Does DELETING Photos This Way DAMAGE Your Camera?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 พ.ค. 2024
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In this week’s episode, we discuss if deleting photos can damage your camera. Who would have thought that deleting photos from your SD card would be such a controversial topic with a multitude of different ways to do it. Over the years I've heard of four different ways to accomplish this and it appears that all photographers transfer and delete their photos in one of these four ways covered in this video. But, one approach stands out amongst them all as the best, safest, and most convenient way to do this, which I discuss in this video. So if you've been wondering if you're saving and deleting your photos in the best way, this video is for you! I hope you enjoy this week's episode and as always thanks so much for watching! - Mark D.
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✅QUESTION: What’s your SD card method?
I've narrowed mine down to Delkin Black and ProGrade Cobalt or Gold
I use Lexar Professional mostly.
Lexar for me 🤷🏻♂️
Currently using Delkin in the Mirrorless
I import directly from the card into my Lightroom catalogue. Using this method, the files are copied to a new folder that I create during the Lr import and I’m done! After confirming, I’ll then format the card.
Although on large trips, I’ll often put the cards aside for a bit just to be safe and have a temporary backup before formatting.
I always just format the whole card in the camera after transferring everything to the computer and AFTER COMPLETING BACKUP.
Same here
Ditto last 18 years, and yes never wipe the card till you have two copies elsewhere 😀
Good idea. I do it too. I read somewhere that formatting the card in camera is the best way to reduce any way of data error and card failure.
Ditto…. I put the card into the reader… transfer to three different hard drives.. put the card back in the camera and then format…
Exactly! Why would anyone ever consider any other approach?
Option #5: As a Canon user, I've always connected the camera to my computer via USB-cable and imported the photos with Canon EOS Utility. When I pack my camera gear for the next trip, I format the cards in-camera. In my case, this means that the cards are never removed from the camera.
same here, never had a problem this way , doing ti professionally with digital files for 15 years.
I rarely do use the usb cable and all my cameras are Canons but If I use my CF 256 GB card then I use my usb cable as the computers I own will read only CF cards under 256 GB directly from the card.I fill up cards quite often and have to replace them with empty ones so I seldom use cable.
In response to the Canon EOS Utility for me success was mixed when copying via USB. 5 or 6 times it would hang halfway through the files transfer and had to kill and restart. I think I tracked it down to power-save mode going active on the R7, encase others are having that same issue. I find it too much of a bother to change the power mode before using EOS. I never had issues with the built in SD card slot on my Mac M1 so I go with that now. I also choose tough SD cards to avoid becoming another broken SD card story when I use them as removable solid state media.
A minus with this is that it's often USB 2 in the Canon camera. I haven't checked on all but I would consider my R8 new enough and expensive enough but yet they haven't put USB 3 chips in. The read speed of even value cards (which can have poor write speed) is several times that with the right card reader (internally it can be connected in a variety of ways, externally you need an USB 3 one).
If you never remove the card from the camera, you never get to a photoshoot and find you haven't a card in the camera. Scott Kelby has an excellent video on workflow for taking images off the camera which includes not deleting/formating the card until you have at least 3 other copies of all the images.
I have one extra step after transferring but before formatting, and that's to make sure I have a back-up. I only format once I have that second copy safely saved 🙂
Hi Mark! Great survey of the alternative approaches. I do not format the card in the camera until the files are not only on my desktop but also the desktop is backed up to a local external drive *AND* the cloud. Once burned...
I don't like taking my SD card in and out of my computer and camera. I just plug my camera into my computer using the USB jack. Then, I'll copy the photos to my computer. Lightroom would do so automatically, but I prefer to have a bit more control over just where the photos are stores on my computer. But the USB connection gives me the ability to copy and delete as I please. I can always reformat the SD card using the camera option.
You're absolutely right. I don't understand all these people who eject their memory card from the camera and put it in a PC or card reader. The SD card is the most fragile of memory cards and the less you handle it, the better.
Don't let anyone tell me it's faster. A few minutes of transfer while the photos were taken several hours before.
Most cameras allow cable transfer.
I hope they don't remove the SIM card from their smartphone to download the pictures...
Same here, tried to avoid removing the SD cards from my camera. I also don't erase / format until I have a backup of the downloaded photos.
Canons software is really good for this. I have it setup so that it renames every photo automatically.
My folder structure is
Year/Lettermonth/day sometimes with a comment
Letter being the letter in the alfabet that matches the month. Ajanuary, Bfebruary, Cmars etc. This forces all months to be sorted in the order I want.
And this is just for storage. I have a completely separate folder for all my edited photos. I make a copy of the raw that is placed in the "edited" folder structure before I edit it. This means I keep all my raws in the storage untouched.
File name is
Year-month-day_####
Super easy to find what im looking for. The files having date in the name as well as its own suffix number means there will never be unwanted copies, even if I export it in different file formats. I can then also easily track back to the original raw file if I want to redo my edits as all the edited and raw file have the same name.
@@Xirpzy The Sony cameras allow the same type of folder naming - Every Folding Name has the date created imbedded. I just bought a Fuji GFX 100S and it appears to me that there is very little automatic flexibility in naming the folders. From what I see so far, if you want a folder name with the date, you have to manually create it your self, either before shooting or post. I am surprised.
