Curious. How do people manage to...

I had an XT that the pins got bent. Not sure to this day how it happened, got an error message and the camera was toast at that point. All I could figure at the time was that there was just enough slop in the guides/card that the card went in at a slight angle and bent the pins (which are very thin). Threw the card away after that (Lexar I believe). It is possible to do without using much force, I never "forced" the card in, felt normal when I inserted it.

It's possible.

I ruined a reader a few weeks ago. Picked up the power cable, lift it and didn't realize the reader was still plugged in. Lifted it up to about arm height and the reader disconnected from the cable and fell to the ground. The CF took the brunt of the impact and was launched deep inside of the reader taking all kinds of internals with it. The card survived just fine though.

Never had a problem with a camera since the socket is deep and has a fairly tight fit. I have a reader built into my computer that is very shallow and the fit between the cards and the slot is sloppy. I have had to straighten the top left pin a couple of times despite being very careful each time I insert a card.

This thread is full of jinx. Predicting scores of "I just bent a pin posts" tomorrow.

Guapo wrote in post #10315270
This thread is full of jinx. Predicting scores of "I just bent a pin posts" tomorrow.

ahhh...you're onto my evil wicked ways (insert evil laugh)

philwillmedia wrote in post #10313955
I'm just really curious.

Me too Phil.. When I worked for a newspaper I'd change several CF cards two or three times a day.. Mulitply that by five days a week over seven years I never bent a pin..

I hope I haven't put the mocker on myself

philwillmedia wrote in post #10314210
That's EXACTLY what I'm puzzled about.
How can you do it?

I think it requires a special degree of "talent"...

(not refering to myself - but I'm now hoping karma doesn't put me right on that one!)

Some pins may be born bent

neil_r wrote in post #10316406
Some pins may be born bent

Others achieve bentness...

hollis_f wrote in post #10316567
Others achieve bentness...

whilst others, thanks to ham fisted photographers, have bentness thrust upon them

mmahoney wrote in post #10314384
I'm sure the formula is something like ....... store an uncased CF card in the same jeans pocket that you keep your unbagged potato chips & sesame seeds in, then ferociously jam the card into the slot while ignoring that "something does not feel right" thought going through your head.

I think this is exact;ly how it happens....the guide slot is way too large on either of the xxd and 1d models to allow any misalignment.