How often to format memory cards?

[Murph]

I have read recently, somewhere (sorry, can't remember where) that you should do a full format of your memory cards every now and then to keep them good for saving your image files. Anyone have any idea how often, or anyone do this?

[OversighT]

What's a full format? I format my cards in my camera before I head out for a shoot.


T.

[PeteQ]

I reformat mine every time I place them back in the camera. As I have several cards and cameras this keeps "extra" folders from being created and possibly eating up space I may need. Once a card comes out of the camera the images are dumped to the hard drives and once they are verified good the card is put back into the pool for use. I do not swap cards in and out while shooting. Once it comes out, it's out until the contents are safe on the hard drive. If I don't fill it, too bad, that's why I have a bunch of cards. If I shoot something especially important I may only shoot a couple of images and then the card comes out and is saved. Slap in a new card, format, and go. I have a system that works for me and I have yet to lose an image....(knocking on wood as I type....)

[Huck]

i do the same.

the nikon d50 book recommends that you do format the cards. plus it only takes a second to do once i put in the camera.

[Joe_Lorenzini]

Yep, I'll echo Pete's words. I format every time I insert a card (provided the files already on the card are safely on my computer).

_/oe

[Bill]

Format in camera immediately after saved on computer and backed up. If I have only shot 5 frames at the end of the day, I still save it then.

I change cards during the day only when one is full or on the rare occasion when I am about to start shooting something and do not want to interrupt for a card switch. If I were a PJ, I might divide up shots between cameras or cards, but I'm not.

It's not like film where you want to use up the whole roll because of the expense. I know the full capacity is available when I go out.

Sometimes, I download to Coolwalker in the field, but I do not format then. Hey, belts AND suspenders are a fashion statement, not a sign of insecurity, aren't they?

[lscottpht]

Yep, I reformat everytime.

[acer0001]

Every time I download my images. When the card goes back in the camera, it get formatted.

[petert]

Originally Posted by acer0001

Every time I download my images. When the card goes back in the camera, it get formatted.

Well, I try to be religious about it and format most of the time I download...but, by and large, everytime I think about it, I do it... it shouldn't be that big a deal. On the Nikon's it s "two finger salute" - bam! - done...

[brad]

Do you know that every time you write data to a CF card, you are shortening its life? And that formatting a card writes data to the card?

Just sayin'

[Holly]

I reformat via PC after every use. Or...after downloading and backing up...I have enough cards (13 gig) that portrait sessions in between weddings don't get re-formatted until I need all of the cards for the next wedding. Not that I use all 13 for the wedding...like to have spares just in case.

[johnastovall]

I reformat my cards as soon as I've copied all the images to the mac and burned two back up DVD's.

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by brad

Do you know that every time you write data to a CF card, you are shortening its life? And that formatting a card writes data to the card?

Just sayin'

Deleting also writes data to the card. If it shortens the life so be it. I would rather be writing to a card in contigous addresses than have "holes."

[brad]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

Deleting also writes data to the card. If it shortens the life so be it. I would rather be writing to a card in contigous addresses than have "holes."

Actually, that was kind of my point... the original poster said "to keep them good for saving your image files" ... formatting a card doesn't do anything but assure the card is blank.

In other words, there is no real difference between formatting a card and deleting everything.

Plus, its a random access, solid state memory chip.. just formatting it doesn't assure that the data for your image is in contiguous blocks any more than writing data to a freshly formatted hard drive does.

Its all storage technology. The only thing you can be guaranteed is that it will eventually fail.

[Bill]

Here is Rob Galbraith's take on CompactFlash card lifespan at http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/mul...e.asp?cid=6007

"Individual flash memory cells have a limited lifespan. That's the bad news. The good news is that their lifespan is usually measured in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of erase/write cycles, and that the better controller designs utilize an algorithm that's designed to balance the wear across the entire card's cells.

CompactFlash and SD cards are designed to automatically and transparently map out memory cells that go bad, or in some cases when they reach a predefined limit, i.e. 300,000 erase/write cycles (note that this figure is just an example; manufacturers may use a different figure). Cards should continue to function long after a few cells have expired, since even the busiest photographer's flash memory card won't start turning off a significant number of memory cells until after many years of service."

Read the whole page. Good info on what a flash card is.

Shoot and format as you want. The storage medium is not going to restrict you.