islandboy4147 Loc: Savannah, GA

Is there any indication when a memory card looses it's ability to capture and recreate images in the initial quality? I have never had an issue that was obvious of an aging problem reducing performance. Just a thought, since all things age and fail over time [ including me :-) ]

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

"Image quality" does NOT degrade. The image is a file. The card will either store it or not. The card will simply fail to work when it dies.
The only "reduced performance" is the card not working.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Best advice? Format your memory card in the camera it will be used after every session (obviously download the imagery to two separate computers or storage devices first) SOP for critical client work...

Never touch the contacts (gold metallic areas)... Never expose a card to extreme high temperature... i.e. leaving the card/camera in a parked, closed vehicle on hot summer days... Avoid handling the card if there is risk of static electricity discharge... a.k.a. cold, dry indoor winter weather wearing silk or wool...

btw, I only use high end Sandisk cards... after over a decade of use, I've only had one go south... and a reformat in the camera fixed that... CF cards are more robust and stable however I use whatever the camera is designed for...

Final thoughts? Never purchase a camera with a single card slot! Period..
Mirroring isn't simply a good idea... Its mandatory for all critical work...
While I love my D700 it's the D3 that always goes out on commercial assignments.
Only a fool would risk loosing a Brides "Special Day"
"Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no othe... believe Ben Franklin got this right..

Hope this help Bill

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

I use them for 10s of thousands of shots. I format in camera each time.

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

There are a lot of 'musts' and 'nevers' in that post, but not one thing backed by sound computer science.

The format utility in your camera is far less capable than the utility(ies) found on modern computers. If a card is failing, the camera doesn't have some magic code that makes it better, it will just simply fail. That could mean the entire card (catastrophic) or specific areas (somewhat manageable).

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I format ONCE, when I get a new card,
and that's just for kicks & giggles.
(15 years for some cards and nary a problem.)

cedymock Loc: Irmo, South Carolina

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

25 or 30 years ago, when nonvolatile memory was new, chip life was a real thing that had to be managed. Early chips were only guaranteed for something like 50 write cycles. That performance gradually got better, then really jumped. I was shocked to review the technical specs and learn the expected lifespan of the most recent solid state drive that I purchased...it's something like 1.2 petawrites (1200 terawrites) per location...a lot. And that's for the Samsung EVO line. The Pro line is something like twice that. Removable memory like SD cards and USB memory doesn't have that level of life, but it's still pretty high.

So format your cards frequently, unless you enjoy playing Russian Roulette with your data. An occasional pass through a full format and performance test in the computer is not a terrible idea...that will map around any bad bits or sectors that might have developed, even when you reformat in the camera before use.

Then don't worry about it. There are lots of other things more worthy of your worry.

islandboy4147 Loc: Savannah, GA

Thanks for all the helpful information. I have been formatting in the camera and that seems to be a good thing to continue doing. Seems there's not much to worry about until there are obvious issues.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

The simple answer is NO!!!
That is the reason when I am shooting something that is important I use smaller cap. cards and switch often, "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket"
Don't keep your important documents etc in one place.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

When in doubt, replace cards at a regular interval. I don’t do that. Been using the same cards for years but then I’m not a heavy user. My thought is that if you format the card in the camera, flaws would be identified and an error message would show up.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I'm using sd cards that I originally purchased with my Nikon D40 in 2007 and they haven't given me any problems. I still used my D40 for close up photography and those 2 gig sd cards are just nice to use.

I format my cards in camera every time I put a card in camera.