When to quit using a memory card: On my Nikon D 750 I have 2 memory slots. The only time I really use my camera is on my long wilderness hikes. Then I might shoot 500-700 photos. After...

wilderness

On my Nikon D 750 I have 2 memory slots. The only time I really use my camera is on my long wilderness hikes. Then I might shoot 500-700 photos. After downloading onto Lightroom and right before I go off on a new trip ( maybe 3 times a year) I reformat my card (32GB). How many times can I do this. Right now my card (Sandisk) has been wiped clean 4 or 5 times. thank you for the advice

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Many, Many times!!!

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Some of my cards are 10 years old. Probably been reformatted 150 times. Have had no problems.

Keldon Loc: Yukon, B.C.

I have always just formatted my cards after downloading them to the computer after each day. I don't bother erasing them, just format them. Some I've probably formatted
hundreds of times per year and never a failure.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Keldon wrote:

I have always just formatted my cards after downloading them to the computer after each day. I don't bother erasing them, just format them. Some I've probably formatted
hundreds of times per year and never a failure.

speedorms

i cant say for sure if sandisk has a test tool, but check for that... and if they format, you should be good. ive used some of these many times.. cant say what the life is but their ssd dashboard may test them or a flash card test utility can, or maybe nikon has one on their site.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

[quote=wilderness]On my Nikon D 750 I have 2 memory slots. The only time I really use my camera is on my long wilderness hikes. Then I might shoot 500-700 photos. After downloading onto Lightroom and right before I go off on a new trip ( maybe 3 times a year) I reformat my card (32GB). How many times can I do this. Right now my card (Sandisk) has been wiped clean 4 or 5 times. thank you for the advice[/quoteI]

I've done that thousands of times (formatting) to my cards ( which are about 10 years old), and they are going strong (can't tell the difference between them and a new one)!

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Keep using them until they can't be reformatted. I've never had one fail. I just quit using them because they become too small or too slow. Best of luck.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

wilderness wrote:

On my Nikon D 750 I have 2 memory slots. The only time I really use my camera is on my long wilderness hikes. Then I might shoot 500-700 photos. After downloading onto Lightroom and right before I go off on a new trip ( maybe 3 times a year) I reformat my card (32GB). How many times can I do this. Right now my card (Sandisk) has been wiped clean 4 or 5 times. thank you for the advice

Yours is a valid question which haunted me. As part of my 'stuff', I carry extra cards. After I import all images from a card, I put the card back in the camera, with the images still on it. I do that just in case a plane crashes into my computer before I get everything backed up.

But, I make it a point, when I get my camera out of the bag for the next shoot, the first thing I do, before the first shot, is format the card in camera. If it formats, good chance it's gonna work for this shoot. It's simply a way to convince myself that the card worked immediately before the shoot.

This habit saved me on only one shoot when the card wouldn't format. The card was replaced by Sandisk. Other than that lone event, I've never had to get the spare outta the bag.

speedorms

great method... thanks for sharing..i will often dump card then erase, but not format. your in cam format is a much more brilliant approach.. along with the store of 16 to 32gb cards.. :)

Remus Loc: Norfolk, UK

I must take a minimum of 1000 photos per month. Once they are on the computer I just delete them from the card. I have never bothered to format and everything seems ok. Coming up to three years for the same card. I do carry a spare but only because on rare occasions I have filled up the first card.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

wilderness wrote:

On my Nikon D 750 I have 2 memory slots. The only time I really use my camera is on my long wilderness hikes. Then I might shoot 500-700 photos. After downloading onto Lightroom and right before I go off on a new trip ( maybe 3 times a year) I reformat my card (32GB). How many times can I do this. Right now my card (Sandisk) has been wiped clean 4 or 5 times. thank you for the advice

Four or 5 times is brand new. Most of my cards been reformatted a couple hundred times.

ddetloff Loc: Fair Haven, MI

Keldon wrote:

I have always just formatted my cards after downloading them to the computer after each day. I don't bother erasing them, just format them. Some I've probably formatted
hundreds of times per year and never a failure.

I wait until the next time I'm ready to use my camera before I format my cards. That way there has been time for the photos copied from the card to my Mac to be backed up by Time Machine and Backblaze.

kschwegl Loc: Orangeburg, NY

wilderness wrote:

On my Nikon D 750 I have 2 memory slots. The only time I really use my camera is on my long wilderness hikes. Then I might shoot 500-700 photos. After downloading onto Lightroom and right before I go off on a new trip ( maybe 3 times a year) I reformat my card (32GB). How many times can I do this. Right now my card (Sandisk) has been wiped clean 4 or 5 times. thank you for the advice

From what I've read, the read/write cycle life is 100,000+. A format of photo is 1 read/write cycle. SSD (Solid State Disk) lasts a lot longer but costs a lot more. SSD is the way to go on a PC/MAC.

Ken S.

Jim Bob

wilderness wrote:

On my Nikon D 750 I have 2 memory slots. The only time I really use my camera is on my long wilderness hikes. Then I might shoot 500-700 photos. After downloading onto Lightroom and right before I go off on a new trip ( maybe 3 times a year) I reformat my card (32GB). How many times can I do this. Right now my card (Sandisk) has been wiped clean 4 or 5 times. thank you for the advice

No one knows.