Memory sticks: Here's the situation. There are 2 sony dslr cameras: A330 and A68. I gave my hubby my A330. I was told that in order to use a memory stick (for this question the memory...

Raptor

Here's the situation. There are 2 sony dslr cameras: A330 and A68. I gave my hubby my A330. I was told that in order to use a memory stick (for this question the memory stick was previously used in the A68, the data was removed and the stick reformatted), it had to be reformatted for the particular camera it will be used in - the A330. He does want to reformat because he has already taken pics with it. Don't ask about downloading to his computer. He does not have a clue yet. If he uses the card without reformatting it, is he in danger of corrupting/losing future pictures?

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

If I understand the question (and not sure I do) can he use a memory stick that has photos on it to take more photos. The camera will add photos to the existing ones until the stick is full.
If you reformat the stick the camera will start from 01 again or if you transfer the photos to the pc (not just Copy but Move) the cameraaaaaa will start over again at 01.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Once he has filled the card (and you teach him how to download to a computer), he can then format it. In the interim, as long as the images he’s taking are viewable, he should be OK.

Btw, this is always a subject of controversy. Some say best practice is to always format in the camera you intend to use it in, while others say it doesn’t matter and have successfully used the same card in multiple bodies of different brands.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

Since he doesn't have any backup for the photos he already took, I would teach him to download them immediately. I wouldn't risk losing the photos already on the card by using it in a different camera.

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

If he has already taken photos on the memory stick, and you can view them, then obviously it worked and probably little chance of future problems. It is RECOMMENDED that all memory - Sticks, SD, etc. - be formatted in the camera of use but many people don't and all works out. For years I formatted my SD and Pro Sticks for my Sony video camera in my computer until I switched to DSLR, then figured I might as well follow the recommendations. If you/he wants to be safe, why don't you download what is on the stick now, then he can re-format it in the camera.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

Some posters are mentioning 'Sticks' while others are talking about 'Cards'. Are they one and the same thing?. To me a memory 'stick' has a USB connection, and about as long as my little finger. A 'card' is flat like a postage stamp. Are people mixing /confusing the two different things? I think so. I refer to 'Sticks' or 'Cards', as described on the packaging by the manufacturer.

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

Pablo8 wrote:

Some posters are mentioning 'Sticks' while others are talking about 'Cards'. Are they one and the same thing?. Are people mixing /confusing the two different things? I think so.

"No" to first question, "yes" to second one. Some Sony cameras for a period of time from 1998 forward could only use proprietary memory sticks, similar to an SD card but more rectangular, then Sony went to stick or SD (flip a little switch) around 2010, now believe only SD in most cameras as Sony lost the stick war. Kinda like the Beta vs VHS contest.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I've used the same SD card in different cameras without reformatting. The new camera simply makes a folder for itself. When I upload to the computer, I have a choice of which camera's pictures I want to upload. This works with several models of Nikon as well as Sony and Canon. I've had folders from three different camera brands on the same card.

Don't rush to clear or format a memory card. Make sure you have at least one copy on the computer.

EDIT: I don't recall ever reading in a manual that formatting more than once is necessary. From the D750 manual -

"Memory cards must be formatted before first use or after being used or formatted in other devices."

aellman Loc: Boston MA

Raptor wrote:

Here's the situation. There are 2 sony dslr camera... (show quote)

If neither of you knows how to move a file from a memory stick to a computer, you have bigger problems. Put the memory stick aside and format another one in the camera. Then immediately learn how to move files around, which you can do in 15 minutes. You can then get the files for the original stick. There must be countless online tutorials on this subject. Search with Google or in YouTube. It's not rocket science. Trust me. >Alan

BebuLamar

aellman wrote:

If neither of you knows how to move a file from a memory stick to a computer, you have bigger problems. Put the memory stick aside and format another one in the camera. Then immediately learn how to move files around, which you can do in 15 minutes. You can then get the files for the original stick. There must be countless online tutorials on this subject. Search with Google or in YouTube. It's not rocket science. Trust me. >Alan

The problem is that it may be difficult to get another stick. Memory stick is hard to find.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

aellman wrote:

If neither of you knows how to move a file from a memory stick to a computer, you have bigger problems. Put the memory stick aside and format another one in the camera. Then immediately learn how to move files around, which you can do in 15 minutes. You can then get the files for the original stick. There must be countless online tutorials on this subject. Search with Google or in YouTube. It's not rocket science. Trust me. >Alan

And also learn to back up the files you move to the computer to another drive before you reformat the stick.

elent

Only issue with format has been the rare occasion where the device uses fat 32 (my dashcam uses this) vs ntfs which all my other cameras use.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

BebuLamar wrote:

The problem is that it may be difficult to get another stick. Memory stick is hard to find.

Memory sticks are readily available from Amazon in sizes 4Gb to 32Gb.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Pablo8 wrote:

Some posters are mentioning 'Sticks' while others are talking about 'Cards'. Are they one and the same thing?. To me a memory 'stick' has a USB connection, and about as long as my little finger. A 'card' is flat like a postage stamp. Are people mixing /confusing the two different things? I think so. I refer to 'Sticks' or 'Cards', as described on the packaging by the manufacturer.

You are the one confusing things.

Sony created the "Memory Stick" for their cameras, including "Memory Stick Duo" and "Memory Stick Pro Duo". They eventually moved to SD cards in their cameras, as did Olympus and others, giving up on their proprietary memory cards
.
What you are calling a memory stick is more commonly called a "USB stick" or "USB flash drive" or just "flash drive". But lots of flash drives are not stick-like in shape. They can be fingernail-size or even smaller.

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

nadelewitz wrote:

You are the one confusing things. br br Sony crea... (show quote)

The finger-nail-size items are called 'Cards', in my book, and on the manufactures packaging / advertising. What I see advertised these days, as 'Memory Sticks', are USB connections, about the size of my thumb. I use them for storing / transferring data from laptop to PC. No way would a Memory Stick fit/attach to any of my cameras. That is where the 'Card' is used. To me, Cards and Sticks are two different things, in both looks and purpose.