Delete or format?
Dec 2, 2016 17:08:29 #
LFingar wrote:
I had a discussion recently with a techie at one o... (show quote)
Yeah, that's pretty straightforward. The cards benefit from the camera's blessing, as it were. Can they be swapped? Sure. Is it a good idea to share cards among camera brands? Probably not.
My wife has one camera, an older Casio, that won't even acknowledge a card formatted in my GH4. Yet the card works fine in the GH4!
Dec 2, 2016 17:10:28 #
JimH123 wrote:
Deleting files does not erase the location that the file was stored at. But it does make that location available for reuse. When the camera needs to now use that space it erases it first, and then writes the new image.
A normal format in camera also does not erase the images. But it does mark all the space as available to be used. And then when an image is saved, only then is the space to save that image erased.
A normal format in camera also does not erase the images. But it does mark all the space as available to be used. And then when an image is saved, only then is the space to save that image erased.
Dec 2, 2016 17:54:49 #
LFingar wrote:
I had a discussion recently with a techie at one o... (show quote)
Flash memory, when erased, goes to a '1' state. Programming goes only one direction, and that is to turn a '1' to a '0'. Once a bit has become a '0', it can only become a '1' by erasing.
Erasing is done on a block basis. Programming is done on a page basis.
I do not know if low level format erases. If it does, and if the camera's operating system is smart enough to recognize it is erased, then the writing process may be faster. But the default formatting does not erase. It only marks space as available, and erasing has to happen with each write operation.
Dec 2, 2016 18:17:04 #
JimH123 wrote:
Flash memory, when erased, goes to a '1' state. Programming goes only one direction, and that is to turn a '1' to a '0'. Once a bit has become a '0', it can only become a '1' by erasing.
That was my understanding also, until I talked to Kingston. Apparently, there are several different ways in which SD cards can be utilized by the programming doing the writing.
Dec 2, 2016 18:42:02 #
Bud Black wrote:
What is the difference between deleting all files or formatting an SD card?
Deleting clears the file entries in the FAT (File Allocation) Table. The image data itself remains in the location it was stored, until a new image is written over the old data.
Quick format is almost similar, low level format wipes the old data.
I've been deleting images on my cards in the computer for five years now, on six cards.
This probably gives many people a lot of angst. But to each his own.
I agree with BurkPhoto- "There is nothing technically wrong with file deletion."
After all, if you delete 100 photos from your hard drive, you don't format that drive, do you?
Dec 3, 2016 02:11:10 #
Everyone will have an opinion on this topic based on experience or what they have read. I do it both ways depending on the situation. I format after uploading the photos. I delete single images if it really was a bad image that I know I'll never keep. I've never had any issues using either method. I definitely would not use delete to remove all the photos since formatting is very quick.
Dec 3, 2016 05:31:00 #
vooda
Loc: Bribie Island,QLD,Australia
If you"Delete", there is software that can retrieve it... If you "Format", it's gone forever...
Dec 3, 2016 05:54:05 #
Bud Black wrote:
What is the difference between deleting all files or formatting an SD card?
I delete using PC and reformat using Camera.
Dec 3, 2016 06:04:22 #
jeep_daddy wrote:
As stated in DWU2 link, Formatting a card, in camera, is nearly always the best option for deleting all files. The first and foremost reason is that it helps to keep the file structure on the card healthy.
Yep I agree.
Baz
Dec 3, 2016 07:21:05 #
Bud Black wrote:
What is the difference between deleting all files or formatting an SD card?
Camera makers tell you to format the card before using it in the camera for the first time. I've never seen a recommendation in a manual to format before each use. I tend to keep the pictures on the card till it's getting to at least the half way point. Then I'll format. I copy them to the computer, of course, but I don't rush to delete anything.
Dec 3, 2016 08:41:46 #
My 2 cents: If I remember correctly, delete just changes the first letter of the file name to something that allows the file to be overwritten, format is a more thorough overwriting of the info.
Dec 3, 2016 08:47:24 #
revhen wrote:
My 2 cents: If I remember correctly, delete just changes the first letter of the file name to something that allows the file to be overwritten, format is a more thorough overwriting of the info.
In DOS days, the first letter was changed to the Greek letter sigma. Norton discovered that and made his fortune.
Dec 3, 2016 09:23:48 #
henriqueserra
Loc: Salt Lake City, UT
Nobody mentioned anything so far with regard to losing camera configuration files when formatting a card. And I like being able to maintain my custom configurations between sessions, so I use a combination of both deleting and formatting. I do format periodically in order to keep the card "fresh", but not every time. And when I do format (always using the camera's format function) I make sure to first back up to my computer whatever configuration files are on the card, then I will copy them back to the card after formatting. I have Nikon bodies and Nikon does write custom configuration files to the card. In addition, I like to include an icon and an autorun file on the card for easy visual identification of that drive when the card is being read by the computer. Not sure whether other brands write configs onto their cards, but a format would wipe out everything from the card.
Dec 3, 2016 09:38:21 #
henriqueserra wrote:
I have Nikon bodies and Nikon does write custom configuration files to the card.
Interesting. I've never done that.
Dec 3, 2016 09:42:54 #
peterg
Loc: Santa Rosa, CA
burkphoto wrote:
Yeah, that's pretty straightforward. The cards benefit from the camera's blessing, as it were. Can they be swapped? Sure. Is it a good idea to share cards among camera brands? Probably not.
As a test, I've moved SD cards from one Sony camera to another with no problem. The second camera created new files/folders as needed. Can't think of a real-world scenario when I'd do that. With my Sony A6300, two of the six Memory banks are save on the SD card. These would get lost if the card is formatted. I'm guessing that most users use only the two (primary) Memory banks that are saved in the camera.
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