Erasing Photos from Compact Flash Card in DSLR camera: Does erasing individual photos from the camera do any damage to the compact flash card or sensor? I've been told not to do this...

GayleSalamone Loc: Tampa Bay area

Does erasing individual photos from the camera do any damage to the compact flash card or sensor? I've been told not to do this but reformat instead. I'd rather cul out the bad pictures before downloading to my computer 100 or more. After downloading, I'm willing to either erase all or reformat.

photophly Loc: Old Bridge NJ

Hi....no erasing photos does no damage to your card at all.I have been doing it for years.After I download them to my computer,then I reformate the card

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

photophly wrote:

Hi....no erasing photos does no damage to your card at all.I have been doing it for years.After I download them to my computer,then I reformate the card

I think the question is Erase vs. Format..You should Format the card. that is the cleanest way to do it.

You can ERASE individual images as you go, if you want, bt after everything is on your hard drive(s). then Format.

ebaribeault Loc: Baltimore

CaptainC wrote:

photophly wrote:

Hi....no erasing photos does no damage to your card at all.I have been doing it for years.After I download them to my computer,then I reformate the card

I think the question is Erase vs. Format..You should Format the card. that is the cleanest way to do it.

You can ERASE individual images as you go, if you want, bt after everything is on your hard drive(s). then Format.

I agree

Mickey88 Loc: Central Florida

I've read conflicting opinions on whether or not it can corrupt a card.

I'm curious as to why you want to cull the bad before uploading to your pc, it would be faster to delete them on the pc,

are you uploading via usb cable to the camera, or are you using a card reader

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Bt erasing images in camera you leave empty spots which can lead to fragmentation of the card after awhile. It does not hurt anything, but can reduce the useable capacity of that card temporarily. Fortunately, once you download the photos you kept and reformat the card, you have a clean slate to work with once again. Nothing to worry about now except bending pins.

GayleSalamone Loc: Tampa Bay area

MT Shooter wrote:

Bt erasing images in camera you leave empty spots which can lead to fragmentation of the card after awhile. It does not hurt anything, but can reduce the useable capacity of that card temporarily. Fortunately, once you download the photos you kept and reformat the card, you have a clean slate to work with once again. Nothing to worry about now except bending pins.

OK, but what is "bending pins."

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

GayleSalamone wrote:

MT Shooter wrote:

Bt erasing images in camera you leave empty spots which can lead to fragmentation of the card after awhile. It does not hurt anything, but can reduce the useable capacity of that card temporarily. Fortunately, once you download the photos you kept and reformat the card, you have a clean slate to work with once again. Nothing to worry about now except bending pins.

OK, but what is "bending pins."

CF cards exchange information through a configuration of 42 tiny little pins in the camera and in the card readers. These pins fit neatly into the little holes in the card itself. If the guide grooves on the side of the cards get worn, or if you try to insert the card backwards, or sometimes if you just get in a rush when inserting the card, you can get a misalignment and bend those little pins. This is usually catastrophic if you do it in the camera. If you bend the pins in a card reader they are cheap enough to just throw away and replace. Replacing the pin bank in the camera gets quite expensive and, in some older bodies, can turn out to be more than the body is worth.
Lesson is simply to be careful when inserting the card and you should have no troubles.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

MT Shooter wrote:

quote=GayleSalamone quote=MT Shooter Bt erasing ... (show quote)

I don't use a reader, so this is not a problem, other than when switching out cards.

GayleSalamone Loc: Tampa Bay area

Stumptowner wrote:

quote=MT Shooter quote=GayleSalamone quote=MT S... (show quote)

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

GayleSalamone wrote:

quote=Stumptowner quote=MT Shooter quote=GayleS... (show quote)

Gayle: I've been following your procedure: delete as I go, download the "keepers", and re-format. I do this "daily". I think your process is fine. I don't use a reader-- and frankly don't see the advantage.

MWAC Loc: Somewhere East Of Crazy

I've been told to always remove the card from my camera and load directly from the card to the computer, never to download using a cable from the camera to the computer. The nice sales man at the camera store told me to do so, I can't recall the full reason but it had something to do with if there ever was a misread from the computer to the camera I could fry the little computer peices in the camera.

I trust my sales man, he's never lead me wrong yet.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

MWAC wrote:

I've been told to always remove the card from my camera and load directly from the card to the computer, never to download using a cable from the camera to the computer. The nice sales man at the camera store told me to do so, I can't recall the full reason but it had something to do with if there ever was a misread from the computer to the camera I could fry the little computer peices in the camera.

I trust my sales man, he's never lead me wrong yet.

Never heard that. I'll check at the pro shop near where I live.....

RocketScientist Loc: Littleton, Colorado

MWAC wrote:

I've been told to always remove the card from my camera and load directly from the card to the computer, never to download using a cable from the camera to the computer. The nice sales man at the camera store told me to do so, I can't recall the full reason but it had something to do with if there ever was a misread from the computer to the camera I could fry the little computer peices in the camera.

I trust my sales man, he's never lead me wrong yet.

Pulling the card and sticking it in the computer would result in faster data transfer. It ain't any better or worse on the card or camera. Don't use Windows to format the card, the camera does a better job.

As a technician who understands electronics, I ain't buying that downloading from the camera can fry the camera. They designed it to work that way or they wouldn't have put the connector on it. I'll suggest he's trying to fluff his commission.

However I will buy that the connector on the camera can get broken if you aren't careful on removal or if you forget its connected and grab it and walk away.

Mikey...

MWAC Loc: Somewhere East Of Crazy

RocketScientist wrote:

quote=MWAC I've been told to always remove the ca... (show quote)

fluff is commission with what he didn't sell me a thing that day, he's also the same man who talked me out of spending $1,500+ on a new camera body and spending $150 at the local community college to take a couple classes on how to use my 40D correctly.

(I also didn't purchase my 40D from him, I purchased it used off craigslist for $250 dollars).