7DMkII Dual Memory Card Question ???

I have read and re-read the section in the manual about this and I still must not understand....., or maybe it is just the nature of the beast.

As you know, the 7DMkII has two memory card slots; one is CF and the other SD.

I would prefer the SD card to hold precedence over the CF card; the CF card riding along for the event that the SD card may fill up, fail, or be absent from the camera.

It seems to matter not which setting I choose, and this behavior seems to be random (and it could very well be something wrong that I am doing), whenever I remove the SD card to offload pictures and then return it to the camera, it seems like it is about 50/50 as to which card the camera selects to be the active card; this being the only camera in our fleet with dual card capabilities, sometimes, I don't think to notice which card is selected until after several shots have been taken.

To my thick head, the manual does not make it very clear as to what each option actually means.

I currently have it set on "Automatic", but I have been noticing that this does not yield the behavior I desire.

I want the camera to always choose the SD card, with no further input from me, and the CF card to just be there ready and waiting.

Whether the camera automatically selects the CF card ONLY after the SD is full, or whether I must manually make the switch, I can live with either behavior.

Can someone please enlighten me as to which option I need to choose ?

Thanks for reading and all help is appreciated.

Just use the Q button to assign the active card. Then set it to auto switch to the CF card of it fills.

Or alternatively just leave the card door open while you download your images, replace the card and only then close the card door. The camera is programmed to automatically change to the other card if one is missing and this happens as soon as power is restored by closing the card door. If you put the second card back in before restoring power by closing the door then it will never know the difference.

gonzogolf wrote in post #19141845
Just use the Q button to assign the active card. Then set it to auto switch to the CF card of it fills.

Thanks; I need to train my mind to remember the Q button.

rrblint wrote in post #19142056
Or alternatively just leave the card door open while you download your images, replace the card and only then close the card door. The camera is programmed to automatically change to the other card if one is missing and this happens as soon as power is restored by closing the card door. If you put the second card back in before restoring power by closing the door then it will never know the difference.

Thanks for that; it explains the mystery as to why the camera seems to have a mind of it's own about card selection; it is because it does have a mind of it's own.

I was unaware of the power ON/OFF regarding the card door; I had noticed that, even though the main power was OFF, whenever I closed the door the little red light momentarily came on.

As my process keeps the card in the reader for an extended period, I was always afraid that the door being open might possibly cause a drain on the little internal battery (maybe it does, maybe it doesn't), which is also why I immediately insert a battery as soon as I remove one.

The "little internal storage battery" is a storage device(probably just a capacitor circuit) that draws from the main battery. It only keeps the clock going and will probably last a few weeks, so there's no hurry. Dust is another matter so perhaps having a identical second card to replace the first one immediately(if you plan to leave it out for an extended period) is the best plan.

rrblint wrote in post #19142110
The "little internal storage battery" is a storage device(probably just a capacitor circuit) that draws from the main battery. It only keeps the clock going and will probably last a few weeks, so there's no hurry. Dust is another matter so perhaps having a identical second card to replace the first one immediately(if you plan to leave it out for an extended period) is the best plan.

Thanks.
It is interesting about the clock power; I had assumed there was one of those little nickel-sized batteries that would sooner or later need replacing.
I do have plenty of SD cards (but only the one 128-GB); I will dedicate one of my extras to stick in there until the card reader is finished with the big one.

In fact, I need to get into the habit of doing that even with the single card cameras; who knows, I may see a grizzly bear on the back porch and want to snap a picture quick.

In such a situation, the test of a true photographer is whether he grabs the camera first or the .30-06

Older cameras have a battery to run the clock. Eventually, it will require a replacement.
Due to the development of super capacitors, newer camera relies on such devices to power the clock.

The disadvantage of putting a different card in the camera is if it has picture files on it then it can alter your file numbering, it will be ok if it is an empty card.

So what? The numbers will be what the numbers will be anyway.

I appreciate the information about super capacitors.
I was always under the impression that a capacitor was a one-and-done affair; I did not know that they could disperse their charge slowly over weeks.
I do know that a normal capacitor can hold it's charge indefinitely; that fact has caused many a bloody nose and black eye when someone is horse playing with a hot stick (cattle prod); if you don't touch the prongs to a door knob or the like (or a bull), they will still carry a shock months after the button was pressed.

As for file numbering, I do know that some keep the camera-supplied number and that consecutiveness would be important to them.
For the last several years, we have been using D.I.M. (Digital Image Mover) to copy the files into the computer, providing them with a unique name/number of our choosing; the computer never sees or knows what the camera stamped number is.

Whatever you do, the number the camera assigns rolls over, or get shifted due to different images already present on the card. So relying on them is futile anyway.