Proper CF handling

[InskiP]

I have some questions about proper CF handling. I had a problem card and just wanted to make sure it wasn't someting I did. ALthough, one thing I know I did wrong was remove the card from the reader before ejecting a couple of times..oopps.

Formatting - I've heard once a month, two weeks, and EVERY single time you put it back in the camera after transfering files? Is there such a thing as too much formatting? Does formatting complete wipe the card clean? What about the wipe function available in recovery software programs? My faulty card was formatted before using. My good card was used right out of the package-never formatted...yet

Erasing-How do you erase single images? In the camera or on the computer? I thought I heard you shouldn't erase in the camera??? And why won't DPP let me delete an image that was once locked but has been unlocked? If I unlock it, it should be UNLOCKED!

NEVER edit images from the CF only in the computer, correct?

My faulty card would give the message Err CF and No Image after being formatted and taking pictures. The pictures would be ther one day and then gone the next. This happened twice. The card is being replaced. My CF didn't come w/ an instruction manual. I'm scared to format my other card, rediculous I know,so I thought I'd check here first. Thanks.

[InskiP]

Corrupted data-I sometimes get this message on my LCD monitor when viewing images.
It's usually after images have been erased. Is this normal? It kinda goes back to my erasing image question.

[jfrancho]

One at a time.
I don't always "eject" the card from the reader; just wait until it is idle, and carefully remove the card. In fact, I sometimes forget to power down the camera before removing the card from the camera. No problems.

I format in liue of erasure - it's faster. No problems.

I only erase if there is a critical shot, and cards are full. This doesn't happen too much now that I have six 512 cards. Again, no problems.

I've never tried to edit on the card. I don't see how this would cause a problem though; it just doesn't seem like a good practice.

I think you are well advised to replace the card. This is a good argument for several smaller cards rather than one huge card. You didn't say what brand you had the problems with, and with what you are replacing the defective card. I use Sandisk Ultra II. They are priced reasonably, and have a good track record according to other members opn this forum.

[InskiP]

Actually, my card is a SanDisk II Ultra 1GB. I bought two w/ my camera. The one I used right out of the package-never formatted-is fine. I'm going to format it and use it this weekend. If I have problems, then I'm dreading the fact that it could be my camera, but I doubt it. The problematic card I formatted first before shooting.

So you don't delete images? That's what I love about digital, is that I can throw away the bad images and I get quite a few since I mostly shoot kids. What's the best way to do this?

[jfrancho]

Actually, my card is a SanDisk II Ultra 1GB. I bought two w/ my camera. The one I used right out of the package-never formatted-is fine. I'm going to format it and use it this weekend. If I have problems, then I'm dreading the fact that it could be my camera, but I doubt it. The problematic card I formatted first before shooting.

So you don't delete images? That's what I love about digital, is that I can throw away the bad images and I get quite a few since I mostly shoot kids. What's the best way to do this?Probably a bad card, luck of the draw. I think I formatted all of mine right after I opened the package, but one might have slipped through; it's been formatted many times over since though.

I don't usually delete from the camera since I can't really tell from the lcd whether it's good. I get a general impression of the compostion and check the histogram for a good exposure, usually a bump to the right, but no clipping at the right edge. Now, when I put the card in the reader and preview the images in Adobe Bridge, I flag the keepers as green, the iffy shots as yellow, and really badly exposed pics as red. The ugly ones don't even get labeled: these are usually out of focus, shaky, or misfires. Then I filter for labeled files, and download them. Then I burn a CD-R, this is where the 512 cards come in handy: each card always fits on a CD-R. Then I start the RAW conversions, and so on, with the rest of the post work. I won't get into that. But I will tell you that I keep the really atrocious exposures because sometimes there is a winner in there waiting to be saved by one of the many great RAW converters available.

Sorry that was so much, but I hope it helps. I think the camera to computer portion is an oft overlooked, but crucial part of digital workflow.