I believe that either formatting or deleting individual images does erase or delete anything. If it did, imagine the amount of time it would take your camera or computer to write a "0" to every memory position on the card; it would take tens of minutes for large cards. Formatting a card creates a few folders, but most importantly formatting creates a new blank spreadsheet of memory locations for all the files stored on the card. The spreadsheet is invisible to users, but tells the camera or computer where all the bits of each file is located. Deleting one or more images from a card simply nulls out the memory locations for those files on the memory card, it does not actually delete the image data. Formatting a card simply creates a new blank spreadsheet. The reason formatting a card is so nice for the card's speed (health) is you start with a blank spreadsheet with all memory locations marked as "available". Deleting individual images creates a larger spreadsheet over time that must be managed. Since memory cards are not spinning disks, there is little to no extra time managing a large spreadsheet vs a new blank spreadsheet, but there is more chance of read/write error affecting the former, which is why formatting the card is generally considered the preferred method. All the best.
You are correct, performing a format on an SD card or a hard drive simply erases the file allocation table and in some cases does a quick check of the card or drive for any known errors.
A low level format however does go through the contents of the drive erasing the individual entries and therefore takes longer, this method provides a more secure erase of the files themselves.
@@spike62002 Furthermore, a total erasing of the SD would reduce to lifespan of the SD card dramatically, because the memory "cell" of an SD card has an limit amount of write-cycles.
This is true of any computer file stored on any media. A simple erase is quick because it just marks the space in the file allocation table as empty (free). At this point the files are still recoverable using specialist software. If you want to securely delete a file you need to overwrite its contents with something and then mark it as deleted. Security software for “shredding” files on a hard drive will optionally do this several times to ensure that the data cannot be recovered. Not necessary with photographs on an SD card but very necessary for personal file on a hard drive or SSD before scrapping or selling them!
Format writes zeros to the directory not individual sectors. Like Quick Format on a computer. Tells the directory they are available for overwrite.
Excellent comment and contribution
Full formatting also marks any bad sectors on the SD card so that the camera does not write data to them. Not so much of an issue these days - but another plus for formatting.
I didn't know that, Nick, so thanks for the useful information - something of a rarity on the internet 😊I've always tended to use 'format' in camera to clean down cards anyway, but thinking about it now, I've never really done so for any better reason than it somehow seemed like the best option. Pleased to know there is a benefit, even if I was blissfully unaware of it.
Yeah I never delete from the card. I just reformat the card in camera after downloading the card.
You'd have to run through all of the storage to ID bad cells. I think this is called Deep Formatting or Secure Erase which writes zeros to the flash cells.
It’s been fascinating reading these comments. I was always under the impression that formatting was common practice, and rather obvious. Simply shoot your media, manage your data however you do (good practice to get into is when making a backup, backup from the card, not from the hdd you just offloaded to. Reduces chance of having a corrupted file made from the offload process duplicated) then format the card before ever shoot/job.
Keeps the cards as healthy as possible and also ensures you have as much space on the card as possible
Well, there is Quick Format, and there is Full Format. On a Desktop, you'll have both options, with Full Format doing exactly what you say is does but taking an incredibly long time to complete, whereas Quick Format does not (imho).
I am pretty sure it is not possible to do a Full Format using your camera, this is always the Quick version, which does NOT look for bad sectors.
After running out of space on my card during a wedding shoot I decided to delete individual images that I didn't like to give me some more space. After a few deletions a card error appeared then the card became unreadable. Luckily a friend knew how to recover the SD card. This has happened to me twice in my early days of photography. Transfer to PC and format in camera and shoot to two cards in the camera.
Formatting the SD card clears previous data, so you don't have to delete the data in a separate step on the card before formating. After I transfer data, I just put the card back into the camera and format it. Ooops, I just got to the part of the video where you mentioned this. :-)
Regarding delete vs formating. A better analogy is: deleting removes the address of a house from a city master map, but the house is still there until the city decides to build another house in that location. Formating bulldozes the entire city and creats a new master map to use for house allocation.
Thanks Mark! There is another 5th way. That is if money is not a problem. Just always insert a new card and save the old one in whatever file system you devise. Just erasing a photo from the card eventually fragments it too much and formatting it will preserve that file structure. You might want to mention you cannot format the card with your computer and reader as this will format for your computer’s usage. It must always be done in camera.
I was going to ask why you couldn't just format the card after you dumped the media on it, but never realized the file format was different from one item to another. Thanks for this notation in your comment!
You’d better format properly any new card before actually using it. That is the only way to ensure that your camera will actually write correctly on it
@@jillrsimmons - It's not that the file formats are "different" - My Nikon uses "ExFAT" but appreciate that the software implementation in camera and on your computer are probably not the same (different O/S and firmware routines) - ExFat is pretty much established these days, but there might possibly be a difference between them or one of them may have a bug. The most important thing to do is the photo capturing, you don't want the capturing of a once-in-a-lifetime event to fail so if you were to be faced with a choice of bugs go with the camera one and your capture should at least work. If reading the card fails on the computer for any reason at least you have the backup of plugging the card back into the camera and trying to read it that way or by using a different computer. Incidentally, for deleting images in camera, the data isn't overwritten - it's just the directory entry that is marked as deleted and the space used by the deleted file is returned back to the file system for reuse. The code to do this repeatedly can get quite complex and over time the drive becomes very fragmented (hence defrag on older pcs) and as a result there is a higher chance of buggy code than for a simple format which just has to write an empty directory structure over top of the old one (plus the bad sector check).
