Flash Cards

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Daniel Leis on February 11, 2012 at 1:43pm

First off...tell me that you didn't buy them on Ebay?  Secondly, what brand(s) of cards are you using?  Third...how do you use your CF cards, that is, do you delete often on them or format them once you've downloaded your images?  

From things I've read across the web, CF cards are fairly stable and will last seemingly forever, however if you delete images off them on a regular basis, this may cause your card to corrupt.  The general consensus is that you should format your card entirely rather than deleting images.  (Might be overkill..but hey, it seems to be mentioned quite a bit) 

Check this article out...seems to be full of great info.  

Happy Shooting...

http://alphatracks.com/archives/943

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on February 11, 2012 at 2:22pm

Part of the text at the link states: "Formating wipes all the data from the card and installs a shiny new file system. It tales slightly more time and it removes all the data even if it is marked protected. Most cameras allow you to protect images on a card so they cannot be accidentally erased. Formatting ignores any protection and eliminates everything. So if I had an unreliable memory card, the first thing I would do is reformat it."

Not so.  Formatting writes a new set of file system markers and a new directory space.  It does not wipe all data.  After formatting, you can still use the data recovery program from either Sandisk or Lexar and get the images that were on the card before it was formatted.  Including any images that were deleted. 

If you are going to dispose of a card and want to delete everything first, you need to wipe it with a security program that really cleans it by writing patterns of zeros and ones over the whole card.

Formatting is better than deleting files because space can be assigned sequentially instead of in blocks, filling in deleted areas.  The operating system can write faster because it does not have to work as hard.  Even greater gains are made with mechanical hard drives which is why defragmentation programs are popular.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Myles Bond on February 11, 2012 at 3:30pm

Thanks Camera Clicker, great information. I never knew all that about what the formatting did. I'll see if I can get that done.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Myles Bond on February 11, 2012 at 1:59pm

Thanks Daniel, actually couple came from ebay, some were given to me, and I purchaces a few. Your advise is taken and I will get them checked out. Thanks for the link.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Daniel Leis on February 11, 2012 at 2:09pm

Right on.  

Yeah, I'd avoid Ebay for any type of card like that, sadly they are known as being fraudulent cards.  I'd stick to trusted stores/sites like BH Photo or Adorama.  I'd look at cards like Lexar or Sandisk's higher end stuff...eg:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/815984-REG/Lexar_LCF16GCTBNA6...

Good luck! 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by nathan mccreery on February 11, 2012 at 6:27pm

I have a friend who runs a high end studio in a metro area in the Southwest.  He does, typically, three weddings per weekend and sometimes four.  He had a Sandisc card that went bad at a wedding and he lost a bunch of work from that wedding.  Fortunately, he carries several cards and switches them out at different times to protect himself.  Sandisc recovery was not able to retrieve the lost portion.  The card wasn't old or abused.  It just failed.  Lesson; if your camera has two slots put a card in both and set it up to record on both cards.  I think cards are just like any other photographic device.  There will be times when one of them fails, for no apparent reason.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Fred on February 11, 2012 at 10:44pm

Flash cards are the same as anything electronic, when they want to go wrong they will.

A few rules that I have always followed and this was from Lexar, years ago.

Never delete a file by using the camera.

After each session and you have downloaded the files to a computer, place the card back in the camera and format the card.

NEVER format a card connected to a computer.

Replace the card every year.

I have never had a card go wrong or slow down and yes I do have lots of cards but I would not go back to the slow cards from a few years ago. I always keep them new and as fast speed write that I can get.

• ▶ Reply