) have not worked in my D800
Here’s another CF card I can confirm does not work with the D800 – Kingston 32GB Ultimate 600x
Flashraptor CF 32gb 600X UDMA6; made in Germany and sells on ebay/amazon…no luck so far
Just came across this blog and might as well share my latest problem with Sandisk Extreme CF 32gb UDMA which work for a week then got an error this time with my D800. How sad…
Same happened to me with the same Sandisk Extreme CF…. Worked fine for 2 months and now it’s giving me errors.
Same here. Spent a lot on a Sandisk extreme pro udma 6 32GB, exactly because Nikon did recomend it, now won’t work. Sort it, Nikon!
On my D800 KIngston 16Gb 266x CF Ultimate does not work whatever I do. (Despite the fact that it does work on another Nikon camera.)
An old 1G Kingston works and so does Transcend 8Gb 133x
The other thing I recenlty discovered, if you are shooting 14-bit RAW NEF files do not use Nikon Transfer V 1.5.3, I haven’t tested V2 yet but have been warned the same thing may happen. If you dont have the new version, I suggest manually copying the files through Explorer. I did test this by using direct shooting and storage using Camer Control Pro 2 and the files are fine. I am using Sandisk Extreme III 16GB cards.
Silicon Power 400x 32 GB works beautifully in my D800E
Kingston Elite Pro 133x 32Gb seems to have same problem – didn’t make it work with D800E =(
http://www.kingston.com/us/flash/cf_cards#cf-s2
I confirm – Kingston elite pro 133X 32GB doesn’t work on my new D800E
CF 32GB 533x Adata Work perfetly, but 32GB CF 600x Kingston not work in my D800
Non funziona con Komputerbay 64GB Compact Flash CF 600X Scheda di Memoria Ultra High Speed 90MB/s leggere 60MB/s scrivere
I bought two brand new SanDisk 32GB Extreme Pro CF cards. After just a couple of uses both of them have given FULL readings when they have only a few images on. I have received a replacement for the first one, before I realised the other was also faulty and am now waiting for the third one to do the same.
Could it be a camera issue?
Encouraged by the success of the Silicon Power 400x 32GB I reported on above (this card has now worked flawlessly for 1000+ exposures), I bought two 64GB versions of the same card (Silicon Power 400x) to use for video. Regrettably, both of these cards failed in the D800E. Both cards test perfectly OK in the Lexar USB 3.0 CF card reader on my Windows computer and were also used without any hiccup by a friend of mine in a Canon 5D Mk II on a three day photo expedition this weekend. However, when the same card was inserted in the D800E the camera first displays [For] indicating that it is formatting the card (which is preformatted with exFAT), and then the camera freezes. It takes a power cycle (battery out and in) to get the camera working again.
Thus Silicon Power 400x 32 GB works while the 64 GB version fails. Could this be due to the different factory formatting (FAT32 on the 32GB and exFAT on the 64GB)?
I’m using two of the PixelFlash 32GB 600x “Light Speed” cards in my D800E for the past few weeks and they’ve been working well.
My pixelflash 64GB 533x works with my D800, except when shooting long bursts. Everytime I continously burst >80 pics on a long vr lens (eg 500mm), I will get a card error eventually.
The SanDisk Extreme CF , 16 GB . 400x worked fine for about a week in my D800 , now it doesn’t !
I have been told that the cards need to be reformatted in the camera every time you use them. I have tried it with the faulty ones I had and so far they are behaving well, so you may find that will cure the problems with your cards.
Since I was advised to reformat it every time, they have behaved perfectly giving up to 400 shots on a 32GB Sandisk Extreme Pro CF card at full resolution on maximum RAW quality files.
if you are in the UK the best price I have found for cards is on http://www.7dayshop.com who are based in the Channel Islands. I don’t know if they deliver to other parts of the world though.
I *have* reformatted each time with the Sandisk 32GB Extreme Pro, still doesn’t work in D800
Issues with Transcend CF cards in the D300 and D800. Tried formatting – makes no difference! No problems with SanDisk cards.
Transcend 32GB 400x CF card works very well in my D800.
The Acumen 16gb 600X do not work in my D800. “Error” code shows up.