Hi Mark good explanation. The best way to use memorycard is to format them in the camera to use. After backup :). What I also good be a good idee to copy the files to an external drive, Cloud or NAS. And ofcourse an other way is to copy the files to external drive, clod or NAS and save the sd-card. For me once I was Lucky to have the SD-cards when a drive was crypted with bitlocker by a mistake of my system-engineer. No recovery key so no exess to the files.
Also a tip when a card fails during a shoot, do not format it then. Take a new formatteren card and use the recovery software from the munafactor to try to recovery you already taken items. Had it once in the early days and recoverd them with Sandisk-recovery.
@@alanwilson7792 most of that is correct up until the fragmentation part. Deleting the file table tells the camera to start writing at the beginning of the card. There will be no fragmentation at all. Defrag on old computers was to move the data outward to the faster edge of the spinning disk and to consolidate the data to reduce seeks that slow down the throughput.
0. Insert the card in a reader.
1. I use Adobe Lightroom to import the image files to the designated destination(s), while renaming the files to this format (YYMMDD|HHMMSS|original-file-name). This is done by Lightroom during the import function, using the date & time in the EXIF metadata..
1.1. The destination folders are organized/structured by quarter/year (Q1 - 01-03 | 2024).
2. I manually copy the new folders to 4 different drives, using the same structure.
3. I process all new photos.
4. Before starting on my next photography endeavor, I format the card from the camera. If I change cameras, I do a low-level format (there is a checkbox for it).
I had a Drobo RAID storage that I use as the main storage, but multiple drives failed simultaneously, and I lost roughly 70% of all my digital photography (since 1996). That's why it's ALWAYS important to have backups, that's why I backup to 4 different drives.
EDIT: I left out a couple of steps for geotagging the photos, as I didn't think it was relevant.
Very helpful advice, thank you for doing this video, appreciate it so much!
Great info. Thank you.
Thanks, Mark! Great information
I run on Windows and I simply right-click drag all my photos to the destination and select MOVE instead of COPY. While I don't get the benefits of re-writing the file system, I believe that this is a superior method from an efficiency standpoint to any of the methods mentioned in the video.
Great information as usual keep up the good work thank you very much.
I heard about this a long time ago (10 years?). I remember reading it was the best way to keep your card fresh. I've been doing it ever since and have never had memory card issues. For the past year I've been taking TONS of photos every weekend for a property management company. Same memory card I've always used. Format the card after I get the photos off and still no card issues. :)
I've been using the format method for years and it works great! Excellent video as usual!!
Same here. I've always used the format method and have never had an issue.
Thanks for the info
I personally never format right away after copying the photos, but rather right before next photoshoot 🙂 Not a big difference, but it's just another backup copy, just in case something copied incorrectly to my desktop, which can acutally happen. Sometimes I even forgot to format it before the next photoshoot, but that's not big of a deal since hundreads of gigabytes on V30 SDcards are so cheap.
I certainly learnt that lesson a few years ago and cycle my SD cards as a result. On my computer I create a folder with the location and the date of the shoot. Inside that folder are two folders labelled 'Originals' and one labelled 'Copies', with a full set of shots from the card in each. The 'Copies' folder is the one I work with in Photoshop. I then put the card in a little plastic box. Once I'm satisfied that all my post-processing is done, which could take weeks, the finished shots are transferred to wherever I might want to permanently keep them. The 'Copies' folder is then deleted and the time and location stamped folder is stored on my 8TB NAS. Only then can the card/s be formatted back in the camera.
It might all seem a bit OCD but it works for me and it takes only a minute or three longer to create the folders and copy the files across.
@@rayjennings3637 Yea! Actually cycling SD cards is such a good idea. It's certainly OCD (haha) but who's to judge? At least you finanly have the best solution to the fear everyone has just before performing a card format. You can't lose anything if the photos are already post processed and only then you touch the original storage.
I've always followed the formatting method; it doesn't necessarily erase everything, it resets the file structure. As an IT guy, we dealt with the same issues on pc's. Just formatting didn't really get rid of everything, it resets the FAT (File Allocation Table) or the NTFS file structure; after that, new files just write over old data. To fully format and erase everything, one has to do a low level format. In the case of Canon, this is what they say about low level formatting: "." As someone else mentioned below, this type of formatting also marks any bad sectors on the card. Realize, though, that over time the card will eventually deteriorate since all forms of data storage, whether on a spinning hard drive (magnetic) or SSD type (which SD cards have similarity to), eventually the data cells will stop recording. I don't know how many writes/rewrites the typical SD card will take, but I'm quite sure some lab or other has measured it and has published the results. All in all, though, you are correct in that formatting will preserve the life of the SD card over just deleting files as you go.
Finally someone who knows what he's talking about rather than repeating rumors...
I take a very different approach, badly messed up shots get individually deleted, each project gets saved to its own folder on the computer, the computer is backed up to the domestic NAS.
If the SD card gets anywhere near capacity, it gets replaced with a new one and the old one is filed off-site (given to my camera mad son for safe keeping)
I started buying film fifty years ago, SD cards are incredibly cheap and awe inspiring value.
