should a new 20d come from the factory with zero frames shot?

[olladaa]

Just went out and finally got my 20d. (I've been shooting with a D60)

The guy at the store assured me it was brand new (not the demo). All of the gadgets inside were still in sealed packages so I smiled my giddy smile (oh my God I finally have it in my hot little hands!) and went home.

I got it home and at first, couldn't find the frame count. I think I've found it, but if I have, I am dissappointed because it says 604. Here's what I did to find what I think is the frame number. I shot a picture and pressed the play/view button, and from there pressed info. The upper right hand corner says 201/604. I took another picture and it changed to 201/605.

My questions are
1) Is this indeed the correct frame count and
2) Shouldn't it come from the factory with 0 frames (like my D60)?

I don't want to open the plastic on the manual because I might take it back tomorrow (otherwise I would look this up myself). I already called the store and they had no clue how to tell the frames taken, and promised that if I was accurate, they'd take it back.

Please advise so that I can print this and show them at the store if I am right.

If I am wrong, I need to know so that I can let the store know that I was wrong.

-Thanks!! Annie

[poke]

Did you format the CF card before you started taking photos? I thought that number refered to the number of the pic on the CF card.

[olladaa]

I thought of that. But I changed the CF card and the running number 601, 602, 603... didn't change. So the changing of the cf card didn't change the numerical sequence.

-Annie

[poke]

Maybe Canon has just done comprehensive testing before shipping it... :D

[pcasciola]

Once you take the first shot, the counter keeps progressing from that point, so if your first shot was with a CF card that you had previous used, that would explain it. Mine was brand new and the counter started at 4839 for that very reason.

[olladaa]

Just to understand, if the cf card had 1000 shots on it, and I put that cf card into the camera, after the first frame shot, it would read 1001?

I need to tell the store tomorrow, so youre sure right?

Thanks loads. You have made me so happy!

-Annie

[pcasciola]

Just to understand, if the cf card had 1000 shots on it, and I put that cf card into the camera, after the first frame shot, it would read 1001?

I need to tell the store tomorrow, so youre sure right?

Thanks loads. You have made me so happy!

-Annie
Something like that, yeah. I'm not 100% sure if that's the rule (1000 shots would start at 1001), but other people have attested to similar behavior, so I wouldn't worry about it at all.

[Tom W]

Yes - Philip is correct. When I got my 10D last year, the first card that I put in had already been used in another Canon camera. It started counting with the next consecutive number.

[mjordan]

Yep, one camera can mess up the numbering of the other. I have both a 10D and D30. If I use one of my wife's cards from her D30, the 10D starts numbering from her last number. If she uses one of mine, her shots pick up where I left off.

With the card in your CF reader, look at the card. You will see a file with a number (it might be in a folder). That is the number the camera will start counting from. You can rename it to 1 or any number and that is where it will start counting from. I've not done a number change like that in a long time, so I don't remember which file you have to change, but format the card in the camera, put it in your CF reader and look at the file it left on the CF card. The one that is numbered next from the last picture you take, renumber that back to 1 or whatever you want to start at.

Mike

[RDKirk]

When you format a card in the camera, the camera first checks the highest frame number on that card, stores it, then after formating, resets the card to begin with the next number. When the camera starts up, it again looks at the highest number on the card and counts the next shot with the next number.

There is a fairly involved routine to resetting the camera counter back to one after you've "tainted" it with a prior-used card. First, you have to format a card in your computer, not the camera (FAT 32). Then set the camera to reset the counter for each card, insert the new card, and take a shot. Then set the camera to consecutive counting.

[mjordan]

When I reset my card numbering, it wasn't involved at all (although there are usually more than one way to do the same thing). I just formated the card in the camera, moved it to my card reader, changed the file number to what I wanted to start with, and everything was fine after that. I never format in the computer as I go by the rule that you always format in the device that is going to be writing to it. It doesn't always cause problems, but it does once in awhile.

Mike

[mjordan]

Actually, I'd missed a step but I just did it with my 10D (I assume a 20D will be the same) to refresh my memory.

First I formated the card in the camera. With the 10D I will have a folder with no files in it. I take a picture. In Raw mode I have two files created, they are numbered crw_xxxx.crw and crw_xxxx.thm. The xxxx is the number of the files. Put the card in your CF card reader and go to MY COMPUTER and open up the folder in the drive that is your card reader. Rename the xxxx to what ever number you want for both (or how many files you have). Put back into your camera, reformat the cards and take some pictures. They should now be at the numbers you want to start at.

And if the 20D is different... never mind. :D

Mike

[Jon]

The other thing you'll need to do to get the numbers to reset is to turn onfile number reset before changing to the "cooked" card, then return to continuous numbering once it's in place. Numbering in continuous mode should respond to higher numbers on a card, but not lower numbers. I keep separate CF holders for each camera to help reduce chances of a mixup.