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SD Cards - ReFormat or just delete images??

Reynolds

Workshop Member
Somewhere along the road I picked up the suggestion that reformatting was a better way to delete images that simply deleting them through the menu. Any thoughts?
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
Reformat is what I do since it also takes care of those situations when I have moved the card from camera to camera.
-bob
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Somewhere along the road I picked up the suggestion that reformatting was a better way to delete images that simply deleting them through the menu. Any thoughts?
GetDPI workshops. LOL Jack and I preach very heavily about formatting cards before use and don't delete with the menu.

My rule or religion about how I do this is pretty simple. Format before I head out the door than do nothing to the cards until they are First rename the folder on the card than downloaded to the desktop than on to the backup drive than and even after that I won't format until I use the camera again.

Two why questions come from that thinking why rename the folder reason being even after i download the folder from the card by some slight chance i forget to reformat a new shooting folder will start and the old one is still on the card. Second reason is I don't reformat until the camera is used again. This gives me a chance to make sure everything is totally safe before I reformat the card again it acts as a third backup before I reuse the card again. This for me is a religion I do not deviate ever from it, reason being many times i am in the heat of the battle when shooting and I follow the same routine so I never have to question myself.

Another trick is in the filed after a card is filled or done with shooting I put it in my 2 or 4 Card case flipped over to the back side. Reason is I ever see a card upside down that means it is shot and ready to download any card right side up is ready to be put in camera reformat and start shooting again. Notice i did not reformat until I used the card again it still is acting as the old 3rd backup until it gets back into play again. Basically you are using a triple redundancy system like this. maybe from working in the aerospace business I always think triple redundancy. LOL

Now this is my way but suggest find a way you like to work and never change it up follow the same routine and don't deviate.

This should be a sticky on tips and tricks
 

ampguy

Member
Both of our kids have taken thousands of photos twice in Japan, once in the summer of 2008, then just a few weeks ago.

In 2008, they were loaded up with handfuls of 1 and 2gb cards, and numbered, and marked used.

This last trip, they used an 8GB card, then a few 2GB cards after that, keeping in order, and marking used.

When home, we backup to about 10 different computers/hard drives, but keep the cards around until some of the drives or media gets distributed around like moved onto multiple DVDs and shipped to other family members.

If you're using the same card in the same camera, a quick format should be fine with fat16, and fat32. If you're moving the card around, I'd agree that a full format in the target camera would be the most reliable.
 
J

jeff stevens

Guest
Guy, have you ever had a problem that this method fixes? I'm just curious.

I use a similar method, but I have never done the file rename.
 
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