[robertwgross]

First of all, when I purchase a new CF card, I get it plugged into a card reader and look at it in the Windows file system. I should not see any problems. Then, to be sure, I do a complete format of the CF card. That is one of the file system tools. Then, if I have never used that brand or model of CF card before, I will use Windows to write some large files to the card. Like if it is a 1 GB card, I might write a series of files that add up to 900 MB. Then I will read them back. If the files are large JPEG image files, then it is easy to see if they have been corrupted. Once the new card passes all of that, then I format it again in the computer to see if the total available capacity is what I expect.

Then I put the card in the camera and format it there. The camera builds some directories. Then the total available capacity will drop only slightly. With the camera set on a standard ISO setting (e.g. 100), then see what the number of available shots shows to be. That should roughly agree with what it says in your instruction manual.

Then I would go shoot some.

If I shoot something totally wrong and stupid (which hopefully is not often), then I will erase that one frame in the camera, using the review and erase features. However, from then on, I will shoot everything and save everything and get it back to the card reader and computer before I try to do any further weeding out. Once I have transferred (copied) everything to a particular HD directory (CANON RECEIVING), then I can start the RAW converter for viewing and editing. (The CF card can be removed now.) If the RAW converter shows it to be junk, then it hits the circular file there. If the RAW converter shows it to be a maybe, then it will get converted along with the good ones. I convert them to TIF into another HD directory (CANON CONVERTED).

At this stage, I put the CF card back into the camera and format it.

Eventually, when I have a few GB of RAW files in the CANON RECEIVING directory, I will burn a CDR or two or three. Then I erase the archived RAW files from the hard disk.

The TIF files get archived separately.

---Bob Gross---

[jfrancho]

Bob,
Do you completely trust the CD-R archives of the RAW files? Does this matter that much to you, given that there are more finished versions of the capture, archived elswhere ? I haven't had the stomach to erase these yet, but space hasn't been an issue....yet. It will early next spring at the going rate.

[lancea]

InskiP - you can format and delete files in the camera as much as you want. Considerably less writing is done to the CF card than when you save a file because formatting and deleting don't overwrite the files. The only thing that happens is that the directory information gets changed so it looks like the space on the CF card is free. That's the reason why you can usually recover your photos from a card (using a suitable program) even if you think you've deleted them. Once you've saved new files on the card, then you may not be able to recover them. So in a nutshell - no, formatting does not wipe the card clean.

Here's what I do - once I've taken some shots I eject the card and put it in my Lexar card reader. After the shots have transferred onto my PC, I make sure they really are there. Then I put the card back in my 20D and format it.

[InskiP]

I'm still concerned about the corrupt data message. Like I said , it's usually in place of where a deleted image was. When viewing images on the LCD, the keepers are fine, but when I get to a spot to where an erased image was I will get the corrupt data message. Not sure if it's every time, I will have to pay more attention. But I've had this on both my SanDisk Ultra II cards. Now, I have erased images using the SW that came w/ my camera. Maybe when I put the card back in the camera it notices the images aren't there because it says corrupt data w/ a question mark. But if I have problems w/ both cards then I have to start looking into the fact that it could be my camera which I haven't even had for a month...ugh...

What about the Wipe function in the recovery softwares, it sounds like this would "wipe" the card clean but not sure if it's something you'd want to do? Also, when I used the recovery SW it says no errors have been found(on the card). So, the card itself may not be corrupt but the data is??? GOOD GOD it better not be that camera...

[robertwgross]

Do you completely trust the CD-R archives of the RAW files?

I don't completely trust anything, except possibly my mother.

I figure that 1% of my CD-R disks will go bad. I can live with that.

I've been digital for less than three years, and I have done about 16,000-17,000 RAW files. I've had to go back to find an old RAW file only twice, and they worked.

TIF files are more important to me, since a lot of time and effort went into them. So, they are archived differently (typically, two hard disks and one DVD, depending on importance).

---Bob Gross---

[samspics]

my CF (Viking) got corrupted, I deleted all files and it worked.