SD card problem: I shot 400 pictures recently at a basketball game. When I got back to my studio, the first 100 or so were fine. The remainder were all black although the metadata were...

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

I shot 400 pictures recently at a basketball game. When I got back to my studio, the first 100 or so were fine. The remainder were all black although the metadata were still correct. This was the case whether I looked at the pictures in the camera, on the card, in a Windows directory or Lightroom. Scanning the card revealed no FAT or surface errors. CHKDSK showed no errors. I then took a picture with the same lens and the picture was fine. The card was a SanDisk Extreme.

Any ideas?

Silverrails

Sorry, I myself do not have enough Knowledge concerning this tragic issue,
I would only guess that there had to be some kind of corruption to this particular card, and hoping that it was not a serious issue with the whole line of SanDisk Extreme Card line. Hope it is resolved quickly.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Try another (different) card in the camera to see if it happens again.
If it does, I'd suspect the camera.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Silverrails wrote:

Sorry, I myself do not have enough Knowledge concerning this tragic issue,
I would only guess that there had to be some kind of corruption to this particular card, and hoping that it was not a serious issue with the whole line of SanDisk Extreme Card line. Hope it is resolved quickly.

The problem might have been the camera. I did not look at the shots as I took them. Too much action on the floor.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

abc1234 wrote:

The problem might have been the camera. I did not look at the shots as I took them. Too much action on the floor.

Does not happen with another or the original card. Kind of rules out the camera, especially since the camera seem to work normally.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

abc1234 wrote:

Does not happen with another or the original card. Kind of rules out the camera, especially since the camera seem to work normally.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

I don't think you should rule out the camera just yet. Maybe the shutter mechanism temporarily jammed and failed to operate. Or if you were using a DSLR camera, the mirror got stuck and didn't flip open as it should.

Tomfl101 Loc: Mount Airy, MD

As you describe it I would say your issue is not disk related but an intermittent mechanical malfunction like shutter, mirror or even a stuck lens aperture.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

abc1234 wrote:

I shot 400 pictures recently at a basketball game.... (show quote)

I think all the obvious answers have already been posted. All I can add is that I had the same problem with half a roll of Ektachrome in 1969 with my Yashica Electro 35. In my case the solution was pointed out to me by my then wife: "Shouldn't you take off the lens cap?"

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

LFingar wrote:

I think all the obvious answers have already been posted. All I can add is that I had the same problem with half a roll of Ektachrome in 1969 with my Yashica Electro 35. In my case the solution was pointed out to me by my then wife: "Shouldn't you take off the lens cap?"

We can rule this out. If I remember correctly, your Yashica was a rangefinder. My 80D DSLR and I saw the images as I was shooting them. Nonetheless, you make a valuable point: we keep making the same simple mistakes.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Tomfl101 wrote:

As you describe it I would say your issue is not disk related but an intermittent mechanical malfunction like shutter, mirror or even a stuck lens aperture.

And replying to Rook2c4 also.

Having used Canon DSLR's for many years, I have never seen anything like this and I did get good shots the next day. Also, it recorded the right exposures in the metadata. I did something wrong in addition to not chimping the pictures but I cannot figure it out.

MichaelH Loc: NorCal via Lansing, MI

In my experience, when a file is corrupt it will not contain any useful information and will not be readable. I would vote for an intermittent issue with the camera and not a problem with the SD card. Format and use that card again for some test shots that you do not need and see if the problem happens again. Do the black images have roughly the same file size as the first 100 shots?

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

MichaelH wrote:

In my experience, when a file is corrupt it will not contain any useful information and will not be readable. I would vote for an intermittent issue with the camera and not a problem with the SD card. Format and use that card again for some test shots that you do not need and see if the problem happens again. Do the black images have roughly the same file size as the first 100 shots?

File size and metadata are all the same. I wondering if the thumbnail was bad but the shots are black in LR. I have never experienced any equipment problems but have experienced plenty of user problems. I know I should have chimped them but I did not. Had I done so, I might have been able to fix it on the spot.

The other things are that all shots were in the same folder and did change lenses when the files went black. However, this lens did work properly earlier. I may not have put it on all the way. Like I said, user error.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

I would contact the card mfg. They would be the best place to at least start.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Picture Taker wrote:

I would contact the card mfg. They would be the best place to at least start.

They recommended third party software which I used. It found no problems. I was hoping they had their own utility but did not.