I do the same, SD cards are relatively cheap form of storage, so why not keep a backup set of raw files
Thanks for another great video. It is good to know that what I thought was my lazy way of dealing with the memory card is actually the recommended way. I always save my files, back-up my files, and then format the card in camera, Really enjoy your channel. Keep up the good work.
I've been doing the format method for years. I never even knew that people once thought it was a bad practice.
Cool Stuff! Thank you
thanks for that video .... that answered some relevant questions ... 👍
Hello Mark, Thank you for providing this very informative video. Again, I learned a few things that you shared within the video. Thank you.
Thanx for the info on regularly formatting cards. I learn something from every one of your videos.
Thank you for spending some time with you.
Slight disagree, better to minimize physical movements on the card. If possible to transfer from the camera directly it's a better than pulling it out each time. I'll add, the computer's SD slot is what will ware down first, but that's best for both. But yes, formatting does a lot of good things to a card including marking bad sectors that might have cropped up.
That’s always been my belief. Minimise physical wear and tear on the card and camera’s card slot by importing using the camera to computer USB to USB cable provided by the camera manufacturer with the camera.
You're absolutely right. I don't understand all these people who eject their memory card from the camera and put it in a PC or card reader. The SD card is the most fragile of memory cards and the less you handle it, the better.
Don't let anyone tell me it's faster. A few minutes of transfer while the photos were taken several hours before.
Most cameras allow cable transfer.
I hope they don't remove the SIM card from their smartphone to download the pictures...
Hi Mark, Thanks for the great video. One new way for deleting the photos, I recently learnt, is to protect the photos while reviewing them in the camera display and then deleting remining a feature available on my Nikon Z8. However, there is a caveat, sometimes I need to play with the exposure etc to decide if I want to keep the photo. I have also used Light room classic feature of deleting all the rejected photos. Once again thanks for all your teaching as always.
You should save another copy of your files onto an external SSD drive. Computer hard drives are prone to failure. Place a second copy on an external drive for safety purposes. I know it may sound redundant but when an internal hard drive fails and you lose everything, you learn quickly. I never reformat my SD cards until I have two copies of my files on two separate hard drives.
I also keep my raw files on Amazon Prime ... it's free - why not?
Always good to have consistent routine in this part of the workflow. Nowadays I have double CFexpress cards in my main body and still use the same routine that I use for the bodies that take CFast.
Before 1st use: format in camera. After that, I just create new folders for each new location (or other major change during my shooting session(s)). I never reset the numbering of the files, and I never delete individual files (however bad) or entire folders. When a session is over I mostly hook the camera up to my PC and download everything - if pressed for time I do use an external card reader for that import. Import process also makes sure that there's, firstly, a folder for each day that I've been shooting, and then under that it places the folders from the card, and lastly it puts the individual files with a correct numbering under each of those folders.
I know that the number on the last imported photo should match the last number from camera/card, and when all that is done and completed, then I format the card in camera and I will be fully ready for taking the camera and the cards out for the next session. So far I haven't messed it up or missed anything in import, so my routine works for me.
Afterwards there could be a need for culling and deletions, but then it is all done on the PC. I can mark/tag photos in the camera if I do know that there is something that must be deleted, but it won't happen until the file is on my hard drives.
I generally put the SD card into computer, then cut/paste to my computer. I have a file folder for each month for unprocessed files. I don’t swap cards between cameras. I only reformat occasionally. I think I’ve only had one card get funky, the contacts got worn and I had some struggles getting the computer to read. I run my 2x Fuji card slots as primary/backup so I always have 2 copies.
I've been using this cut and paste method since 2007 and haven't "burned up" a card yet. I still occasionally format in my camera(s). Watching the video and reading the comments, I'm beginning to think as though I've been reckless for the past 17 years!
Great video once again mark
Thank you!
IMHO the best practice for multiple card workflow.
take Card 1 and transfer files to the PC
take Card 2 and pop that into your Camera + Format the card.
Keep Card 1 "Unformatted" in your camera bag.
When Card 2 fills up or when you are ready to edit the pictures from your excursion - Repeat the steps above with alternating cards.
This way you always have a 2nd Copy with you always, as the original card is not overwritten until you format it before use.
You will just need to make sure to format it, So you can actually use the full capacity.
Back in the day, if my father found a landscape location he liked, he would take two film images of the same scene. One was his use-it shot, and one was the backup shot.
Your explanation of the SD card file(s) transfer to your computer and subsequent deletion of files from the SD card or formatting of the card is excellent.
Most SD cards of 128 GB would hold about three thousand images from a modern digital camera. I back up the day's shoot from my SD card to a designated folder on my laptop and back up that folder to a cloud location ASAP. Using this method means, in the worst-case scenario, I have only lost one day's shooting. If you don't backup to the cloud or a NAS (network-attached storage device) device, you are trading one digital device for another.
I used to do that for weddings. One colour. One black and white.
Thanks Mark, I did kind of wonder which method the manufacturers recommend, it's not something you often think about until it's maybe too late. And yes I know first hand how long it takes to clear all your pictures off your desk top after mistakenly dragging them there.
1-Take SD card out of camera and insert in computer
2-Open picture files, go through pictures and pick the good ones and delete the bad ones
3-Transfer the good pictures to a file I already have under the cameras name on the computer (I have several cameras so I keep the pictures separated by camera)
4-Then I delete all the remaining pictures off of the SD card
Thanks for the info, I really was wondering about this.
