I had two occasions where my D800 displayed an error message and would not work. Both were my errors. Once I had a MF lens mounted but had failed to set it to the minimum f stop. That was fEE code. The other time I had a remote release attached which I had accidently placed into the locked on position for time exposures thus keeping the shutter open until I unlocked it. That was a blinking ERR code. Hopefully, yours is some unrealized error you can clear yourself without having to send your camera in.

RoldanImages said:
I got my D800 a month ago, last night my camera just crashed in a middle of my shoot.
The Flash is not working, the LED screen on the back is not working, Ive tried different SD cards. Prior to this the camera was working fine. The camera will not shoot pics or video and a Constant ERR message on the top of the screen.

The manual does not have a constant err, but a blinking one suggests this:
"Release shutter. If error
persists or appears
frequently, consult
Nikon-authorized
service representative"

The other message which looks similar is fEE and this is about a lens not being set to its minimum aperture. You might try removing the battery, charging it fully, then resetting the camera, if possible.

Also, make certain the camera is powered down before making any battery removal, card removal, or lens changing procedures.

So I ended up sending my D800 in for several issues, most notbaly the Lockup issues which were persistent even after the supposed firmware and reccomendation to turn off stuff in the menu to fix it. Nikon had it for over a week and and it was listed as Major Parts replacements needed. Turns out the problem was the DC/DC converter which they completely replaced, along with some other minor stuff. I've now had my D800 back for about 2 weeks and so far it has been performing AWESOME!! I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope I didn't just jinx myself. But BIG THANK YOU to Nikon for fixing up my D800!!! It's nice to have your equipement work flawlessly- especially for that amount $$$$...

So if you are having constant lockup issues I would reccomend that you contact Nikon to send in for repair.

There was a new D800 ready for delivery at my local photog store yesterday. They've worked through the backorders and are now waiting for buyers! A few 5D Mk IIIs as well.

Had my D800 a week today. My question is. My firmware version are A 1.00 B 1.01 L 1.006. What were the early D800/E firmware version's. Same or not.

Congratulations, Regulator75. I knew you'd be impressed.
Sharp image Bland. I've always had a thing for hot female bass players : )

Congratulations Reg!

@Bland - if you use a WB cap (expodisk or other) it really knocks the noise down even more. Although the concerts might go real funky then as well ;)

Well, I sold the majority of my DX gear (D90 and some lenses) and am now the proud owner of a brand spanking new D800!

It's only been a half a day, but man this camera is pretty darn amazing.
Can't wait to put it though it's paces.

TaoTeJared said:
Agree with that - What I have really noticed is the color depth and accuracy at higher ISOs is much better as well. That goes a long way in "hiding" noise as well.

Absolutely, here's an example of the color depth and accuracy with the D800 at 3600 high iso, hardly any visible noise!

Bland said:
Last Friday I shot a concert using my D800 with jpeg on the middle size. The ISO quality was much better then what I had been getting with my D7000 using the same lenes (24-70/70-200).

That said, the D800 ISO is better but the question is, is it worth the extra $1,800? And to that I say it is. The D800 also takes shots at a lower ISO then what I was getting from my D7000 shooting in S mode with Auto ISO.

The D7000 is still awesome in low light, just not as good as the D800.

Agree with that - What I have really noticed is the color depth and accuracy at higher ISOs is much better as well. That goes a long way in "hiding" noise as well.

msmoto said:So, any opinions out there.

I am looking for an excuse to just go for a D7000 and the new 18-300 (27-450) Nikon lens

Last Friday I shot a concert using my D800 with jpeg on the middle size. The ISO quality was much better then what I had been getting with my D7000 using the same lenes (24-70/70-200).

That said, the D800 ISO is better but the question is, is it worth the extra $1,800? And to that I say it is. The D800 also takes shots at a lower ISO then what I was getting from my D7000 shooting in S mode with Auto ISO.

The D7000 is still awesome in low light, just not as good as the D800.

Well, Nikon told me to send my D800 in for service. I'm hoping that it comes back without the lockup errors anymore and that also they check/calibrate the autofocus settings. There's also oil spots which i had a real problem with on my D7000 also..

@D70 - The D800 is probably a good move. The difference between the sharpness of the d800E and D800 is really small, whereas you're bound to run into Moire'.

Thanks Eric. I'll go ahead and order one. I'll go with D800 instead of the E. My old eyes can't tell the difference anyway.

@D70, I think the chances are excellent that your camera will be fine. Thom Hogan reported on Jul 26 that in a recent survey of dealers, it appeared as if they were no longer finding left focus problems. I have had my D800E for about a month and it tested fine.

