Media Wipe?

[JAcosta]

So Im getting rid of a couple memory cards I used in my 1D Mark IIn (which I traded off, btw). I am trying to completely wipe the media so that the pictures on the memory cards cannot be recovered. I have the Sandisk Rescue Pro but its not working. Everytime I use the media wipe feature it fails, has an internal error, or just doesnt do aynthing everytime i try.

So here I am, asking if anyone here has any programs they can suggest I use before I ship off my camera + memory cards in ~12 hours.

Please let me be clear that I dont think the buyer will steal my work or anything, its just that there's family photos and personal photos Id rather not anyone but myself to have.

Thanks.

[FlyingPhotog]

Just wondering but if you're that concerned, why let the memory cards leave your posession?

Maybe fill it up with nothing but black frames, format it, do it again then format it one more time...?

[JAcosta]

Well Im going completely to film after my 1D goes off in the post. I included them in the camera package to help the next owner get started and hit the ground running.

I would fill it up with more frames but I dont want to rack up more shots than what Ive advertised as the actual actuation count. I would have to use the 1D that Ive traded, as I dont have another digital body in my posession.

Your post actually gave me the idea of filling the cards up with data other than pictures in en effort to overwrite the already deleted data. Ill report back in a few minutes when I know if it worked or not. I owe you a thank you for your indirect help! :)

[JAcosta]

Thank you FlyingPhotog. Your comment indirectly gave me the idea to fill it full of other media to overwrite the files. Im happy to say it worked great :)

[FlyingPhotog]

Glad I could indirectly help...

Please feel free to indirectly ask again! :)

[Mark]

If you are really worried, and have a mac (I can't advise for windows as I don't have one :)) Go into disk utility, click on the card on the left, then click the erase tab, then go to security options and do a 7 pass erase, it will write Zeros on the card, then erase them 7 times, and is good enough for the department of defense, it should make it pretty unrecoverable :)

Oh, if you use windows you could probably use this http://www.heidi.ie/node/6 it seems to be quite highly rated

Oh, and btw why are you getting rid of digital, just out of interest :)

[JAcosta]

If you are really worried, and have a mac (I can't advise for windows as I don't have one :)) Go into disk utility, click on the card on the left, then click the erase tab, then go to security options and do a 7 pass erase, it will write Zeros on the card, then erase them 7 times, and is good enough for the department of defense, it should make it pretty unrecoverable :)


Sorry, I am a life long windows user. Thanks though!

[JAcosta]

Why am I getting out of digital you ask? Short answer: Digital isnt fun.

Long answer: I dont enjoy shooting digital like I do with film. With digital I am able to take dozens and dozens of shots until I get what I want. With film, I have 36 (or 24) exposures on a roll, thats it. I cant say "oh crap my flash was a 1/3 stop too bright" and delete a film exposure and retake it. With film, I am forced to be a better photographer. I am forced to better determine composition, exposure, depth of field, etc. There in lies the "fun" for me. I wont instantly, like with digital, know if I took the shot my eye saw, or what I was going for. Ill only know a few hours from the shot after I pick up the roll from the lab if I accomplished what I wanted. Digital spoils you, and takes you away from the frustration/sheer joy of traditional photography.

[FlyingPhotog]

Why am I getting out of digital you ask? Short answer: Digital isnt fun.

Long answer: I dont enjoy shooting digital like I do with film. With digital I am able to take dozens and dozens of shots until I get what I want. With film, I have 36 (or 24) exposures on a roll, thats it. I cant say "oh crap my flash was a 1/3 stop too bright" and delete a film exposure and retake it. With film, I am forced to be a better photographer. I am forced to better determine composition, exposure, depth of field, etc. There in lies the "fun" for me. I wont instantly, like with digital, know if I took the shot my eye saw, or what I was going for. Ill only know a few hours from the shot after I pick up the roll from the lab if I accomplished what I wanted. Digital spoils you, and takes you away from the frustration/sheer joy of traditional photography.

Well Said... :cool:

[Mark]

Why am I getting out of digital you ask? Short answer: Digital isnt fun.

