Formatting SD card

[JoLeady]

Not sure if this is the right spot for this, but I have a new 4GB "Super Talent" 150X SD card. My Pentax DL recorded on it fine, but when I tried to retrieve the pics the laptop (Windows XP Professional) said it wasn't formatted. I took the pics off using the upload cable instead and then formatted the disk in Windows...NOW the camera says it's not formatted. HELP?

[JoLeady]

Re: Formatting SD card

Problem solved - I reformatted it without a name and it works now.

[Ian]

Re: Formatting SD card

Jo, I'm not sure the *istD range are compatible with SD cards over 2GB. Higher than that and you are into SDHC territory and that is a standard that is only just emerging. I'll have to check as it's possible Pentax has added compatibility with a firmware upgrade.

Can your card reader see the card properly now too and is its diaplsyed capacity 2GB or 4GB?

Ian

[Stephen]

Re: Formatting SD card

Jo, in my experience formatting any card using the computer XP or otherwise, has always been a nono. It is generally accepted that this must be done in camera

[JoLeady]

Re: Formatting SD card

Ian - all working well now, both in camera and 'puter and I must say it was great having the extra GBs now I'm recording RAW . The trick seems to have been using the format option in Explorer but leaving the volume label blank. I tried the format option on the camera when the camera wouldn't read it, by the way...it said it was formatting then just came back saying "card not formatted".

[Ian]

Re: Formatting SD card

Ian - all working well now, both in camera and 'puter and I must say it was great having the extra GBs now I'm recording RAW . The trick seems to have been using the format option in Explorer but leaving the volume label blank. I tried the format option on the camera when the camera wouldn't read it, by the way...it said it was formatting then just came back saying "card not formatted".

Hi Jo, Pentax issued a firmware upgrade for the *istDL (and other models) to enable SDHC compatibility earlier this month. See:

http://www.pentaximaging.com/customer_care/show_firmware?firmId=6552159

You should check to see if you have the latest firmware. It's highly unlikely that a typical external SD card reader will work properly with an SDHC card - which is what I reckon you have as it's more than 2GB in capacity. SDHC compatible card readers are still very rare.

Your best bet is to ensure you have the latest firmware, format the card using the camera menus, in the camera, and use the USB lead connected to the camera to transfer images to your PC.

Any other method is potentially risky.

Ian

[JoLeady]

Re: Formatting SD card

Thanks for hunting up that info Ian. I didn't have that update.

[spl]

Re: Formatting SD card

I found this discussion particularly interesting as I am just about to go and buy my first card reader. I use 1GB SD in my first dSLT being an ist* and read in the manual that you can ruin the card if the batteries of the camera run dry while loading the photos to the computer via USB cable from the camera and I have noticed that loading this way does tend to use up the battery power at an alarming rate so if you are using a full 4GB card I think you would be in grave danger of destroying the card by loading it from the camera unless of course you could get an ACDC cable to power the camera from a wall plug.