CF Error - Card Problem - Is Lexar bad?

[TwincitiesJim]

I am a new owner of a 350D and have been shooting with it for about 25 days or so. I also got a Lexar 1Gb 80x card from newegg.com. The other day I was shooting photos of my daughter playing with a friend's daughter and I got a "CF 02" (or something like that). I turned off the camera and then turned it back on and it seemed to work okay, but 2 photos that I had just taken were now gone. Then I took a couple more pictures and the entire camera quit working and I got a "err CF" message.

When I got home, I tried to use the Photo Rescue software to recover my photos (I had several that I expected to come out very well from a play we went to). However, I could not even get the computer to recognize that a card was installed. It also did not work on my printer card reader.

I then did an online chat with Lexar support and they want me to send the card back to them. In order to recover the photos I have to wait 3-4 weeks plus shipping time for the new card to arrive assuming that they accept my RMA submission.

Now to my questions?

1.) Does this type of card failure happen often? I have used 3 smaller cards (for my s40) with no issues and have not heard of this happening to anyone I know. I did a search on this forum and there were not many posts related to it.

2.) Is Lexar more prone to this than others? I did some other searching and found some negative comments about Lexar (more than I expected), but very little about Sandisk (limited search).

3.) Does the time required to get a replacement seem reasonable? I tried to get them to send me a replacement while the one is on it's way to them, but they would not do so. That doesn't seem very customer friendly to me. I would have provided information so they could charge me if the other card did not get to them (for their protection), but they still would not do it.

4.) I've never bought from Newegg.com before and I always am worried that I will get screwed over in some way buying online. Is there some way to verify that the card was new and not something refurbished? Newegg has gotten excellent reviews, but who knows?

Thanks,

I am loving my camera by the way. I am definitely on the learning curve both with my photography skills and post processing, but I have managed to get quite a few shots that I really like and are much better than anything I managed with the S40.

Some of the photos on here are really amazing and let me know how much I have to learn.

 

[AndrejTM]

I've got the same problem; follow the link

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1031&thread=13508666

I certainly hope this is not a wide-spread problem.

Cheers!

 

[skies]

As I read many posts about Card errors, I'm beginning to have the idea that the Gigabyte cards are much more instable than a 128 or 256MB card for example. Am I wrong in this, or are there also many breakdowns in the lower range...

-------------------------------------------
Sky photography:
http://www.mdbsite.com/skies

 

[weirmg]

Please see my post from this morning -- possibly this is a Lexar problem -- I'm tempted to contact support and return it now!

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=13510624

 

[TwincitiesJim]

I would definitely contact tech support. As I stated in my post, they will try to recover the data at no charge if you are willing to wait 3-4 weeks.

That is what I am doing, but I still have not gotten confirmation that my RMA request was accepted. I'll update as I find out more

 

[weirmg]

I got my set-up from Ritz Camera and also purchase their $160 warrenty -- supposidly no questions asked -- let's now see if it covers the CF as well as the 350D -- this will be an interesting test -- I will ask them to take it back and get me a Sandisk CF instead -- I will not mind paying more for Sandisk if thats what it takes -- but I want to get rid of the Lexar card.

Possibly these same issues would take place with any other 1Gig card -- but after loosing my pics from yesterday -- I am so angry...

 

[bullet1]

1.) Does this type of card failure happen often? I have used 3
smaller cards (for my s40) with no issues and have not heard of
this happening to anyone I know. I did a search on this forum and
there were not many posts related to it.

Some folks have reported the same issues with the 80x Lexar CF cards. Canon EOS DSLRs and probably the whole line of PowerShot digicams do not support the WA technology that Lexar uses.

2.) Is Lexar more prone to this than others? I did some other
searching and found some negative comments about Lexar (more than I
expected), but very little about Sandisk (limited search).

The 20D and the 350D have the faster CF card access electronics which may not be compatible with the timing and protocols used by the WA specifications.

4.) I've never bought from Newegg.com before and I always am
worried that I will get screwed over in some way buying online. Is
there some way to verify that the card was new and not something
refurbished? Newegg has gotten excellent reviews, but who knows?

Newegg is an excellent+ company to do business with. I bought many computer and camera items from them. When I had some data integrity trouble with a 1GB Kingston Elite Pro card, they offered to take it back and gave me a full refund even without the original packaging. What a great company to do business with!