Can confirm 633X Mustang Compact Flash does not work in D800.
What is worse teknikproffset.se, a swedish reseller, refuses to return them.
They also wanted to charge me a 350SEK “Troubleshooting fee” (That is 52 USD)
So, if youre a swede, buy something else ELSEWHERE
Hello, just got my Sandisk Extreme Pro 64gb and it does not work … there is “ERR” on my screen …
Try formatting your card in the camera every time you insert it. I had problems when i first got my D800E, at one point giiving a FULL reading after just one exposure. Since I was advised to reformat it every time, they have behaved perfectly giving up to 400 shots on a 32GB Sandisk Extreme Pro CF card at full resolution on maximum RAW quality files.
if you are in the UK the best price I have found for cards is on http://www.7dayshop.com who are based in the Channel Islands. I don’t know if they deliver to other parts of the world though.
Didn’t see it posted anywhere yet,
Duracell Pro Photo SDXC 64GB fails – ERR about every 20 shots or so
I have a problem that the D800 works with most cards, also if they have been in my D700, but that after a couple of shots (10-100) it gives a read/write error and says the card is damaged. Is this the problem this article is about?
Hi bert, I have faced the same problem with my nikon D800 e yesterday,pls mail me the the solution at maneeshksaxena@gmail.com
I got trouble with the Sandisk Extreme 128 gb. First I got a card that could not read all the images. I have tried rescue programs, but it didnt help. Then i got the same on my second card, it was a similar card. 400 images gone
I have just got a D800 and D4 , my I pro integral cards, 4gb, 8gb and 16gd will not work in either of these camera’s despite working in my D3s/D300. Not happy need to buy new cards! My Lexar 4gb does work in the D800 and D4, so looks like Lexar or Sandisk for Nikons latest camera’s,
SanDisk 32GB CF Card Extreme Pro 600x UDMA 7
New card failed on D800 …camera does not start on ,when I remove the CF card the SDHC extreme Sandisk 95/mbs works fine
Anybody got a clue ? ….
UPDATE :
My problem is gone ,both cards The Sandisk extreme pro 600x and Sandisk extreme 400 32GB now work fine and I’ve formatted the cards many times in camera.
The problem was that there is a tiny thin pin in the module and if you even very slightly insert the card wrong way or in a twisted position ( though there is no room for that) but even then one can twist or bend that pin and the CF card wont work .
It’s better to use direct camera cable for transferring data to PC or one might have to be extra careful , was not a problem in D 700 all cards worked fine I never bended that pin
Use Nikon recommended cards ,for $3000 camera at least use a $30 cards guys
IMO this CF card slot is for video otherwise for pictures the SDHC or XC cards are now very fast and more reliable.
New card from Amazon: SanDisk 16GB CF Card Extreme Pro. ERROR message! not impressed as this is one of the recommended cards.
I can confirm that Transcend 32GB 400x CF card works perfect in my D800. Please remove it from your list.
Hi I have the Lexar 32gb 1000x and doesn’t work with my Nikon D800. Right now I’m in contact whit the Nikon technical service to know why doesn’t work. I think that is a firmware problem because the same CF work’s perfectly with my others nikon’s cameras. Let’s see…
The SD works in perfection
I have three Kingston 133X CF cards. Two are 16GB, and one 8GB. Pressing the Menu button, the 16GB cards take about 30 seconds to display the options. The 8GB card works just fine. All three cards work perfectly in a D700.
I confirm that the Mustang 64G 633x Interlagos CF card does work in my D800E.
The Black or the Yellow-Edition ?
We have 3 Maxell MaxData 400x UDMA 8GB cards. They work perfectly in a D700. They test perfectly at all levels of hardware testing.
However, in a D800e, the green LED goes on for a LONG time before the card is seen, if ever. Playing with various menus can sometimes get the camera to wake up but in essence the camera does not know how to talk to these cards.
It sure feels like a camera firmware bug to me!
New firmware for various Nikon cameras ,first check that if you already have it or not, some firmware states about certain cards fix for D800 / E
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/13783#Anchor-DSLR-3800
Interesting… I have a Lexar 32gb 1000x card and have been using it since day one with my D800.