The initial storage of our photographic endeavors rely on a small piece of equipment that is often misunderstood, misused or mishandled.  This article addresses the Compact Flash (CF) memory card as it is used in digital photography and how to prevent loss or corruption of data. CF Cards are solid state, which means they have no moving or mechanical parts. There are, however, many ways to corrupt the data on the card. Establishing safe habits will prevent most data corruption “accidents.”

TWO SECOND RULE:

Compact flash cards will corrupt if they are ejected while being written to. The 2 second rule is a good habit to establish. Allow 2 seconds after inserting the card before turning the camera on. When the card is placed in the camera, it is acknowledged electronically before the camera is even turned on. Allowing the camera a couple of seconds to process this information before turning it on will help prevent corruption.

Allow 2 seconds after turning camera off before removing card. If the camera’s buffer is full, it may take a few seconds before it will finish writing. All cameras and cards have different write speeds, so this time will vary. When the camera is finished processing, turn off, then count 2 seconds before removing the card.

COMPACT FLASH CARD STORAGE:

The CF card is quite sturdy.  Still, it is sensitive to static and electrical shock. It can handle a small shock, by since there is a risk if the shock is too great, it is safe practice to protect from all static. The best way is by storing the CF card in a plastic case. Most CF cards are sold in a small plastic case that will protect it from not only physical damage, but electrical damage as well.

TRANSFERRING DATA:

The same care must be taken while transferring data to a computer or other device. Never remove card from a reader while data is being transferred. Always use the proper method for ejecting a memory card from your system as you would any other removable media drive. If you are not sure of how your operating system handles ejecting a drive, contact technical support for your computer’s operating system for specifics on ejecting removable media.

CF CARDS AND AIRPORT SECURITY:

Compact flash cards that are either checked luggage or carry on baggage will not be harmed by airport security X-ray or passenger screening devices.

COMMON SENSE:

There are stories of CF cards withstanding all kinds of accidents and abuse, but it is certainly best to avoid extremes and protect your memory cards from potentially corruptible situations.

PREVENTING ACCIDENTAL OVERWRITING OF A CARD:

Another common accident resulting in lost images is writing new images over those not yet backed up. A good habit to establish is to press the camera’s play button after the card is inserted. If an image appears on the display, verify in your mind if you have backed that card up already before proceeding with reformatting. If there is no image, then proceed to reformat and verify that the card is indeed empty. If you shoot with more than one model of camera, it may be possible that one camera will not read images from another. But when the reformat option is selected, it should tell you how much of the card has data on it, if any. This is a real quick and easy habit to establish.

WHAT REFORMATTING IN CAMERA DOES:

Reformatting a CF memory card in camera does not erase images, it only resets the index directory. Think of the files as being hidden after formatting since they are no longer acknowledged. As you write new files to the card, the older data is replaced. This same principle applies when individual images are deleted in camera.

HOW TO RETRIEVE DATA FROM A CORRUPT or REFORMATTED COMPACT FLASH CARD:

When a card does happen to corrupt, or the card has been reformatted, the data can often be retrieved. A good program to have on hand in case of accidents is Rescue Pro by Sandisk. This link will take you to the SanDisk site where they have a free demo available for download for both Mac and Windows. The demo is fully functional, but it will not allow you to save any recovered data. The full version is currently $40, however, the full working version of Rescue Pro is included on a mini disc free when you purchase select SanDisk Compact Flash Cards. Amazon.com offers the 4 GB SanDisk Extreme III – one of the highest rated compact flash cards in the industry – for less than the price of the recovery program – and includes the Rescue Pro data recovery program. Be sure in the technical details that the product “Includes RescuePro data recovery software.” At the time of this writing, it does.

       

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