Thanks for reassuring me that I am doing this correctly. Have a great day!
I never ever delete pictures in camera, or take my cards out of the camera as well. I transfer my pictures to my computer, always by a cabel, and then edited the photos in my computer. Finishing my editing, I erase my pictures by formatting the card in my camera. Never ever run into a failure, so this is my advice how to do it.
Thank goodness. That is actually what I have been doing since 2018 😌 Thank you sir!
Before formatting the card I always ensure I’ve completed my backups of the photos on my MacBook. One copy on the MacBook, one in Time Machine, and one in RAID, which will backup the cloud.
I use a variation on the “format” method: I shoot with a Nikon Z7ii and a D750. In my vest I carry a waterproof plastic case with 2 batteries, 2 CF Express cards, and 2 SD cards. I transfer files from the cards to my computer at the end of each day. When a card gets close to full and everything on it has been transferred, I put in my case, put the oldest card in the case into the camera, then format it. That way, the computer has been backed up multiple times before the data transferred off the card gets erased. If anything goes wrong with the computer, I have weeks of photos still on the cards in my case.
I agree with your transfer-then-format method, but I add one wrinkle: I have an extra set of SD cards that I carry as spares. Once I fill up the cards in the camera, I transfer the files to my computer, then place them face-down in my SD card holder to designate that they have files on them. I take the last set, put them in my camera and format them. This way, if something happens and I lose the files on my computer, I can go back and retrieve them again from the cards. It usually takes months to fill-up cards, so I have that extra backup for that period of time. Of course I also have Time Machine running on my Mac and I do periodic off-site backups.
You can instantly do off-site backup by taking your inverted card and putting it in your car. As is, when you copy the files and invert it at your desk, the backups are exposed to house fire, flood, theft and misplacement.
@@sh91899 Hey, that's a great idea!
Great information! I have been the same method of pulling the card, transferring to computer, and then formatting the card in camera since about 2010. I've never had a card fail.
Very informative video as usual. Thanks for sharing. My first memory card was a 2MB CF card in 1997 or maybe 1998 for my first digital camera. I could take about 10 shots on that camera and I was completely stoked about it. Then I got a 64MB I think and thought that was HUGE. A few years later I bought what I thought was the end-all in memory cards, a 4GB Microdrive. I was sure that I would never need a larger card....haha. Those were the good ole days....not.
oh the good old days when actually not formatting the cards could brick them.
The good old days when memory cards costed more than your house!
1) Transfer my photo shoot to a folder on my Mac.
2) Keep the photos on my card(s) as a backup. I shoot with two cards. I only delete the photos from that shoot on my cards AFTER I turned the photos in to my client.
3) Only after I finish and turn in the photos do I delete the photos from that assignment using a photo grid-type program such as Photo Mechanic so I can see what photos I am deleting.
*This is an extra step, but it has saved me a few times when I forgot to copy a photo shoot to my computer. I also once had a computer hard disk fail before I turned in the photos, but I had the card as an emergency backup. I would rather be safe than fast.
Thanks for this informative video! I load my files to an EXT HD. Once I know they are all on there, I then put it back in my camera and format the card.
I needed this validation
For those who have cameras that save camera settings to the SD card (user mode settings, complete camera settings, and LUT), the format option isn't a good practice as these files would also be deleted.
One other quick tip that can save you big bucks in camera repair: always check the SD card for any signs of wear before you place it into your computer or back into your camera. I once missed a small crack in an SD card when I put it back into my camera. When I tried to remove the card again, a piece of the SD card broke off and got stuck in the camera. I couldn't put another card in and had to send the camera away to have the piece removed. It cost more than $250 (Canadian) for the repair. I now always inspect the card as soon as I eject it from the camera, before I place it in my computer, and again after I've transferred my files, before I put the card back in my camera. Cheers!
Hi Mark, thanks for sharing! I normally cut the folder from my SD card, paste it to my hard drive, and rename it. And every now and again I format the SD card
I appreciate that you are probably a far more experienced photographer than I am . To me photography is a hobby and I don’t consider myself to be much better than a happy snapper. But in my experience most of what you say is total bollocks. While I agree it is good practice to format your SD cards from time to time, in 15-16 yearsI of using Kodak, Fujifilm, Olympus, Pentax, Sony and Panasonic cameras I have as far as I can remember seldom had the experience where one camera could not read the data from an SD card that had been in a camera from a different brand. Having been burned a couple of times in the past , where I have deleted photos from an SD card in computer. And have been left with SD cards that are unusable I transfer all my photos to computer via the USB cable that came with the camera and then , after a couple of months,delete the photos that I don’t think I need from the SD card in camera. Anyway that is what works for me.
Very informative video Mark. I normally reformat my SD Cards regularly. Here’s what happened once to me. I got out on a shoot and my camera could not save any files. After a few times checking I looked at the SD Card and the little write protect slider on the side was missing. Only having one card with me meant that shoot was abandoned. Somehow I think the slider came out after I dropped the card on the floor that morning. So one more thing to watch for.
Indeed...
And cards CAN become corrupted in ways that render them unusable...
With the current low cost of media you should ALWAYS carry multiple cards...
(And LABEL them so there is no confusion later.)
