Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2016/05/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]My motto is: If your audience is not too technical. Then try to explain to them in a way they understand. Leaving out some details is part of that. There is no spec that says a camera can not do a low level format, but then too, there is no camera (model or company) that I know of that performs a low lever format.... all nerdy info. Face it, it IS voodoo.... or was that doo-doo? Nerdy Doo-Doo..... The entire point is that if your card starts acting funny, then it is appropriate to do a low level format on your computer. Then a format operation IS REQUIRED in your camera. As I said, they are 2 different things.... For those of you that are almost asleep...... in actuality Richard and I ARE being nerdy.... but we agree that you MUST format using your camera, preferably every time you want to dump your existing data and start over.... I think Kyle started this,,,, what's your status? Frank Filippone Red735i at verizon.net Frank, I don't want to get into bitty-details, but "the computer" can, and by default, does a quick format where the contents are not zeroed out. Likewise, there is no requirements that a in-camera format to not to do a low level format. It's all depending on the firmware. FAT/ex-FAT specs are specs, either they adhere to it, or not. Then there are wearing level optimizations on the card firmware vs. in-camera. Any way, it's kind of like magic, but let's not make it into voodoo ;-) On Tue, May 17, 2016 at 1:02 PM, Frank Filippone <red735i at verizon.net> wrote: > There is a common mistake here..... > > First of all, the Camera format is very different than a card format.... > The following is a simplified tutorial so we get stuff clear. > > During a LOW LEVEL in-the-computer format, the card is completely > formatted, including the files and the file directory.... it IS now empty. > Blank. NADA. Like new. > During in-the-Camera format, the basic File Directory is modified. > Old entries are deleted, and therefore, the card "looks" blank to the > OS. The Image Files are still there, but the directions to the file > locations have been wiped clean so the camera ( or computer) can not > locate them. A set of directories is put on the card so the camera can > write or read to it... > they really are directory ( or Folder, whichever language you speak) > locations with camera known names, nothing more. > > The Correct Computer based formatting for a SDHC ( or really any) card > is > FAT32 ( up to and including 32GB) or exFAT( for 64GB or more)...... > NOT NTFS.. NTFS is what your computer (Windows or MAC OS-whatever) > wants to do when you ask it to format anything. To be clear, NTFS is > the WRONG format for these cards.. > See this: > http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/312/~/formatting-a-memor > y-card,-flash-drive-or-device-using-a-pc > > Here is the location of the SD Association freebie card formatter.... > https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/ > Download and run it on your card in the computer. > After you do that, THEN you MUST format in the camera.....remember, > this is a DIFFERENT type of formatting..... and does different things.... > > If your card starts acting funny, you should go to the computer,. > Download any images you can using whatever methods or programs you > want. THEN do an in-the-computer format. This may make the card useable > again..... > > If the card is formatted by the computer WRONG, strange results WILL > happen. > > Comment... if you have performed a format by way of your camera, you > can recover the lost images. If you have formatted the card in the > computer, you are SOL. Your images are lost. > > Will any of this "fix" the M10 slow startup time? I don?t know, but > it is a quick experiment that might just work..... > > Frank Filippone > Red735i at verizon.net > > No offense, but it is my understanding that you should NEVER format > camera cards in a computer. Always format them in the camera you plan > to shoot them in. >