I have been using a SanDisk 60MB CF card in my Canon EOS DSLR 50D camera. The card is already formatted and has a few pics on it. I was looking at the pics on the card on my camera and didn’t find the pic I needed. I put in another card and found the pic. Then I put the first card back in and my camera says, “card not formatted format card with this camera.” I took the card out and reinserted it. Same message. I put a new card in and tried to format the new card and it will not format. There is no lock switch on either card. The pins in the camera appear to be clean and none of the pins appear to be bent. Battery is fully charged. Any ideas on why I’m suddenly having a card issue?
1.Try removing camera battery, leave it out for a few minutes then refit it. 2.Try reformatting the card in your PC before putting it in your camera (then format again in the camera), 3.Try a brand new card that hasn't been used in your PCs card reader, Some card readers, especially cheap ones, can distort the sockets on the card and prevent it making proper contact when fitted in the camera. If all else fails then you probably have a fault with the in-camera card reader and a repair will be necessary.
It could be due to the card being pulled out while the camera was still on, or the battery was dead. Have you tried using the card on a different device? If it's working fine then Reset the camera settings to factory defaults. Or, if the card has issues then you need to format the cards using the computer. Use the FAT32 file system, which is commonly used by cameras. I would also recommend to inspect the card slot again and make sure there is no debris or dust.
I put the card in my card reader and connected it to my laptop and I am able to view all the pictures currently on it. The battery was freshly charged, but I might have pulled the card out while the camera was on. I don’t have another device to use the card on, other than my laptop. I put a brand new card in my camera and I can’t format that card now. I inspected the card slot several times and there are no damaged pins or debris.
I have question about CF memory card. Is there any reason to use such one on camera with SD and CF slot? What advantages is if using both?
Generally over the years CF has been considered faster and more durable. You can bend pins inside the camera however, but SD contacts can brass and have issues with being read from heavy use. CF has been the professional standard.. especially when looking for fast brst speeds. Advantage with both - you can write backup images as you shoot or have it do raw to cf and jpg to sd so you have something to actively cull through immediately, some people love having that as part of their workflow.
Yes, there are a few reasons why you might want to use a CompactFlash (CF) card alongside an SD card in a camera that has both slots. You can assign RAW to CF and JPEG to SD, keeping large RAW files on the faster card and smaller files on the SD. Pro Tip: If you're shooting high-speed sports, wildlife, weddings, or professional video, CF cards can be a great choice for speed and reliability. If you just need general storage, SD cards may be more practical and cost-effective.