@@keithlevkoff8579 I learned my lesson on that one. Extra card now always.
My Canon cameras have a choice when formatting as ‘Quick Format’ vs ‘Low Level Format’. I am not 100% sure what Low Level format means exactly, but I think Quick Format just deletes the directory. I always use Low Level (takes a bit longer), but I think it is more of a ‘deep clean’ and better to perform than the ‘quick format’. What are your thoughts on the differences and which do you think is better?
I find in my experience using either format type, it makes zero difference and once the card is full again the previous images will been gone forever as they become overwritten. I have been using Canon digital cameras for 20 years and have never had any card issues. If permanently deleting images is a must then use your computer on a slow format and then use the camera to format yet again-the images,etc will be gone forever.
@@bobair2 thanks!
Here is my data storage methodology with my photos (or any important data).
1 - I pull the memory card from my camera and copy the photos to my data storage drive on my PC. This drive is actually 2 physical hard drives which are in a RAID1 configuration. This means that everything is written to both drives. If one of the physical drives fails, the other takes over and I can replace the failed drive and it will duplicate the data back so there are two copies.
2 - The memory cards are put in a storage case/back in the camera, etc. I do not format yet.
3 - I import the photos into Lightroom, do whatever culling/editing, etc. necessary.
4 - Periodically, a backup job runs which copies all of my data from my local PC to my backup server. This server is setup such that it can handle 2 simultaneous hard drive failures without losing data.
5 - Also periodically, a backup job runs from my backup server which copies all of my important data to a cloud-based backup solution.
6 - I will format the memory cards in the camera the next time I need to go do a shoot. Typically by this time I will have completed all of the editing so I know I got all my photos done and backed up.
My entire house can burn down and I will not lose any of my important data.
A slightly different take I read some while ago that it was good practice to use more of the SD card by filling it up more, as using the same section of the card over and over wasn't a good idea. So I tend to almost fill my card before either deleting or formatting.
As always, your explanations are clear and concise. I use the format function to clean my SD cards, and I've also heard that deleting individual files from the SD card while it's still in the camera is not a good idea because it will adversely affect the numbering system. I don't know if it's true for every camera, but why take a chance.
As a CE. I'd say the better analogy is more like deleting the files is like removing cars from a parking lot whereas reformatting is like removing the cars from the parking lot then repainting the lines in the parking lot
I'm sure others may have experience different than mine but, I have never had a problem with an SD card. I transfer via file manager, from SD to a new folder on my laptop, backup to an external SSD drive and bulk delete the files on the SD card and remove the card from my computer. My external drive also does automatic, scheduled updates of any changes to my picture files. I only occasionally re-format the card in my camera. I have never had a problem with the file structure on my SD cards after the original file formatting in a camera. Different cards for different cameras. Perhaps I'm just lucky. Great topic Mark. Cheers
Hey Mark, I had an issue a while back where my card wouldn't hold more that a few images. I was in panic haha. I used to just drag and drop to thrash. I've since been formatting and never had a problem 😊.
yeah, you have to clear the trash on the computer to edit the file table so the camera sees the card as empty even though the files are all still sitting on the card.
Hi Mark, I had a SSD fail on me and as I am a Linux (OS) shooter I was able to appeal for help from the Open Source community. I was assisted by an experienced Sys Admin at no charge, to recover my files. He noticed that my backup procedure was "whenever I thought about it", so he set up an automated system for backup. The idea was that when I was copying (not moving) my files to my computer, a script would ensure that my RAW files were transferred to an external HDD as the upload was taking place by creating a mirror directory in the external disk. I worked on my RAW files on the SSD and any changes were reflected in the mirror and since my editor, "darktable" now saves every ten seconds my work is effectively secure.
Then I am confident to format the SD card. I am a studio photographer and I start every session on a freshly formatted card, I could do with some more 16Gb SD cards but they are hard to find as video is the "thing" and it requires large cards. Following this process I have put 70.000 images through my camera using the same SD card, around 300 formats.
Thanks Mark. At least I know I’m on the right track. I transfer my files to computer then replace card in camera and Format, even if I only have 10 files. I find it’s easier to do that and to have a clean card for my next adventure.
I use the copy and format method but I'd add something else. I do not format my SD card until I have backed up my laptop.
Another informative video. As to deleting photos, I have another method. I wait until my sd card is filled and then I replace it with a new one. The old one is locked and saved with all it's data/pictures as another backup to my external hard drives.
I've been doing exactly as you say the best way is....for many years with no issues.... 🙂
Great Video, as usual, Mark. I do things a little differently, at least as a Lightroom user. I allow Lightroom to import directly off the card, and then the created file structure drops the raw files into the catalog. Also being a Mac user I use an app called SD Formater. I'll open that app after I'm confident my files are transferred correctly. The SD Formater allows two options either delete the files on the card or "fully format" that card. The full format is not quick, but it is thorough.
I always get Lightroom Classic (LrC) to do the importing. It saves time because there is no need to manually create a folder, copy from the card to the folder, eject the card and then import into LrC. LrC does the lot one one operation and can (optionally) add shoot specific keywords at the same time.
Maybe reconsider doing a fast format instead of full format each time. From my understanding fast format just marks all the SD's space as available to write, without actually writting anything to the card. But the full format actually overrides entire space of your card with empty data, so it's a lot more unncessary additional strain on the card. That's from what I know. Also that's how "safe formatting" works so do data can be recovered from a disk - everything is just overridden several times with random data.