Whether or not they are talking about it, Nikon has been aware of the problem for awhile. They know the fix and they know the problem. I think that it is extremely unlikely that Nikon would knowingly produce cameras with this problem once they determined the problem was real.

My understanding is that the problem was the result of a calibration issue with a machine that is used to determine a set of software parameters necessary to match the AF sensor to the body assembly. Once the problem was known, the fix should have been straightforward. Not so easy is re-calibrating the bodies that are now in the hands of consumers.

My feeling is that the manufacturing issue has been eliminated, and now Nikon is trying to figure out how to handle those units which have the problem.

I think the camera you purchase will be fine.

If I order a D800E today, what are the chances that the unit I get won't have a focus issue? Since Nikon hasn't officially acknowledged the issue, not sure if they make sure everything that gets shipped to retailers are not defective with the wide spread focus issue.

Hi Wingston,

Seems that you're somewhat deciding between getting a D800 or a D7000. Although I probably can't answer the detailed technical parts of your question (there are threads on this board that delve into that) I can honestly say that the low light (high ISO) IQ of the D800 is better than that of the D7000. I have both cameras. As much as I love tripod-mounted low light long exposure stuff I have also taken low light high ISO snaps with the D800 with pretty good results. Maybe not D3S or D4 quality but pretty darned good. The high ISO grain from the D800 is also more visually pleasant than the high ISO grain from the D7000.

In terms of video. I hate to tell you but from my limited use thusfar, video quality from the D800 is smoother and more HDTV-like than video from my D7000. Overall, it's a much better camera than some might imply.

Here's one thread I found discussing Low light Video with the D800:
http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=5391

Wingston said:
Hi people

I have been thinking about a D800 as I understand that the full frame cameras are better than their DX cousins in low light. I didn't understand the tech to be honest but took it on spec. My D700 performs brilliantly in low light but I want the video option. I went to Greys of Westminster (what a place) to ask abut the 800. The guy there says that as the 800 has so many megapixels the low light performance won't be as good. I didn't get it but didn't have the guts to quiz the guy further as he had already given me a 'what, you didn't work it out for yourself' kind of looks.

So, any opinions out there.

I am looking for an excuse to just go for a D7000 and the new 18-300 (27-450) Nikon lens

SquamishPhoto said:
Got mine today. :)

Anyone want to buy my D700?

http://nikonrumors.com/forum/topic.php?id=7041

Am I the only one who is finding it really difficult to find anything I am looking for in these 17+ pages of messages about all and every subject to do with the D800E?

Please can we have a different thread for each subject (e.g. lock up problems, focussing problems, card problems)?

Got mine today. :)

Anyone want to buy my D700?

All good points. I guess, when you take into account the potential improvement in image quality the price doesn't seem as bad. Thanks for the feedback, Eric and andyp.

Regarding the grip, it adds a lot of extra surface area to hang onto, the body seems large enough without it but it felt more solid in my hands with a lens like the 14-24mm 2.8. It is somewhat largish and bulky. I compared it to an F5 film body and the d800 with the grip is taller and generally takes up more space in the bag. I personally like large cameras so I love it but I also see that if it had been just a little smaller it could have served the same purpose and would have been more streamlined for space in the bag. I had also bought the grip for the d7000, it changes that camera from being quite compact to being bulky and now with the d800 in the bag I think I will dispense with the d7000 grip (I keep a lens on it and it is great without the grip in terms of compactness in the bag and usefulness in having another focal length ready to shoot). I had a great time with the d7000 and the d800 without grips and a few lenses, if you add the grips it presents space problems and with just the d800 grip it actually adds noticeable limits on the space, something to consider. Personally, I love grips if available so I am biased in that direction, I think it could have been perfect if the overall camera size of the d800 with the grip would have been closer to the d3/d4.

I bought it. Because:
1). I like the bigger body.
2). I like the vertical grip.
3). I like the extended battery life.
4). It can use the same battery as the D4.
5). When used with the D4 battery, I believe it does up the frame rate in DX mode.

Here's a thought: I feel that I can hold the camera more stable in portrait mode when I have a vertical grip. Given the d800s resolution, I think I might get improved image quality using the vertical grip... and the added mass probably doesn't hurt either.

Is it worth the price? Well, it was for me, what do you think?

Has anyone with the D800/D800E bought the MB-D12 grip? Does the added grip, extra shutter release, and extended battery life make it worth it's $450 price tag? Seems kind of steep for no added performance, but maybe I'm missing something. It'd be nice if it added some extra frames per second like many other battery grips seem to do.