Jersey Girl

Hello! I'm new to the forum and would greatly appreciate any help! I have a Canon 6D camera, a MAC computer, and use an external sd card reader to download pictures to my MAC. I have always used Sandisk sd cards, and now purchase Extreme Pro 64 GB ones because I take tons of sports photos for my grandchildren. I recently had a problem when I put the sd card in the reader to download. Got an error message on my computer that said the disc inserted was not readable by this computer. I had been taking pictures for several hours and knew there were new pictures on it. I put the card back in my camera and it said the card needed to be reinserted because it did not recognize a card was there! No pictures!!! I had to download software from Sandisk to get the pictures off the card, and by the way, used the same external card reader to get the pictures off. Has anyone ever had these problems? Is it my camera, the card reader, or the MAC? I don't know where to start. I formatted the card again, and after taking about 1,000 pictures, it happened again. I quit using that sd card and started another one. Yesterday the same thing happened with the newer card.

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

Suggest reformatting the card in your camera. Try this and then go to the d/l op and see what happens.

RickL Loc: Vail, Az

After each shoot,I catalog my photos,Diane them and the format the card

RickL Loc: Vail, Az

Should be download them onto my Mac and then format the card. I have never had a problem

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I wonder how many folks go back and re-read what they typed, before pressing send. It never ceases to amaze me how many postings make little or no sense what so ever.

As for the SD card and the 6D, I use mainly Lexar Pro grade SD cards in my 6D, and other cameras. I do have a few SanDisk cards but prefer the Lexar cards because I've never had any problems with them. I have had at least 1 SanDisk card fail.

You said you could retrieve the image files. This tells us the system file on the card that keeps track of what's where got corrupted. This may happen if the card is being written to when it is removed from a device. One thing I try to always do is make sure the camera is turned off when I insert or remove cards.

It is a good idea to format the card often. Formatting rebuilds the file structure and blocks out bad locations on the memory card. Although technically it shouldn't matter where you format the card, since the formatting protocols are standardized, thus the same from one device to another, it's always a good idea to format the card in the camera it will be used in.

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

If that happened to me, I would try one of those 2 cards in a different camera - any camera that will take that card. Make sure to format the card in the test camera. It seems to me that if doing this works in the new test camera, it means the problem lies with your Canon 6D. Doing this would at least determine if the problem is your Canon 6D.

Oh, Welcome to the forum!

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Those are the same cards I use.

I suggest you download the free SD Card Formatter utility from https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/
This is the best formatter for SD cards, and will work in the event there is a different issue with the camera.

Jeffcs Loc: Myrtle Beach South Carolina

I'd start suspecting the card
Steps I'd take
1 if at all posible some how down load what's on the card
2 format your cards in the camera ( always format in camera)
3 mark your cards so you don't mix them up
4 test shoot on each from your 6D
Does you MAC have a SD card slot built in (my MAC does)
If it does by pas the reader if no issues suspect the reader
5 down load if issues note what card
6 install in a different body format in that body
7 shoot some images
8 down load if no issues suspect 6D

Silverman Loc: Michigan

As a newbie, I have read that there have been issues with these high MB cards, for some unknown reason, that I certainly cannot explain, I have never used any SDHC card over 16MB, I just bought my first 32MB card recently, but have not used it in my Nikon D3300 as yet. So possibly use more smaller cards for your Photo shoots, even though you may have to have plenty on hand to Re-load. Hope this suggestion will prove helpful.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

Probably your card reader can't handle the larger card, I had the same problem a few months ago, the readr read the card a few times then poof, the same issue. $25 new reader and end of problem. Plus the new reader was a bit faster.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Welcome to our forum!

My guess would be that it's a card problem, especially since the SanDisk software fixed it. It's hard to say why electronics have glitches. I have the cable guy coming in a few minutes. I hope he can get live TV back for me. It's always something with electronics.

Format the card in your camera and give it a good test. Try other cards - you should always have others. Card readers have been known to go bad.

Good SD card info -

http://improvephotography.com/676/9-things-photographers-need-to-know-about-memory-cards/
https://www.apotelyt.com/photo-memory/sd-card-formatting
http://digicamhelp.com/accessories/memory-cards/why-format-a-memory-card/

Jersey Girl

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I don't usually reformat the sd cards after I download the photos, guess I really need to start doing that! I did reformat the first card that I had problems with and it did the same thing again. Made me gun shy with that card and I am not using it again. Will try reformatting the second card and see what happens! I have a message sent to Sandisk and will see what they say, will let you know! Thanks again!

inbigd

Formatting the card with the camera may solve your issue. I had a similar issue with my Mac and the CF card from my EOS-1ds when I used the Mac to delete the files from the CF card instead of formatting it with the camera. I also have a Windows laptop and can format or erase the card with it but not with the Apple machine.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

I re-format the card just before each shoot. If it formats properly, there's a good chance it will work fine for the shoot. If it fails to format, then I change cards BEFORE the images get to it.

I would suspect the card reader. I know, those things are cheap, but spend the money on a good one. It'll pay dividends.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