@@senxo.visuals Good info, I did not realize the full format was doing this to the card. Thank you!
Without getting too technical:
Quick formatting or deleting does NOT permanently remove the contents, it removes the reference to the location on disk from the file allocation table.
As long as you don't overwrite the data, it can still be retrieved. That's what these data recovery tools enable when you accidentally deleted or formatted your card.
Unless you use a program that repeatedly, at least 7 times, zero fills the card but this is overwriting the data.
I have a number of cards that rotate between "shoots". I import via lightroom, put the card away. Insert a new one from the deck and delete all photos via the camera on there before I start shooting.
Never have I lost photos, unless the time I was changing the card on the plane and dropped the card and couldn't find it anymore. Luckily they were just some test shots, so no big deal losing them.
The best way to permanently remove the contents is to pass the SD over a hot gas stove several times or to put it in an oven for 5 minutes at the temperature of no less than 1,000 degrees Celsius.
Well for sure, but it becomes quite unusable afterwards 😂
When I backup the SD card to my computer and my external SSD drive, I use the format on the camera. It is all part of my backup process. Good Video.
Format, format, format. It's all I do. It prepares the card to the specific camera and deletes files. Ready to go.
The upload to computer & format the card in-camera is the method I've used for years. I don't drag & drop photo files, though. If they're ones for my general photo library (i.e. not photos of projects I make like greeting cards, scrapbook layouts, etc.), I use Lightroom to copy the photos to my computer, and get them in my LR catalogue. Project photos I just use Adobe Bridge and keep them in different (labeled) folders on my computer. I don't know about Mac users, but I always use a USB card reader (my computer doesn't have an SD slot built in) & then "digitally" eject the card from the system before removing the card reader (& thus the card) from the USB port. I have heard ejecting is the best practice, whether with an SD card or external hard drive/flash drive, to keep from corrupting the card/drive. My brother believes it doesn't matter, so I suppose that is another school of thought out there. But I have yet to have an SD card (or external hard drive/flash drive, for that matter) get corrupted - fingers crossed, knock on wood, etc. - while he has. I'm sure there may be other factors involved, but I do all I can to play it safe. Besides, digitally ejecting media usually doesn't take more than a mouse click & a few seconds. I usually format the card the next time I take photos again, though (before I start shooting, of course), rather than right after uploading the files to my computer. I also make sure to back up to at least 1 external hard drive immediately. I have a second drive I back up to that I keep in a fireproof lockbox, just for added security in case disaster strikes. Anyway, thank you for addressing this topic. Hope you have a wonderful day!
All the digital cameras that I’ve owned allow you to plug the camera into the computer’s USB socket and transfer photographs directly to the computer without the need to take the SD card out of the camera. One possible advantage of doing that is that it reduces wear and tear on the card contacts and pins in the camera. The downside is that it uses the camera’s battery and can be slower. With cameras with two SD cards (assuming Slot 2 is used as an in camera back up) only half the images need to be imported. Selecting every other image takes a long time.
Woot! Reformatting has always been my preferred method for deleting photos off a card. Glad I don't need to change this process.
I like the last one. I remove the card, transfer my media to my laptop, remove card and format in camera. I like the method the best. I also missed the trashcan one time. That was a task to remove all those photos. I never did that again. I just perform the last task and let the camera format remove all my photos when done and ready to shoot again.
I plug the camera into the computer and import all to LR (Rate and delete later from SSD before editing). Then format cards in the camera. This way I can't forget to put the cards back in. This is especially handy now that my camera, phone, controller and all other peripherals are USB-C so I only need one cable and USB-C transfer speeds are more than quick enough for my needs.
I use windows explorer to copy files from card to appropriate folder, compare information to asure all transfered properly. Drag/ drop is just waiting for a mess (as you found out). Then format in camera. I've never had any cards fail in 8 years.
Thanks as always for a wonderful, helpful video. Just wondering if there is a maximum number of times one should format an SD Card...can they be used indefinitely or is there a finite number of times to be used?
Good Advise I usually clear my cards now by formating and even if i have deleted the files from the computer which is slower I still reformat the cards. Fuji makes this really easy and is very fast.
Good discussion. My Nikon D850 uses an XQD card as the main card and an SD as a backup. I do not have an XQD reader so I do transfer and format in camera. I only format after I have at least two external backups. Also, the XQD cards do not have a switch to lock the card. I rarely use the SD card but when I do, I follow the same procedure.
I always import to LR and format the card in camera. If you accidently move, copy, or delete files, you can control z on Wndows to undo the last move.
Thanks Mark, my workflow is to have multiple cards in a waterproof hardcase. When I'm doen photographing:
1) Transfer to folder on PC
2) Write-protect the card
3) Sort out photo's & post-process
4) Create (multiple) backup(s) op sorted raw and processed photos
5) Remove write protection of card and use again later
In that way Ialways have multiple backups of my raw files, it saved me once
IT Background here. Formating will keep your card running more efficiently but it will NOT keep it running for longer.
Same goes for any data storage really.
Deleting a file will only affect the bits that file was occupying. Over time, this fragments the card, as there are less continous chunks of free space.
Formating will defragment your card in the process, allowing for a more efficient use of space.
