So I think I'm going to switch camps after today: We all know the 2 camps when it comes to memory cards. The 1 big card vs multiple small ones. I personally belong to the one big card...

kd5jbk

We all know the 2 camps when it comes to memory cards. The 1 big card vs multiple small ones. I personally belong to the one big card camp....until today. Now.......

Went to the zoo today with the family and some friends and shot a BUNCH of pics. Went to copy them to my phone to email a few to them when mid copy my sd card just disappeared. Apparently my card didn't like it's file partition anymore and just decided to switch to raw and unreadable. Lucky for me we were done for the day so I didn't shoot anymore. Got home and the laptop wouldn't read the card. Great. Found some recovery software that reads RAW file system (Lazesoft) and was able to recover all of my pictures. If I had to keep shooting today I would have been screwed because I didn't have a second card. So now I switch camps. I am going to start carrying 2 smaller cards rather than 1 large card just in case one decides to go tits up. Has this something similar happened to any of you guys? Did you switch camps?

n3eg Loc: West coast USA

I carry 2 large cards.

JeffDavidson Loc: Originally Detroit Now Los Angeles

Are you using brand name cards? Do you format it only in your camera and not just delete the pictures from the card?

Never had a problem!

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

kd5jbk wrote:

We all know the 2 camps when it comes to memory ca... (show quote)

It pretty much happens with technology / memory devices eventually. Download and backup regularly. As the old sarcastic tech saying goes : "Jesus Saves, and so should you!" It works for retirement planning and other aspects of life also.

However, I see no need to switch camps or sandboxes, just practice safe computing and future planning!

kd5jbk

Lexar 32gb 300x formated in camera and I never delete pics on camera. I always transfer all my pics and then format in camera for the next round.

kd5jbk

That's part of my backup routine. Transfer to the phone. When I get home I then copy to external hard drive and as a final measure I upload to my amazon cloud account. I've lost to many pics for me to not have a multi layer approach like that.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I've always used multiple cards.
I have five 8's, two 16's, and one four which is for playing around. Yea, I've had them for a while. Changing cards doesn't bother me, but if I'm on vacation and the current card is close to full, I'll swap it out before I go out the next day.

Gifted One Loc: S. E. Idaho

I believe in double redundancy. When shooting multiple cameras and carry multiple cards. All in multiple locations.

I may be over kill. and I have never needed it. The only time close was when my wife said she wanted to shoot. She had her choice 60D/15-85 EFs. Me 6D and three lenses.

Cards are just too inexpensive not to have several. I have purchased on sale and continue to add. Older ones I give away when I think it is deemed.

Good luck.

J. R.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

I admit it, I am severely OCD when if comes to memory cards. I always carry a Sony RX100M4 for everyday shooting. One 32 Gb Lexar in the camera and another 32 Gb Lexar in my messenger bag. When I return home, the days shoots are transferred to Lightroom where they are under control of my equally OCD Dropbox based archival system.

With the "big" camera, the Nikon D810, I have 1 32 or 64 Gb card for each days planned shooting. At the end of every day, the images are backed up to a Western Digital My Passport WiFi drive AND synced to Lightroom. If there is a decent enough WiFi connection in wherever I am staying, before the next morning, the days shots are in the bosom of Dropbox. At the end of the trip, after transferring all the RAW images into Lightroom on my main photo-workstation, I reformat the cards used on the trip.

A bit anal retentive, but I've been burned before dealing with memory, USB sticks, HDs, etc.

Elliern Loc: Myrtle Beach, SC

kd5jbk wrote:

We all know the 2 camps when it comes to memory ca... (show quote)

I use 32gb cards, download to my computer and external hard drive then reformat the card in camera before next use. I also carry at least one or two more card in my case at all times "just in case". And no, so far I have never had a problem with my cards.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Elliern wrote:

I use 32gb cards, download to my computer and external hard drive then reformat the card in camera before next use. I also carry at least one or two more card in my case at all times "just in case". And no, so far I have never had a problem with my cards.

... And you won't, until you do! It happens to all of us eventually, but the risk can be mitigated...

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

rgrenaderphoto wrote:

I admit it, I am severely OCD when if comes to mem... (show quote)

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

For my 6D I carry two 32GB in the bag and one 64GB in the camera. For my 7DII I have the same except it is one set of three CF and one set of three SD. I also carry extra batteries.

What do you mean the card went RAW? Do you mean you were shooting JPEG and RAW and the JPEGs disappeared or something else? Or did the card get deleted or formated and the recovery app got them back?

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

I have 1 large card in the camera. I carry 2 other cards but have never used them. I reformat after every shoot, so the sme card has never left the camera in the 2 years that I have had it. I am not a pro and weekend worth of pictures has never filled the card. Most of my pics are landscapes. As they don't move much I don't need burst, and a 1 shot at a time I don't taka a large number of photos at a shoot.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

boberic wrote:

I have 1 large card in the camera. I carry 2 other cards but have never used them. I reformat after every shoot, so the sme card has never left the camera in the 2 years that I have had it. I am not a pro and weekend worth of pictures has never filled the card. Most of my pics are landscapes. As they don't move much I don't need burst, and a 1 shot at a time I don't taka a large number of photos at a shoot.

Move to California, sometimes our landscapes move.

I do mostly Birds, butterflies and other insects, burst is my friend. It also helps with planes, Chino CA airport Planes of Fame museum is exactly 10 miles north of my house. When they are practicing for an airshow they usually come south (more open ground) and when they pivot to head back for Chino it looks like they are using my swimming pool for their pivot point. I know they use the 91 Freeway for their turn around but by the time they swing around they are going over my house.