Long answer: I dont enjoy shooting digital like I do with film. With digital I am able to take dozens and dozens of shots until I get what I want. With film, I have 36 (or 24) exposures on a roll, thats it. I cant say "oh crap my flash was a 1/3 stop too bright" and delete a film exposure and retake it. With film, I am forced to be a better photographer. I am forced to better determine composition, exposure, depth of field, etc. There in lies the "fun" for me. I wont instantly, like with digital, know if I took the shot my eye saw, or what I was going for. Ill only know a few hours from the shot after I pick up the roll from the lab if I accomplished what I wanted. Digital spoils you, and takes you away from the frustration/sheer joy of traditional photography.

Me, being one of the digital generation, never having touched a roll of film in my life, would not know the feeling, so cannot really comment...

Yet I do like my digital, and cannot imagine not being able to see the shot immediately after it was shot, and cannot imagine not being able to just google something, or email someone, or anything like that.

[JAcosta]

Me, being one of the digital generation, never having touched a roll of film in my life, would not know the feeling, so cannot really comment...

Yet I do like my digital, and cannot imagine not being able to see the shot immediately after it was shot, and cannot imagine not being able to just google something, or email someone, or anything like that.


I think you might have taken it that I dont like technology. That is 100% from the truth. I just dont enjoy digital photography like I do with film.

[FlyingPhotog]

Me, being one of the digital generation, never having touched a roll of film in my life, would not know the feeling, so cannot really comment...

Too bad because it would make you a better photographer regardless whether you prefer film or digital.

Yet I do like my digital, and cannot imagine not being able to see the shot immediately after it was shot, and cannot imagine not being able to just google something, or email someone, or anything like that.

Not fair to say someone who prefers film isn't living in the modern world. It's entirely possible to shoot film and still have a digital workflow using a scanner.

Besides which, using an Encyclopedia never got you an inbox full of porn spam and getting a letter in the mail is rather nice.

[Mark]

Too bad because it would make you a better photographer regardless whether you prefer film or digital.



Not fair to say someone who prefers film isn't living in the modern world. It's entirely possible to shoot film and still have a digital workflow using a scanner.

Besides which, using an Encyclopedia never got you an inbox full of porn spam and getting a letter in the mail is rather nice.

Wait, I don't mean that, and didn't mean anything about you not liking technology, I was just saying it is interesting the generation gap, I simply cannot imagine what it would be like to shoot film, as I never have, and believe that if I was given a film camera to shoot with I would make a complete fool of myself :)
I simply cannot imagine the world without all the modern technology, as I have never experienced it

[JAcosta]

Wait, I don't mean that, and didn't mean anything about you not liking technology, I was just saying it is interesting the generation gap, I simply cannot imagine what it would be like to shoot film, as I never have, and believe that if I was given a film camera to shoot with I would make a complete fool of myself :)
I simply cannot imagine the world without all the modern technology, as I have never experienced it


Generation gap? I hope not, Im pushing 23 :)

[yogestee]

Why am I getting out of digital you ask? Short answer: Digital isnt fun.

Long answer: I dont enjoy shooting digital like I do with film. With digital I am able to take dozens and dozens of shots until I get what I want. With film, I have 36 (or 24) exposures on a roll, thats it. I cant say "oh crap my flash was a 1/3 stop too bright" and delete a film exposure and retake it. With film, I am forced to be a better photographer. I am forced to better determine composition, exposure, depth of field, etc. There in lies the "fun" for me. I wont instantly, like with digital, know if I took the shot my eye saw, or what I was going for. Ill only know a few hours from the shot after I pick up the roll from the lab if I accomplished what I wanted. Digital spoils you, and takes you away from the frustration/sheer joy of traditional photography.

Amen,,I hear you brother.. But I wouldn't go back to film..

IMHO starting out shooting film is the best apprentiship a photographer can have especially if you've done your own processing and printing..

[sjones]

...I just dont enjoy digital photography like I do with film.

Yep…

[Tixeon]

The lab I have used for over 30 yrs no longer makes optical prints from negatives. They process your negatives, do a hi res scan, make Fuji Frontier prints, Send you the negs., prints, & CD. The best of both worlds for those that still prefer to shoot film.