Let me preface by saying that my intent here is not to defend the D800; I have a 5D3 on order ready to ship. I just think that each camera should be optimally converted in order to assess its true potential.
So, here is my comment. When I studied D800 raw samples in DPR's preview, I found them much worse than those from other sources. Then I came across this post in the Nikon forum:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=40964357
It seems to me that the D800's poor raw showing in the preview might be due to this factor. I have tried to find a description of the method of conversion used in DPR's preview but haven't found anything. When I look at the JPG versions, they seem better than the raw and display the kind of clarity that I've seen elsewhere.
--
Michael S