Nikon D300 Complete Manual page 118

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It is possible to "take" pictures without a card in the

CompactFlash slot if Custom Setting #F9 has been set to

OFF (the default!). With this setting, the camera acts like it

takes pictures and even displays them on the rear LCD, but

because there's no card in the camera nothing will be saved

(unless you're connected to a PC running Nikon Camera

Control Pro 2.0). If no card is present in the camera, you'll

-E- on the top LCD instead of the frames remaining

If you haven't previously used the CompactFlash card

before inserting it into a D300, or if the card contains images

you no longer need, you should format it as follows:

1. Turn the D300's power switch to the ON position.

2. Hold down the two buttons labeled

two seconds. (One is just to the left of the viewfinder

and also labeled p; the other is just in front of the top

LCD and also labeled MODE.) When the top LCD

begins blinking the label FOR, release the buttons.

3. Immediately press the two

Formatting time varies with the size of the card; a fast

1GB card usually takes a few seconds. The top LCD

shows FOR in the Frames Remaining indicator while

the camera is formatting.

Step #3 is a bit confusing to new Nikon DSLR users.

Apparently, Nikon didn't think that holding down two

buttons once for two seconds was a unique enough

combination to preclude accidental formatting. Since

erasure is a loss of data, I agree with Nikon's conservatism

Once the card is formatted, the Frames Remaining indicator

resets and shows the number of images you can take at the

current image quality setting (if that number is larger than

999, then K is displayed just above the Frames Remaining

indicator; 1.7 in the Frames Remaining indicator with the

also showing would mean 1700 frames can be taken).

Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D300

(in red) for

buttons again.

Troubleshooting