My advice is to avoid using Lexar WA type of CF cards on the 350D and 20D. My personal favorite is Sandisk Ultra II and regular. The following Sandisk cards gave me no trouble whatsoever on my 20D and 350D.

One 4GB Sandisk Ultra II
Two 2GB Sandisk Ultra II
Two 1GB Sandisk basic (new logo)
--
Nelson

 

[weirmg]

This is really good information -- as I want to take my Lexar 1GIG WA 80x CF card back (under my Ritz warranty) and ask for the Sandisk -- I would need to point to some type of technical data to further my case...

 

[ramerz]

The same thing happen to me with a Kingston Card. Barand new, right out of the package. Took a few pics and the "Err CF" came up. Basically the card was DEAD!

Sent it back to Kingston and had a new on in about 4 days. Some times you just get a bad card?

 

[TJB1973]

I got my set-up from Ritz Camera and also purchase their $160
warrenty -- supposidly no questions asked -- let's now see if it
covers the CF as well as the 350D -- this will be an interesting
test -- I will ask them to take it back and get me a Sandisk CF
instead -- I will not mind paying more for Sandisk if thats what it
takes -- but I want to get rid of the Lexar card.

Possibly these same issues would take place with any other 1Gig
card -- but after loosing my pics from yesterday -- I am so angry...

Which Lexar card do you have? If it's the 80X 1GB CF card (which by the way, has a $35 Ritz only rebate, which means the $139 drops to $104) which includes the Image Rescue software (not bad for being free, even though there are better), then one problem I've noticed is that you have to make sure you format the card before use. Failing to do so will cause some problems, such as data loss, which can happen with an non-formated CF card, although it is a rare occurrance. The lexar version is actually superior to the Sandisk version.

That said, so long as you go back to the store with a nice attitude, and you're within your ten day return/exchange period, and still have the packaging & receipt, the staff should take care of you, no problems. Just know that your ESP probably doesn't cover the CF card, it only covers the equipment listed on the service policy. Depending on which state you're in, the ESP may cover more than you think, but it's not an automatic 'no questions asked' They have to ask questions if they send it out for repair so the techs know what to checkand what problems to be aware of. And don't forget that since the ESP covers so many things (all but fire/loss), then you can even get around the sensor cleaning fees by sending it out for your clean & check/repair.

 

[TJB1973]

This is really good information -- as I want to take my Lexar 1GIG
WA 80x CF card back (under my Ritz warranty) and ask for the
Sandisk -- I would need to point to some type of technical data to
further my case...

weirmg, you don't need to 'further your case', you just need to be within your return policy period, and be polite about the issue when you go into the store. You get more bees with honey than with vinegar. And the ESP is probably not going to cover your CF card, unless you paid extra to have that accessory included. Ritz's ESP usually only covers cameras, lenses & flashes. Film, tripods, batteries, these usually aren't part of the deal.

Also, just because the Lexar card is WA-enabled doesn't mean that function interferes with non-WA cameras. Formatting the card prior to use is part of the initial set-up, and I've never seen a Lexar CF card that was properly formatted have any problem in a non-WA camera.

 

[droidakty]

I also had a 1G 80X card go bad with the Rebel XT. I was not successful in recovering the images with the Lexar Media Image Rescue software however I was successful when using the Sandisk Rescue Pro software which came with the Sandisk Extreme Cards.

After recovering the images I formatted the card in the camera and after taking a few shots I would get the Err 02. Turning the camera off and on would get rid of the error and I would be able to continue shooting. I would however lose the picture where the Err 02 occured. In the Lexar Media Image Rescue software, there is a feature to test the card. In doing so, there would be an error at the 15% point of the test.

I returned the card to the store for a replacement. Running the card test on the new card did not bring up any problems. I've used the card for a 150 pictures so far and have not had any problems. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[L.Cline]

That is what I am doing, but I still have not gotten confirmation
that my RMA request was accepted. I'll update as I find out more

I have a 256mb card here that my grandaughter was using when it goofed up. I also tried to retrieve the pics, but without success. I finally did get a RMA # after two online chats and a phone call. Am sending her card in tomorrow. Just curious, could you reformat your card? Nothing I put this one in would even recognize it. Tried two cameras, card reader. I knew when Photo Rescue didn't recognize it, we were in trouble! When we put it in the camera the message "card requires formatting" would come up, but it wouldn't format. How long has it been since you filled out the form for the RMA # authorization?

