leftyD500 Loc: Ocala, Florida

I shoot with the D500. I have as my primary slot the XQD Sony card, the secondary slot is the SD Extreme Pro32 GB card. Several days ago, I was shooting, and everything worked fine. Took cards out of camera, downloaded pictures to my computer, put the cards back in camera, and formatted the XQD card. I could not format the SD card, I was prompted that the camera could not access the card, insert another card. Today, I got a new SD Extreme Plus 64 GB card, inserted it, got same message camera could not access card. Can any D500 users shed some light on what the problem might be?

User ID

Unless you have somehow accidentally set the lock tabs on both cards, youre likely needing a repair. Before giving up, inspect the slot, blast with air, and try again. But odds are on repair. Setting both tabs would be quite a coincidence

UPDATE :-(

Just test locked the tabs on a D610. The error message specifically tells me "Memory card is locked". So your D500 would most likely also be so specific if you had locked those cards. Not great news .....

leftyD500 Loc: Ocala, Florida

Do you think it may help to try and set it back to factory default?

leftyD500 Loc: Ocala, Florida

When I turn on the camera, on the rear monitor, CARD is flashing at the top of the screen. At the bottom I get "err" and the lock symbol (a key) is showing SD slot is locked. The card is not locked. Could I have possibly somehow locked the secondary slot where the SD card goes?

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

I use a D500 also. To the best of my knowledge the slot cannot be locked. The card can.

dannac Loc: 60 miles SW of New Orleans

Just a +1 to that ... I could not find a way to lock the slot on my D500.

User ID

No. That just adjusts custom settings from where a user may have set them back to where Nikon had set them.

I know of no custom setting where the user chooses to disable a card slot to a "cannot access" status. My D750 has only three options for the card slots: 1. Overflow, 2. Backup, and 3. Splitting jpegs from raw. Theres no menu option to disable a slot. So returning to the factory default settings will not "re-enable" an unaccessible slot.


A user can choose to use only one slot by leaving Slot 2 empty, but that doesnt really disable the unused slot. Its still ready to receive a card. Anywho, I suppose that you are, or were, using both slots, cuz you removed the SD card to read and copy it to your PC.

Hawgsters are such lemmings as concerns resetting to default (aka two-button reset) as some sorta miracle cure. It never occurs to them, never seen it even once, that if theres ANY suspicion at all of a user setting causing problems, then instead of resetting, a first move is to dial up a never-used virgin "U" mode. Most users never setup the "U" modes so dialing to one of those will undo plenty of user settings. Plenty but not all, yet its a benign thing to at least try that first. I have actually "repaired" a Z6II via a "U" mode.

I would greatly discount *any* advice, about anything, from any Hawgster that has ever suggested a two-button reset. Its a flashing warning sign of chronic cluelessness :-(

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

If all else fails, call the men at Nikon 1-800-645-6687

tcthome Loc: NJ

Is there a button on the back that might lock it closer to the top. Check the manual. Looks like a key. I know you can lock a single photo with the key button on Nikon, but not sure about the whole card?

photoman43

I have a D 500 and have never had this problem. One thing I would do is to turn off the camera, remove the battery, wait about 10 seconds, then install another fully charged battery. Then I would install the SD card and see if the camera recognizes it. If that does not resolve the issue, contact Nikon to start the repair process. I do this by going online at this link: https://www.nikonusa.com/en/service-and-support/service-and-repair.page

leftyD500 Loc: Ocala, Florida

Yes, I can leave the secondary slot (CD slot) empty, and the camera will read photos to the primary slot (the XQD slot). However, if I put a card in the secondary slot, along with the XQD card in the primary slot, I am not able to use the camera.

photoman43

If you send the camera to Nikon, I would also send them the specific cards you are using where you have this problem.

tdozier3 Loc: Northern Illinois

The only time I remove my cards is when they are full. I always transfer images with the usb transfer cable. I've never encountered any problems yet.

User ID

Thaz a playback control.

(Download)

User ID

That doesnt affect the OPs situation.
You could Fed Ex them all the same.