Camera memory cards as "back-up"

[Spirit Vision Photography]

Hello

With memory cards being so cheap these days, does anyone else here just insert a new card into their camera, and not reformat the old card that is full, using it as a back-up method?

Thanks

 

[Jeff15]

I use an external hard dive as back up, my SD cards get used many times over.....

 

[JoeW]

Hello

With memory cards being so cheap these days, does anyone else here just insert a new card into their camera, and not reformat the old card that is full, using it as a back-up method?

Thanks

Right now, I have 82,000 photos in either jpeg or RAW format. Some were shot on a D800 (so huge files). I'd have over 100 SD cards if I used them as storage.

Additionally, I have multiple bodies. So they use SD cards, XQD cards, and the CF cards. So I using memory cards for storage would be a major headache for me. This is especially true if I were to sell my D800 (which as the CF slot) and then I'd need to transfer all of the hypothetical files from my CF cards to other cards. Finally, by getting a mirrorless body, the Z6 has only the XQD slot--it won't read SD cards.

 

[RAZKY]

I back up on 2 external drives - since 2006, I've never had a reason to touch a memory card once it's in the camera.

 

[Strodav]

The 128GB mem cards I use on my D850, D500 and Z9 are $200 each. So no, I don't use them as backups. I download all raw images to a 2TB SSD in my desktop, then cull and import in LrC. I let LrC create a DNG file on a separate SSD, so I've got all the raw files backup and the dng copy of those images I decide to process. I backup both the raw files and DNG to an external 4TB WD Passport every few weeks.

 

[cgw]

Dunno but I routinely download card contents to storage. Cards then get cleared. I don't load cards with gazillions of images anyway when shooting.

Only thing stored on SD cards is music for the car and copies of microfilm frames.

 

[dunfly]

To me, backup involves two or more copies of each file in different locations. Just saving an SD card isn't a backup, it is just keeping a copy in one location, and a relatively unreliable one at that.

 

[Spirit Vision Photography]

Thanks. I do download them to an external SSD too. Just wondered if others leave the images on a card too.

Thanks

 

[snowbear]

There were a few people on another site that did this. Part of their reasoning was they'd never damage the card or images if they didn't put the dcards in a reader.

 

[Rickbb]

Mine have multiple copies scattered across several external drives and a cloud drive or two. Not by design mind you, just through evolution of technology. I’ve also found most cards to be less than a reliable long term storage.