how do you format your memory cards

[spudhead]

So I am just sorting through a pile of memory cards and placing the files on on hard drives since they are raw files, I may have been a bit lazy in formatting my cards, and maybe I should have done more than just the standard Sony naming and numbering. And maybe I should set a new file for each outing so what do you do with your cards in camera?

 

[iain clyne]

As above.

 

[Unframed Dave]

Me too.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I set the folder name format to “date” so it makes a fresh folder for each day’s shooting with names like 101ymmdd where y is last digit if year, and mm did are month and day. So if I use a card two days before uploading, the shots are organised by day.

I upload, backup, then format card in camera, too.

 

[iamdlewis]

I use CapOne to import the files to a folder with the Date and Location of the outing and have that delete all the files after transfer. Then every now and then I will format the card either after I complete an import or when the card is in the camera or when I think about it I'll just gather all the cards and spend 10 mins formating them.

 

[Landshark99]

format in camera and then name the folders they get copied to on the hard drive

 

[DaveC Oz]

Format in camera. I setup each camera to save files with a model prefix e.g. A7CR At the beginning of each year I make a folder for the year with a subfolder for each month, with each of these having a folder for RAW and for JPG. Transfer to computer hard drive as soon as possible after shooting. Back up to external drives at the end of each month, or even daily if they are shots of significance like weddings etc.

 

[AlphaWorld]

I use CapOne to import the files to a folder with the Date and Location of the outing and have that delete all the files after transfer. Then every now and then I will format the card either after I complete an import or when the card is in the camera or when I think about it I'll just gather all the cards and spend 10 mins formating them.

I wouldn’t do this for two reasons:

• I prefer not to have the computer writing to the card
• I don‘t delete the files from the card until I have confirmed that they are readable on the computer, AND are backed up to a second drive. I haven’t had a misread from a card yet, but it is possible.

 

[pointreyes]

Use the camera for formatting the card.
I use a software program called Downloader Pro.
I no longer bother with naming the files in the camera. I have camera profiles stored in the software. It can tell which files have already been loaded onto the computer folder so that I can select whatever new files I want exported to the drive. The software allows me to set it up to have the following format:
Camera Model_yymmdd_{last digit of the folder}filesequence
The last digit of the folder is how I never have a repeating sequence on that camera since the normal formatting of folders on the card is
100 with 9,999 images then
101 with 9,999 images then
102 with 9,999 images etc.

For example, for my A1 if I took 2,000 images today and the sequence caused a folder to switch the files would be:
A1_240131_09999.ARW
A1_240131_10001.ARW

 

[AlphaWorld]

Use the camera for formatting the card.
I use a software program called Downloader Pro.
I no longer bother with naming the files in the camera. I have camera profiles stored in the software. It can tell which files have already been loaded onto the computer folder so that I can select whatever new files I want exported to the drive. The software allows me to set it up to have the following format:
Camera Model_yymmdd_{last digit of the folder}filesequence
The last digit of the folder is how I never have a repeating sequence on that camera since the normal formatting of folders on the card is
100 with 9,999 images then
101 with 9,999 images then
102 with 9,999 images etc.

For example, for my A1 if I took 2,000 images today and the sequence caused a folder to switch the files would be:
A1_240131_09999.ARW
A1_240131_10001.ARW

Neat technique for dealing with the crossing on the folder boundary. Just make sure not to shoot more than 100 000 images in a day, I guess

(Yeah, yeah, never going to do that, even with the A9 V shooting 11 000 frames per second for compositing at an atomic level…)

 

[Unframed Dave]

I set the folder name format to “date” so it makes a fresh folder for each day’s shooting with names like 101ymmdd where y is last digit if year, and mm did are month and day. So if I use a card two days before uploading, the shots are organised by day.

I upload, backup, then format card in camera, too.

I'm going to try this.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

I import in Bridge, also by date shot, and then reformat in camera every time I go out and start afresh

 

[iamdlewis]

I wouldn’t do this for two reasons:

• I prefer not to have the computer writing to the card
• I don‘t delete the files from the card until I have confirmed that they are readable on the computer, AND are backed up to a second drive. I haven’t had a misread from a card yet, but it is possible.