However, this affects all bits at the same time, thus needing more write-read cycles than deleting individual files.
This will shorten the lifespan of your card (ever so slightly)
Personally, I'd format every now and then, to keep efficiency high, but not every time I transfer photos.
Then again, the difference is not too big and having a workflow that' completely repeatable might be worth that.
When deleting from the card when it's in a computer, select all and right click, delete or move to recycle bin. Don't try and drag them all. I've had the same thing happen though dragging things from the SD card to another folder.... desktop overload.
Formatting is definitely the best way.
Great video, but where did you get the hoodie?
when importing into LRC, or LR, there's an option for moving all the files, thus deleting them from the card during import.
I have a few powershell scripts that I wrote (I know Windows) that copy the files depending on the situation.
One creates a folder on my external SSD in the structure of Drive/Year/Month/Day then copies the files into it and also does the same on the internal drive of my laptop. This one is used when I'm away from home to get me two copies.
The second script is used once I get home and it copies all photos from the internal SSD to my NAS which is backed up to Backblaze on a nightlighty basis.
The third script is used when I'm at home and copying files for the first time from the SD card. It copies to the external SSD and the NAS at the same time.
The fourth script is used on a semi regular basis when I'm done working with photos and copies all the external SSD to the NAS.
All of these scripts COPY and not move the files. I only ever format the cards once I verify that everything is in two places, either internal SSD, external SSD or NAS. Critical photo shoots will also be written to dual SD cards as a backup.
You can transfer files from a Nikon to a computer using SnapBridge wirelessly or via a cable. Then format the card in camera.
I use a modified version of #4 ... "the most efficient way" ... I make sure the files copied to my computer are backed up to two separate drives BEFORE I format the SD card.
FWIW I reformat my card every time I have finished uploading the images to my computer AND have backed those images up to an external drive. Card mismanagement issues are fairly rare but when they occur they can wreck havoc! As I have about 10 cards in continuous rotation I've found it is essential to follow a standard routine. So I purchase a plastic tray with 3 main compartments which I label "Waiting to Upload," "Uploaded Waiting For Backup," and "Ready to Format and Use." This sidesteps the "Whoops I was sure I had uploaded that card" screwup that I once experienced when I hadn't uploaded the card before reformatting it and therefore had lost every image!
I also remove the card from the camera and transfer the files to two different drives on my computer (Once I've finished editing the images I remove the extra backup files). I replace the card back in the camera and format it. I also check contents when putting another card in the camera and format if there are files on it (And cry when I realize I hadn't transferred those files to the computer from a forgotten photo shoot 😂).
I have to say you blow mine mind away with the towel analogy, granted I am an IT person so it took me a minute to grasp it.
This my date myself but I will give you another way to understand the formatting vs erasing.
Think of it as a Kardex System, on one side, you have a file cabinet with multiple drawers and separation inside the drawers, each drawer and separation has an identification and holds folders (files/pictures) with information. On the other side you have a set of, let us say, library cards that record where a file/picture was stored inside the cabinet, so when you want to find it again, you would look for it in the library card which then will point you to the physical location of the file/picture inside the cabinet, so you don't have to peruse the file cabinet drawers until you find the file/picture.
So deleting your photos is like taking a cabinet drawer or folders inside the drawer to the trash, while getting rid of the photos, it does remove the entry from the library card (a bit more complicated in reality but just trying to get the analogy across). Formatting on the other hand will take the files/pictures and library card to the trash and get a new set of library cards to start over.
Hopefully not over complicated.
I delete or format the SD card directly on camera, but just after copying and editting the photos on PC. Basically, I use the SD card as a temporary backup.
Most cameras also have a way to select multiple files for deletion. I use a camera's delete multiple function to delete the N oldest files when SD card nearly full.
Interesting! I always wonder if deleting in camera is wise!
Mark,
You mentioned a few good things about the sd card but I have to tell you my way. (Everyone has a better way some say. LoL
As a freelance photographer, I must have the shots to turn in to whoever. Here is my method which is similar to yours but has the little extra amount of safety.
After the shoot at home I remove the battery for recharging and the SD card from my camera.
Then I place the card in my desktop computer's card slot to download.
Then I make a "day and subject" file name and save the photos to it.
After they are reliably saved on my desktop computer, I remove the SD card and place it back in my camera.
Then I make my backup files.
Then comes the post editing if required and any other backups as needed.
From there I'm basically finished. If you ask why I don't reformat the SD card directly after downloading the reason is for safety.
When I get another assignment in a day, week, or ????, I first prepare my photographic equipment.
If I don't cycle my batteries around, I at least know they are good. For the SD card, that is when I reformat it.
Once or twice I have accidentally hit an incorrect button which screwed things up. I hope you have never made a goofup like that before since it makes your heart skip a beat.
If anything should go wrong I at least have my origional SD card copy as a backup.
With Mac and maybe also with Windows. After you have deleted the files from your SD card with your computer, you must also empty your recycle bin before removing the SD card
Majority of the time I transfer my images via the usb cable. When I have made a backup copy I format the card. ESD (electro static discharge) has the potential of damaging sd cards. Yes sd cards are pretty resilient these days. When I worked in an electronics repair lab the benches and floors were grounded to avoid static discharges. Static discharge can reduce the life span of most electronic components. If I need to fit a fresh card I avoid touching the contacts.