Camera Formatting Levels

I've used the Search Function here re formatting, and Googled, but can't find any tech-detail material on in-camera formatting levels and functions.

My SX10 of course has the usual Delete for individual files and Delete All for the lot.

It also has 2 levels of Formatting - one just called "Format", and the other is "Low Level Format".

I've been assuming that "Format" removes the files, not just the headers to allow over-writing as Delete apparently does. And that "Low Level" completely clears the card, and resets the root functions, as in "preparing" a new card.

A rather Techy friend tells me that Low Level formatting must involve writing 0s+1s across the "partition", to completely blank it of previous uses - but that "cameras can't do that".

Having now been confused on this - and not being able to find a tech-details description of the "Standard" and "Low Level" formatting procedures, it's time to "Ask the Experts" - hence this post.

If anyone can either give a description or point me to some detailed information, I'd be most grateful.

The two levels of SX10 formatting are shown with pictures on Page 215 of the SX10 Manual.

Regards, Dave.

Format will only zero the root directory out; it doesn't delete the files. Low Level Format (as performed by the camera), in a camera that uses SD/SDHC cards, actually does wipe the card thoroughly enough that you won't be able to recover files by any normal recovery tools. Whether it actually overwrites the entire card, I don't know. Wiping the FAT as well as the directories would seem to be sufficient to handle that, as would playing around with any wear-leveling information that is saved on the card.