Formatting is formatting, yes on the computer you have more options on what types of file settings you want but the default FAT is what the camera does. The computer will also have more tools to correct any errors on the card. The card or camera or computer isn't going to know where the card was formatted.
If a file isn't readable CapOne will not import it, it will generate an error message and not delete the file, this comes from experience. The folder my files are imported to are automatically copied to my RAID setup. All that manual copy activity is really not necessary when even cheap external drives come with tools for automatically backing up files.

 

[iamdlewis]

Spud, this brings up a question. If memory serves, you never clear your cards, right? You leave the files on them and when full just start a new card?

Since we seem to have added uploading and organization to the discussion, I do it by creating a folder in the desired location, name it appropriately, then simply drag and drop from the card. If it was an event where I used two cameras, I create a folder for each one. That leaves all the files on the card which is then formatted in the camera after I'm sure everything has been culled/processed etc.

Does the editing tool you use not allow you to create a new folder when importing?

CapOne allows me to select or create a subfolder when importing. I find loading the files this just skips the step of then needing to import them from some other location.

I personally do not setup different folder for different cameras for the same outing I just put them all in one. The RAW files have prefixes that identify the camera so I can easily find images. Once the files are edited they are renamed as I don't care at that point what the camera was.

 

[spudhead]

Spud, this brings up a question. If memory serves, you never clear your cards, right? You leave the files on them and when full just start a new card?

Since we seem to have added uploading and organization to the discussion, I do it by creating a folder in the desired location, name it appropriately, then simply drag and drop from the card. If it was an event where I used two cameras, I create a folder for each one. That leaves all the files on the card which is then formatted in the camera after I'm sure everything has been culled/processed etc.

I don`t clear them normally I am just starting to think this is a bit crazy and I have started thinking about clearing them to reuse. I have always dumped the raws on an hard drive but it when I look at the hard drive I realise it is just a list of dates and Sony file names. So I just wondered if people formatted the cards better than I have bothered to do in the past

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I wouldn’t do this for two reasons:

• I prefer not to have the computer writing to the card
• I don‘t delete the files from the card until I have confirmed that they are readable on the computer, AND are backed up to a second drive. I haven’t had a misread from a card yet, but it is possible.

I copy to a holding area on hard disk using a sync program so I only get new pics copied in any session.

That holding area acts as a sort of backup of unprocessed files, but not seriously so as it is only meant to be temporary. But I keep a couple of months in hand when I clear it down.

When I clear it, I don't delete the files, I just copy emptiness (us UnixLinux folk call it /dev/null) to them, so that my sync (from camera) program doesn't copy them again.

Neat technique for dealing with the crossing on the folder boundary. Just make sure not to shoot more than 100 000 images in a day, I guess

(Yeah, yeah, never going to do that, even with the A9 V shooting 11 000 frames per second for compositing at an atomic level…)

I don't mind how many folders I get in a day. Camera always starts a new one per day; I start another new one for each event. I keep these folder names, with event name appended, on the computer. Thus they are always in chronological order

Formatting is formatting, yes on the computer you have more options on what types of file settings you want but the default FAT is what the camera does. The computer will also have more tools to correct any errors on the card. The card or camera or computer isn't going to know where the card was formatted.

It is going to know, and does. "Formatting" in Sony Land may include the basic FAT, but also includes setting up the Sony folder structure and the image database. So even if a card is PC-formatted, the camera will want it Sony formatted. I just use the quick format. Maybe I'll do an annual full format.

I just-about-never take my card out of the camera. Transfers are wireless for social-media stuff to mobile device and by USB cable to the PC.

I'll get FTP working one day. But I'm not much fussed as the cable does the job, and goes on to top up the battery afterwards.

 

[iamdlewis]

It is going to know, and does. "Formatting" in Sony Land may include the basic FAT, but also includes setting up the Sony folder structure and the image database. So even if a card is PC-formatted, the camera will want it Sony formatted. I just use the quick format. Maybe I'll do an annual full format.