 

[Mehdie]

3.) Does the time required to get a replacement seem reasonable? I tried to get them to send me a replacement while the one is on it's way to them, but they would not do so. That doesn't seem very customer friendly to me. I would have provided information so they could charge me if the other card did not get to them (for their protection), but they still would not do it.

I had problem with my 256 Lexar and they responded very quickly. They did not give me a hard time over the issue. They returned the card within one week. I am very happy with their customer service.

 

[weirmg]

This is good -- since I wasn't around my machine the day I got the camera -- I let the camera format -- so I probably need to reformat :-(

 

[TwincitiesJim]

I filled out the RMA authorization on Saturday Night and got an email with the authorization number around 7:00 PM on Monday (they do not work weekends). I did not try to format the card since I did not want to lose my pictures, but I am certain that I would not be able to since nothing would even recognize that the card was present. I will be sending it during lunch today (hopefully).

That is what I am doing, but I still have not gotten confirmation
that my RMA request was accepted. I'll update as I find out more

I have a 256mb card here that my grandaughter was using when it
goofed up. I also tried to retrieve the pics, but without success.
I finally did get a RMA # after two online chats and a phone call.
Am sending her card in tomorrow. Just curious, could you reformat
your card? Nothing I put this one in would even recognize it.
Tried two cameras, card reader. I knew when Photo Rescue didn't
recognize it, we were in trouble! When we put it in the camera the
message "card requires formatting" would come up, but it wouldn't
format. How long has it been since you filled out the form for the
RMA # authorization?

 

[TwincitiesJim]

It sounds like a few people have had similar problems with their Lexar cards that I have. I will let everyone know how it goes with the return, but in the meantime I will probably go out and buy another card for backup since they will not send me one quickly (when requesting data recovery). I am addicted to using my camera. From the links I have seen, the Lexar 80x and the sandisk Ultra II or Extreme have similar performance.

Do people fell Sandisk is more reliable or did I just get a lemon from Lexar? Which brand would you recommend I get?

Thanks

 

[weirmg]

I recently have posted comments regarding lost images using my LEXAR 1GB 80x w/ Wright Accelaration Technology (WA) CompactFlash card -- both in this thread and my original one regarding some very painful lost images:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=13510624

And if you've read some of these threads, I indicated that I would take the card back to Ritz -- and I did call them and they will take the card back -- but after I "cooled down" a bit I've decided to keep it and instead try to use the recovery methods -- when I first got the card I immediately put it in the camera and began to take pics after formatting -- I didn't bother downloading the recovery software mentioned in the subject -- but it was easy to grab it at the LEXAR site...

Now after a support call to LEXAR, and they were helpful, I understand that the digital EOS line and the above CF -- with its WA -- are not 'completely' compatible -- and this is likely the cause of the lost images -- however -- I'll try to use the recovery software.

I'll post a comment here after this attempt to hopefully indicate my success. Also, LEXAR told me that it is a good practice to re-format the card after each download to 'clean' it up -- doesn't seem like a bad idea and it only takes a moment.

I had no idea that using the CF would also represent such a learning curve -- I had a LEXAR CF in my HP-315 P&S for years and didn't have one problem!

 

[lespurgeon]

Sandisk Ultra II.

If you don't need it in a hurry (sounds like you do) J & R has a great deal running on the 1 Gig.

 

[dhunters]

I have had an issue with both Sandisk and Lexar cards. (Both 512mb)

I had two 512mb Sandisk cards that were working perfectly. Yesterday, neither would work. When I turned the camera on, I got the CF ERR message. I switched cards, same thing. I then replaced the battery and got the same result.

I tried to reformat the cards in the camera and when the reformat finished, the available images indicator showed 999 images available. I took a picture and the Err02 message appeared. Since the camera LCD will not display with ERR02, I could not attempt to reformat again as the menu isnt available. Funny enough though, I could remove the card, initialize the format menu, (i get a no cf card message), open the cf door and insert a card, then reformat!! Each time though, the above steps and result occured.

Thinking this may be a Sandisk CF card issue, I bought a 512mb Lexar card today at lunch, inserted in in the camera and formatted it. Took one picture and got the CFERR message again.

Is there some bug in the firmware or a hardware problem with the Canon Rebel? Or is it a problem with only 512mb cards?

Any help is appreciated.