Another Sandisk Extreme III bites the dust..

Percy · 02-03-07, 10:02 PM

Yep, had ANOTHER one fail on me without warning. Can't format, can't read it, nothing. The computer says it's an "unreadable" 67 gigs!

Good thing I keep other 4 gig cards around. Time to call sandisk for a e3 4 gig replacement and Lexar for a 2g 80x pro replacement.

What's scarry so far is that NONE of my 100x Kingstons have failed, even though I subject them to the same amount of torture. Most of the Kingstons are older than my Sandisk e3s!

Percy

RA40 · 02-04-07, 02:46 AM

Thanks for the update.
Any stats on these cards you can provide? Particularly, I'm curious how long the card has been in service. (Year first purchased)

I haven't prepared for the time when I have a failure like this in the field. Though I shoot across several cards, sometimes, I've done a whole job on one card not realizing the possible consequences.

lighthalo · 02-05-07, 12:59 AM

how come i only hear about CF cards failing? do other higher capacity cards fail also? say if i were to buy a 4gig memory stick duo pro , does it have the same chance of failing as a 4 gig CF card.. ?

Woogie · 02-05-07, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lighthalo

how come i only hear about CF cards failing? do other higher capacity cards fail also? say if i were to buy a 4gig memory stick duo pro , does it have the same chance of failing as a 4 gig CF card.. ?

CF cards go into cameras that are very money-making oriented, if you know what I mean. CF cards are used by DSLRs and DSLR are used for work all the time - sometimes quite extensively. Some DSLR users go through 10s of thousands of actuations every month. That puts a lot of wear on their camera bodies, including their memory cards.

P&Sers barely go through 500 shots a month.

The application is different so you'll have a lot higher demand for high quality, long lasting cards from those who shoot for a living. Imagine going out there and shooting 2 - 4 gigs for your clients. You come home and realize that all 2-4 gigs of work have been lost due to card failure.

Regarding your 4 gig duo pro - I'd stick with (2) 2 gigs. It's a tad bit of an inconvenience, but it's not good to put all your eggs in one basket. If the card fails, you lose all your pictures.

lighthalo · 02-05-07, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woogie

CF cards go into cameras that are very money-making oriented, if you know what I mean. CF cards are used by DSLRs and DSLR are used for work all the time - sometimes quite extensively. Some DSLR users go through 10s of thousands of actuations every month. That puts a lot of wear on their camera bodies, including their memory cards.

P&Sers barely go through 500 shots a month.

The application is different so you'll have a lot higher demand for high quality, long lasting cards from those who shoot for a living. Imagine going out there and shooting 2 - 4 gigs for your clients. You come home and realize that all 2-4 gigs of work have been lost due to card failure.

Regarding your 4 gig duo pro - I'd stick with (2) 2 gigs. It's a tad bit of an inconvenience, but it's not good to put all your eggs in one basket. If the card fails, you lose all your pictures.

thanks,
the reason i ask is because i have the sony alpha and it came with memory stick duo pro to CF adaptor (so i can use either)

also.. i only hear its the 4+ gig CF cards that have the problem... is this true?

Percy · 02-05-07, 06:10 PM

No, ALL CF cards will eventually fail, no matter how good they are. I've had 1 gig Lexars fail, 1 gig Sandisks, 2 gig Lexars, 4 gig microdrives and 4 gig Extreme III's fail.

The only REAL safe way is to shoot redundant. In the newer EOS 1 cameras, they have an option to mirror data to both a CF AND a SD card. Very highly unlikely that both will fail.

lighthalo · 02-05-07, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Percy

No, ALL CF cards will eventually fail, no matter how good they are. I've had 1 gig Lexars fail, 1 gig Sandisks, 2 gig Lexars, 4 gig microdrives and 4 gig Extreme III's fail.

The only REAL safe way is to shoot redundant. In the newer EOS 1 cameras, they have an option to mirror data to both a CF AND a SD card. Very highly unlikely that both will fail.

in your experience, is there a particular brand you recommend? one that hasnt failed as often i guess? do you see faster cards failing more or slower cards? or does it mainly just depend on the use?

thx

Woogie · 02-05-07, 08:39 PM

RA40 started this thread not too long ago, asking which brand of cards people preferred the most. This will answer part of your question, lighthalo.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/digital-photography/257699-what-memory-cards-do-you-use.html

RA40 · 02-05-07, 10:11 PM

Right now, most my 1-2G Sandisk Ultra II and E#'s that have been in use for 2 years have been relegated to the P&S and pooter for file swaps. I have a new batch of Sandisk E3's for critical work. It is no guarantee that a new card will not fail...I think the odds of an older card failing has a higher probability. Just a matter of when it happens.

I wonder if a program like memtest could be run on a flash card?

Percy · 02-05-07, 10:17 PM

The only cards, SO FAR, that have not failed with be the 100x Kingston cards. They take the same amount of beating that the E3 Sandisks have, even more so since they're older. What I've noticed on the Lexars is that the back cover eventually pops off and the frame bends. Professional use...no time for fiddling around with covers or containers...just have them at the ready for a quick swap, just like swapping out pistol/rifle magazines during competition. When you're a sports shooter, time is critical. Every second saved is another 8 frames of opportunity, that's if you have the faster EOS 1 digital cameras.

It takes an average person about 10 seconds to find the memory card, take it out of the little plastic case, reload the camera and then put away the case with the spent memory card. That's 85 frames, according to the EOS 1D M2 at full throttle.

Percy