HELP! Corrupting cards!!!

erphoto · Sep 16, 2012

Advice needed.

I have two cameras, a 40d and a 5d mark II. Friday, after a senior session in which I had taken a few pictures with my 40d, 16GB sandisk card, I reviewed the pictures in my camera. Put the camera in my bag and when I got home and inserted the card, the images were gone. They weren't visible on the 40d anymore either. I had to run a deep scan to recover said images. I assumed I had left the camera on in the bag, somehow the menu button got pushed and with the jostling around, the okay got hit for formatting. Who knows. I also had a wedding yesterday where I did not use the card because I was afraid it might be corrupt.

So today, I had an engagement shoot. I put an 8gb card into my 5d mark ii and shot the whole session with that. Then I reviewed the images in camera again and when I inserted the card, the images were not there. However, they were viewable in camera. Again, I've had to run deep scan to recover the images.

Seeing as this has now happened with 2 different cameras,with 2 different cards, would you say that by putting the card in the reader, the reader is corrupting them? Is that even possible? Can that occur? AND now that I've had issue with the card reader corrupting my cards (If that's the case) can just reformatting them in the camera save them for future use or do I need to ditch and restock? The 16gb is only about a year or two old.

Derrel · Sep 16, 2012

I think the card reader MIGHT have a bent pin, or a bad connection on the cord "somewhere", at most likely, the end where the cord joins the CF card reader. Or the card reader is "messed up" in some way,shape, or form.

erphoto · Sep 16, 2012

Thanks for your quick reply, Derrel. When my card reader is done with the deep scan I'm running to recover the files I'll take a look!

erphoto · Sep 17, 2012

My card reader has no bent prongs.

I've had it for a reallly, reallllly long time though. I only pulled it out of storage about 2 months ago because my other reader quit reading the cf cards. Does anyone have a suggestion for a reader that uses firewire connection?

Looks like I'm in the market for a new card reader.

Thanks!

erphoto · Sep 18, 2012

ANYONE? HELP?

Superfitz · Sep 18, 2012

erphoto said:
ANYONE? HELP?

Amazon has a bunch...they even have helpful reviews to assist in your decision.

MLeeK · Sep 18, 2012

Try plugging the camera in to the computer with the card in it and pulling the images off that way. I'm with Derrel and I think it's something to do with your card reader somewhere.

Derrel · Sep 18, 2012

erphoto said:
My card reader has no bent prongs. I've had it for a reallly, reallllly long time though. I only pulled it out of storage about 2 months ago because my other reader quit reading the cf cards. Does anyone have a suggestion for a reader that uses firewire connection? Looks like I'm in the market for a new card reader.

Thanks!

I have had a Lexar Firewire card reader, CF I and II style ONLY, for multiple years--the kind that uses the BIG, husky "6-pin" Firewire connections on both ends, and it works well. I also have a much newer Lexar Multi-Card reader that uses the small, cheezy USB 2.0 connection system, and it's wonky...the connection in the card-reader end was acting up for a while...I took the cord out of the reader and the computer, and Q-tipped the connection ends with alcohol and then a clean cloth...seems to have stopped the issue....although it is somewhat pokey on transfer speeds, and I have to wait too long for DL's to complete on the USB 2.0 reader. The "old" Lexar 6-pin Firewire CF card reader OTOH has dl'd for 7 YEARS without a problem. Not one,single issue. I need to get a newer, better, Thunderbolt-equipped CF card reader, or multi-format reader to replace the USB 2.0 model I think...

MLeeK · Sep 18, 2012

Do you have a camera bag with a magnetic closure on it? Some laptop bags, purses, etc have those magnetic snaps. I've heard of problems. I don't know if it's true or not!
When was the last time your memory cards were completely reformatted and run through a good program for checking them out?
I use MediaRECOVER to check mine out and do a repair.

erphoto · Sep 18, 2012

The camera plugged into the computer was also unable to read the cards. I had to use data recovery software to save the pictures I lost.

And no, no magnetic enclosures or magnets of any kind in or on my bag. I really think it was the card reader. I've got a new one on order from amazon. Since they are phasing out CF cards, options are getting kind of limited.

Thanks to all of you who gave helpful and not snarky advice. I appreciate it.

ceejtank · Sep 18, 2012

erphoto said:
Since they are phasing out CF cards, options are getting kind of limited.

Source?

All cameras I've purchased/seen lately have CF cards..

including the brand new 5D mark III
Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : EOS 5D Mark III

erphoto · Sep 18, 2012

Really? It was an observation I made stores electronics stores and even camera stores no longer sell cf cards or cf card readers. Plus, the 6D just came out... Guess what? It doesn't use a CF card.

ceejtank · Sep 18, 2012

erphoto said:
Really? It was an observation I made stores electronics stores and even camera stores no longer sell cf cards or cf card readers. Plus, the 6D just came out... Guess what? It doesn't use a CF card.

The lack of an option doesn't mean somethings being phased out. None of the recent cameras have CCD sensors, yet the largest camera sensor was just made using 62 CCD sensors (Berkeley Lab Sensors Enable First Light for the Dark Energy Camera - ScienceNewsline). The 6d does just have SD capabilities, however many new cameras still have CF for the fact that they are still very quick, and they are more stable. I'mnot trying to pick and argument, but I don't think CF cards are phasing out because the 6D doesn't have them.

MLeeK · Sep 18, 2012

Consumer electronics and lower end cameras are using the SD cards. Professional ones are adding a secondary SD on some models, but CF isn't going anywhere. They are less susceptible to failure/more durable. CF has a better transfer rate, although the newest SD cards are pretty damn impressive. They're closing whatever gap is left there. The external connections in an SD card are supposedly more of a risk. I guess it makes sense.
I'd step on a CF card with no worries. Totally killed an SD card I stepped on after dropping it and not noticing till it was too late.

Superfitz · Sep 18, 2012

erphoto said:
The camera plugged into the computer was also unable to read the cards. I had to use data recovery software to save the pictures I lost. And no, no magnetic enclosures or magnets of any kind in or on my bag. I really think it was the card reader. I've got a new one on order from amazon. Since they are phasing out CF cards, options are getting kind of limited.

Thanks to all of you who gave helpful and not snarky advice. I appreciate it.

You can get cf cards from amazon too.