The file structure in the card will get setup to any card upon bootup of the camera if the camera doesn't find the file structure it is looking for. This is why you can use a card in a Sony and then put it in a Canon or Nikon or whatever and it will work without needing to format the card. If cameras used unique formatting structures the cards would inevitably run into issues with some OS not being able to recognize the structure and potential issues between generations of cameras.

 

[AlphaWorld]

The file structure in the card will get setup to any card upon bootup of the camera if the camera doesn't find the file structure it is looking for. This is why you can use a card in a Sony and then put it in a Canon or Nikon or whatever and it will work without needing to format the card. If cameras used unique formatting structures the cards would inevitably run into issues with some OS not being able to recognize the structure and potential issues between generations of cameras.

Actually, all cameras use DCF (defined as a JEITA standard - first version specified over two decades ago). It's a standardised card layout defined by a committee; created a long time ago, which is why we get so many old-fashioned restrictions like 8.3 file names. So it's not like the Canon layout is significantly different from the Sony or the Nikon. (for contrast, I was working on CD-ROM before the definition of the High Sierra standard - we were accessing data as raw sectors on the disc, specifying them either by block number or by hour/minute/second/block - High Sierra became ISO-9660, and Joliet was laid on top) Be glad that DCF simplified matters! DCF is one of the reasons that PCs and Macs can read cards from any camera without having to worry about which camera formatted them.

Sony does add their mysterious "database" on top of DCF / DCIM, but that doesn't affect the where the images go - that's the same on every brand (images go into the DCOM folder). I haven't looked hard, but I haven't read any details of the content of that "database". And yes, your Sony camera will create that "database" if it finds that the card doesn't have it already. I still prefer to format the card in camera.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

"Formatting" in Sony Land may include the basic FAT, but also includes setting up the Sony folder structure and the image database.

The file structure in the card will get setup to any card upon bootup of the camera if the camera doesn't find the file structure it is looking for.

Could my previous post have been correct at some time in the past? I'm sure I didn't dream it up! (which doesn't mean that I absolutely didn't.)

If cameras used unique formatting structures the cards would inevitably run into issues with some OS not being able to recognize the structure

I'm surprised that that bothers the manufacturers. Obviously, the basic exfat structure, files, folders, etc must be according to standard and readable in other devices, eg any card reader.

 

[Clix Pix]

I always format my cards in the camera, never in the computer, after they have been used in a shooting session. Since I have several cameras I have each set set up with a designation in the name which tells me which camera it is that shot the images. For example, I have RXC as the designation for the RX10 IV camera, A1C as the designation for the A1, and A7R as the designation for the A7R V. Sometimes I do use two cameras in the same shooting session or on the same day. I've been known to have everything put away and then see another photo op happening out on the lake and I grab a camera and rush out to my deck.

After I shoot, I run the card(s) through the card reader which I leave plugged into the computer, and then before doing anything else I check to be sure that all is well., no corrupted files, etc. I do not use any software to import the images into an editing program; I transfer the images directly to the desktop. I look quickly at the contents of each folder and rename them with the day's date and an indication of the subject ("02/15/2024 Kingfisher on Pier" and/or "02/15/2024 Flower Macro").

Once that's done, I then take the card(s) back to the camera(s) and format them so that they are fresh and ready to go for the next time I've got the camera(s) out for a shoot. At that time, too, I take the lens(es) off and put the camera(s) and lens(es) back into the cabinet where I store them.

Sometimes I cull and edit immediately, but a lot of times I don't and save that for a later time. When I do cull, I discard the RAW files that I know I'll never get around to editing anyway and have a significantly smaller folder of the files that I plan to edit. After editing, I name each image according to the subject ("Kingfisher With Fish in Mouth" "Kingfisher Gazing to His Left") and put that in the folder that is the current month (or, if I'm behind in editing, the folder for the month in which I had shot the image(s).

When going on a photo expedition, say for a day or an afternoon, I always charge up two or three extra batteries and ensure that I have a couple of extra formatted, fresh ready-to-go CFE Type A or SD cards with me as well.