7000 shots in 3 days... hmmm?

Mark_Cohran wrote in post #3904102
Really? I've never noticed that and I've been shooting Canon Digital SLR's for about 7 years now. Never had a problem. If I format in my computer and then put it in my camera, the camera immediately prompts me to format the card restoring the camera's file structure.

Mark

The problem is that cameras expect a FAT file system. You're probably not giving it that, that's why the camera prompts you to format the card. The only time I ever format cards in the camera is when I'm using an external storage device. From the computer I just delete the folders. The camera doesn't prompt me for anything when I put the card back.

Thanks for the quick replies everyone, My 5D looks brand new in my eyes again!

I can finally blame myself for those bad "rookie" shots I kept taking! hehehe

The camera does actually keep track of what file number it is on if you have it set to continuous. The only time it will throw out that data is if you insert a card that contains a file number higher than the number that your camera thought it was on and then take a shot.

For example, I have 4 2gb cards that I use. When at the track I will often shoot all four cards, then at some point reinsert the 1rst card that I shot and delete the non keepers. I can then shoot more shots on that card (1rst card) and the numbering picks right up where I left off on the 4th card. The only time you will mess up your numbering is if you insert a card from another camera that contains a file number higher than the camera has actually shot. Even then if you first reformat that card it will not mess up your numbering. You can use a card from another camera as long as the file numbers are lower than the number of your last shot or if you reformat it before taking a shot.

I just read my post again and it makes very little sense but what I was trying to say is you can use any card you want without messing up your numbering as long as the card does not contain a file with a number higher than the last file you shot with your camera. Even then if you format before taking a shot the camera will not mess up its numbering.

Dementiak wrote in post #3903815
I bought a brand new 5d a few months back and i forgot to check the file numbering when i got the unit, but at around day 3 i looked at the file number and it had roughly around 7400 shots taken. (I know I must've taken around 300-400 shots within those 3 days.)

I had used an old CF card from my old G3 camera on the 5d (still using it), Do you guys think thats what caused the numbering to go to seven thousand (plus or minus)?

Was I sold used 5d? The unit looks Mint. Not a scratch or wear even on the strap mounts.... Its making me think that my less than perfectly focused or poorly exposed shots are not user error but camera wear.

( I'm hoping to hear the answer I want.... which is the camera is new and I should just move on and take more photos. )

You also forgot to read page 70 of your camera’s Instruction Manual.
It clearly states:

It is pretty much the same for all Canon dSLR cameras.

mellowd wrote in post #3904002
You'll need to format the card in your pc to drop it back down to zero

Wrong.
Formatting the card in computer will only prevent camera to inherit the file number if it is higher than the number already in camera.
To set it back to zero, you’ll have to format card in computer and set your camera to Auto Reset.
After the first shot, you can switch it back to Continuous.

All this is quite confusing, but slowly making sense. I just hope I can remember all this when I get a new body, but I think I am just gonna have to keep cards separated to make it simple.

Hermeto wrote in post #3904199
Wrong.
Formatting the card in computer will only prevent camera to inherit the file number if it is higher than the number already in camera.
To set it back to zero, you’ll have to format card in computer and set your camera to Auto Reset.
After the first shot, you can switch it back to Continuous.

My bad I worded it slightly wrong. I didn't mean your camera would go back to zero once the card was reformatted, just that you need to format the card on your pc instead of the camera. Sorry for the mix up

mellowd wrote in post #3904388
My bad I worded it slightly wrong. I didn't mean your camera would go back to zero once the card was reformatted, just that you need to format the card on your pc instead of the camera. Sorry for the mix up

No problems, mellowd!
As long as we collectively arrive to the right conclusion, everything’s fine.
We are the Borg..

I actually read the manual but i think i decided to look at my warranty card when i reached page 70

Now I'm going to nitpick and insist that my 2 lenses are front focusing... now to print that lens test page...

Seriously though, thanks to all who have replied because now i feel like i got my money's worth in terms of buying a brand new 5D.

Nothing magical about formatting the card in a PC. If it was, that would imply that the PC builds broken file systems - it doesn't. On the contrary, you can use the PC to perform a full format, verifying every sector on the card. The format in the camera is only a quick-format, where the allocation table and root directory is created. The camera has to settle for that, since a full format would require a full write + read of all sectors in the card - and the time needed would be no faster (most probably a lot slower) than the transfer speeds specified for the memory card.

SimonG wrote in post #3903839
The camera is new and you should just move on and take more photos.

Seriously though, using a CF card from another Canon camera could very well have skewed the counter from the start; unless one is extremely obsessive about it, the counter cannot be thought of or used as a "camera odometer" with any reliability.

yup mine started at about 3000 and I was baffled until I realised it had taken the next number form what was the last file on my comp

Bit confusing though

roqdawg wrote in post #3903929
As far as formatting cards go...If you format a card in an old camera with say 3000 clicks on it, and then transfer to it without shooting on it to a new camera with zero clicks on it, will the new camera start at 3001 or 0001. In other words, when a camera re-formats a CF card, is the shot number input to the card before any shots are taken?.

Tom

3001. The final action of the in-camera format is to recreate the directory structure it expects.

BigAl-SA wrote in post #3904033
BTW, it's not wise to format the cards from a computer - it can mess up the file system. It's better to just delete the folders on the card from the computer (using a card reader, of course), then format the card in the camera, if you feel the need to. The camera will recreate the folder structure regardless of whether you format or not.

Not so. Only time I've had any glitch with a card formatted on the computer inserted into one of my cameras was with one that the computer formatted FAT32; my D60 only recognizes FAT16. Reformatting in-camera restored its usability. If you format a card in the computer and it acts up in the camera for any other reason, the card was on the verge of dying anyhow, and I'd rather find that out before I started taking pictures with it.

pwm2 wrote in post #3906286
Nothing magical about formatting the card in a PC. If it was, that would imply that the PC builds broken file systems - it doesn't. On the contrary, you can use the PC to perform a full format, verifying every sector on the card. The format in the camera is only a quick-format, where the allocation table and root directory is created. The camera has to settle for that, since a full format would require a full write + read of all sectors in the card - and the time needed would be no faster (most probably a lot slower) than the transfer speeds specified for the memory card.

Pretty much what he said. CF cards, like HDDs, don't have the same "full format" as floppies or SD cards, where every bit of the medium is overwritten. But they do get a verification pass over the storage space from the format routine.

A previous post that describes how to deal with the numbering system. This was on a 10 D so I don't know if it carries forward -- see the second entry: https://photography-on-the.net …364805&highligh​t=westfall