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Probably going to be upgrading from a D700 to a D800 soon, and was wondering if there were any recommendations for CF cards that will be fast enough to keep up with the larger buffer/file sizes, but not break the bank. I typically shoot raw+jpeg, and usually don't carry cards bigger than 16GB. Will probably use a secondary SD card as overflow...

Sandisk Extreme cards should do the trick

hmmm....i think i've got a Sandisk Extreme III card around, but I think its rated at 30MB/s, which seems quite a bit slower than the Extreme card specs on the Sandisk website

I didn't get any new cards when switching from D700-D800. It's a slower camera (less fps) but has bigger file sizes, I don't really have any complaints. I don't shoot video though, so maybe it makes a difference? Either way, maybe trying it out with your existing cards first then figuring out what cf cards you need is your best bet.

I don't expect to shoot a ton of video, so my old cards may still work fine then. Good to hear first hand experience...thanks!

Initially I stayed with the SanDisk Extream IV I was using in my D700. My cards were only 8 GB since I like to shoot with smaller card and carry extras. I was hearing good things about the new at the time Lexar Professional 1000X. They were at or near the top on Rob Galbraith's test charts. So I picked up a couple of 16 GB cards and was quite happy with them. They did seem to work faster. B&H then had one of their amazing card sales and I acquired two Lexar Professional 1000X 32 GB cards.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/camera_wb_m ... 6007-12451

The SanDisk continue to do the job in my D700 and the Lexar cards have been working out great in the D800. The only thing I find is that sometimes the ScanDisk firewire reader doesn't recognize the Lexar cards on the first try. But if I remove it and then reinsert it the reader accepts it.

DG

SANDISK for sure

This really depends on your type of shooting... For some people (myself for example) I'm not firing off a lot of frames in sequence so I'm never constrained by the speed of the card. Someone who regularly shoots sports activities would feel otherwise.

Having said that, brand wise, Sandisk are definitely great cards.

Just bought the Kingston 32GB ultimate 600X from Canada Computers for $60 on sale. It was rated as the "Best In Test" by N-Photo magazine (a great magazine for any Nikon user). No complaints.

Lexar 1000x are pretty sweet in it. Buffer doesnt fill up that way. The Sandisk 600x start to slow after like 6 shots.

I've used Sandisk, Lexar, Kingston and Transcend and A-data. The Lexar pro failed me after about 5 years, 20,000 clicks. Lifetime warranty. I sent it back and they sent me a new one. The Kingston 600x was extremely slow. Slower than my 200x older cards. I returned it to the store. I'm currently using Transcend 400x and 600x and have an A-data 400x. They've been very good so far. Of course life time warranty.

I have two Lexar Pro 400x cards

I'd like to get some of the Laxar 1000x cards -- but they are still pretty damn expensive.

I vote for the sandisk 90Mb/s. Strikes a happy balance between cost and performance

Kingston cards don't work with the d800/e. Not with mine or two others that I have used. What does work are the Transcend cards from Canada Computers. Best performance/price ratio to be had.

just picked up a SanDisk Extreme Pro32GB. using it a D700 and its working great

Unless your current cards are very old, you don't really need to get newer ones. I shot plenty of stills and video on a D800 with older Sandisk cards (Extreme III) that were probably as old as my D3 and now see duty in the D4, and they were fine. If your cards are small, then maybe you might want to look into 8 or 16gb cards.

Works great on my D800. I went out and bought a second card. No complaints here.

I also heard some compatibility issues between d800 and certain models of kingston cards. I also vote for transcend 32gb 400x cards, as they are the best value cards that can do hd videos (on my canons).