Preventing Card Errors?

[Doug West]

I'm always reading about somebody having problems with their cards...loosing images,
not readable, etc.

Is there anything we can do to actually check the integrity of the card?

Hope that makes sense.

Doug

[arash_hazeghi]

Any card can fail, however if you buy the highest grade cards such as SanDisk extreme pro or the equivalent Lexar the probability of failure would be lower. As soon you notice something unusual you should stop using the card and replace it.

[Doug West]

I never really noticed...do cards have some type of shot expectancy...for example, one brand
was tested with 100,000 captures before starting to fail vs another brand at 50,000?

Doug

[DickLudwig]

Agree with Peter. I'd emphasize format the card after each download. Never wipe the card by deleting the images always format in the camera - never on your computer. Make sure you don't put the card in a pocket unprotected (use a dust proof case). Pockets always have lots of dust even the cleanest pockets. Dust can cause problems if it covers the cards contacts preventing proper communications with the reader or camera.

[arash_hazeghi]

I never really noticed...do cards have some type of shot expectancy...for example, one brand
was tested with 100,000 captures before starting to fail vs another brand at 50,000?

Doug


yes, it's called endurance. A cheap card can use FLASH that is rated as low as 1K cycles but a high end card can be like 50K cycles. It is also affected by temperature. Each cycle usually means the entire card being written and then erased.

There are generally two kinds of issues : Issue with FLASH memory itself failing. and issues with software/controller/protocol that is used between card reader, camera, PC. the latter is much easier to fix (like formatting in camera instead of PC).

[Grady Weed]

There are a number of things you can and must do:

must;
- format your card after each download
- make sure you camera runs on the latest firmware
- use a decent downloader device

you may;
- download your images
- bit compare your downloaded images with the images on the card

you may;
- try cardwiper (http://www.photorescue.net/downloadcardwiper.htm) to completely overwrite the card and run the tests
- format the card after usage

None of these methods guarantee that your card will work the next time, but it may report problems

Note that a lot of card errors occur between camera and card (e.g. ejecting while writing) or between card and PC (ejecting while reading)
Also note that although it is possible to repair bad blocks, I would not do so: the card is likely to produce more errors. Trash the card in case you find errors.

Peters advice is spot on! Formatting your card after downloads is a must, and if you find errors on the card, dump it and buy a new one. No card is worth losing an image just to stretch the life of the card or to be cheap and not to want to buy a new. Losing a days images will really cost you.

[Scott Grant]

Any card can fail, however if you buy the highest grade cards such as SanDisk extreme pro or the equivalent Lexar the probability of failure would be lower. As soon you notice something unusual you should stop using the card and replace it.

I've never used a Lexar card in my life until this past spring when i purchased three Pro 800X cards. All three failed within a few months as well as one of the two Lexar USB 3 card readers i have.

Before this i was a SanDisk user and had zero issues in almost 10 years, 4 of those shooting for a living.

Personally, i'll be staying far away from Lexar.