Steve'sDigicams

bourkedave · Oct 20, 2004, 3:59 PM

I was wondering if memory cards are similar to batteries in that if I keep downloading my images every day and only using a fraction of what my card is capable of, will this affect the life of the card? Or the capacity as can happen with rechargable batteries if they are not fully charged and run down?

Dave B.

gruss · Oct 21, 2004, 9:09 AM

No

capacity stays the same, like a hard drive, floppy etc

Mikefellh · Oct 21, 2004, 1:07 PM

But they can develop errors from time to time or get corrupt from multiple writings and erasings...it's a good idea to format them from time to time using the CAMERA'S FORMAT option, do NOT format the card via the computer.

If I've taken more than a few pictures, I'll use the format option rather than the erase option (on my camera format is faster when there's a lot of pictures). In two years I haven't lost a picture or had a corrupt card.

segbert · Oct 31, 2004, 2:39 AM

All flash memory, which is used in these cards, hence the name flash card, is cabable of a large but finite number of write/erase cycles. I do not know the specs for the camera cards, but the flash program memory in Microchip PIC processor chips is rated for 10000 cycles.

If you take only a few pictures, erase them, and repeat, you are banging the flash memory cells at the begining of the card with considerably more erase cycles than if you filled up the card before erasing. However, assuming 10k cycles, you could erase your card once a day and it should last for 27 years. By then we will be storing our terapixel holograms in crystals, so it's probably not worth sweating, just erase your card when the need arises.

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Oct 20, 2004, 3:59 PM	#1
bourkedave Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 6	I was wondering if memory cards are similar to batteries in that if I keep downloading my images every day and only using a fraction of what my card is capable of, will this affect the life of the card? Or the capacity as can happen with rechargable batteries if they are not fully charged and run down? Dave B.

Oct 21, 2004, 9:09 AM	#2
gruss Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 30	No capacity stays the same, like a hard drive, floppy etc

Oct 21, 2004, 1:07 PM	#3
Mikefellh Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 1,707	But they can develop errors from time to time or get corrupt from multiple writings and erasings...it's a good idea to format them from time to time using the CAMERA'S FORMAT option, do NOT format the card via the computer. If I've taken more than a few pictures, I'll use the format option rather than the erase option (on my camera format is faster when there's a lot of pictures). In two years I haven't lost a picture or had a corrupt card.

Oct 31, 2004, 2:39 AM	#4
segbert Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 51	All flash memory, which is used in these cards, hence the name flash card, is cabable of a large but finite number of write/erase cycles. I do not know the specs for the camera cards, but the flash program memory in Microchip PIC processor chips is rated for 10000 cycles. If you take only a few pictures, erase them, and repeat, you are banging the flash memory cells at the begining of the card with considerably more erase cycles than if you filled up the card before erasing. However, assuming 10k cycles, you could erase your card once a day and it should last for 27 years. By then we will be storing our terapixel holograms in crystals, so it's probably not worth sweating, just erase your card when the need arises.