SanDisks CF cards At BestBuy Watch out

Dave Beaman

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With the first disk, I formated it in my D70, then filled it up with RAW images I shot around my house, just to check it. Then I put it in my reader and copied a few files and tried to paste them on my hard drive. This is what I do on all my disks and works great. This time the files wouldn't copy and then forth right, it gave me a an error message saying It could read some ares of the card.

I then ran the disk on Card Wiper from Photorescue and it gave all write errors.

I did the same on the other disks to check except I didn't fill up the card but just took a few.

I did the same with my older Sandisks and had no problem at all.

That's the specifics.

In each disk, the camera showed that I was recording images by chimping. Of course this is normal for bad disks for the disk to show images on the camera and not be able to retrieve them.

dave
 
So it's more "pro" to shop on line rather than to go to a brick and mortar shop and just pick one up when the price is right. I am second shooting tomorrow and thought we could use a few more cards. I wanted to test them out first. Looks like it's a good thing I did test them

As far as "regular" cards, I have a couple and for the most part they work very well. Sure I can save a couple of seconds with Ultra IIs but normally these work fine.

Earlier I heard that Bestbuy was offering a good price for the D70. For those who don't live near a brick and mortar Cameral store, this gives us the opportunity to go and pick one up and check out the feel of it instead of just ordering it on line after reading Phi's review which is what I did with my two Nikons.

dave
 
Dave, most of my cards are from Costco.

There's no rule that says pros have to buy there stuff from expensive places.

The good news in my case is that the last real bargain at Costco had an in-store rebate rather than a mail-in one, but I did enjoy cahsing a rebate cheque from Epson last week. That's for a proofing printer I bought, heaven forbid, not from a camera store but from Staples.

Come tothink of it, I shot pictures for years with a Mamiya 645 I bought at a drug store in Calagary.

And in my latest bargain case, the deal was on an Ultra II card, but most of my other cards are regualr blue Sandisk. they work fine for professional work.

How do the new cards work when you don't use RAW?

Since RAW is a waste of time and effort the vast majority of the time, why not save the 70 mile drive, (is that each way/ Geeeezzzz) use the cards for most of your pictures, and buy yourself some other faster, fancier, "more professional" card from some "more professional" source like, oh boy, the internet.

Or, come to think of it, is there a way of mailing them back to Sandisk and getting your refund or a replacement?

But, before you go too far, I'm betting it's a software problem in your computer, involved with the file reading capabilities.

BAK
 
Sarajean,

You mean to tell me that all of my equipment that I did not buy off the internet is not pro equipment and I can't claim it as a business expense---geez--- I'm going to have to pay a lot of income tax now. Gosh darn, this computer that I am working on (bought from Best Buy) is not a business expense. Man I better get busy and start shopping on the internet and get screwed as so many other people. Gosh, I have been clling myself a pro all these years, and did not realize that I was not one because I bought my stuff from my local walk in shop. And now I have to go tell my friend that because I want to be a pro I can not buy his stuff because I have to buy it on the internet and take my chances of getting screwed.

Sorry for the rant but I fell out of my chair when I read sarajean's post and it took me an hour to settle down.

Egon
 
Send an email to Sandisk. They're warranted for life, aren't they? I have five Sandisk cards, bought from a variety of places and they all work properly.
Skipper494.
 
Or, come to think of it, is there a way of mailing them back to
Sandisk and getting your refund or a replacement?

But, before you go too far, I'm betting it's a software problem in
your computer, involved with the file reading capabilities.

BAK
Yep, I buy from where ever has a good deal or has what I need. Speaking of that and connected to the Lightsphere II that Gary Fong is pushing. I bought one. Works great. Someone had a link about using an Isopropyl Alcohol bottle. I had one, and cut it up a bit and it works pretty well as a flash diffuser. Funny looking.

Anyway. I went back today and they took the cards back. I think there was something wrong with them. I exchanged them for a 1.0 Gid Ultra II card. I got burnt on the deal but what the heck.

The Sandisk Ultra II 1.0 card is working fine so far. So I'm okay, I guess.

I picked up a USB 2.0 Card reader just incase my old 1.1 reader was a problem. It wasn't though. But that USB 2.0 reader is at least 4 times as fast copying files over to my drive.

So all of you who still are using an old USB 1.1 card reader, Plunk up for the high speed USB 2.O it's sure worth another $20.

dave
 
While it is possible hat you have purchased three defective cards, something tells me that the chances of that happening are slim to none. Are these cards the same size/brand and speed as others that you have used? Could there be a weak link elsewhere in your workflow that is uniquely susceptible to your new cards?

From a purely logical analysis I would think there is another issue, but one that has yet to surface with your previous cards.

Just my hunch.
 
While it is possible hat you have purchased three defective cards,
something tells me that the chances of that happening are slim to
none. Are these cards the same size/brand and speed as others that
you have used? Could there be a weak link elsewhere in your
workflow that is uniquely susceptible to your new cards?

From a purely logical analysis I would think there is another
issue, but one that has yet to surface with your previous cards.

Just my hunch.
I agree, Bells went oof in my head when this happened also. What got me was that the regular price was $59 then they took an in store discount to $44 then added a mail in for $15. This was what got my attention at first. I even asked the manager "what's the catch?" They don't just reduce by 50% for no reason. Then when I brought them back they didn't have any others to replace them. I thought that was funny. And I was there a bit the first time and there wasn't a run on them.

I am thinking there was a bad batch for some reason on some systems maybe. As was mentioned above, Newegg.com is selling the same batch at about the same price. Interesting. For that reason, I bought the new card reader. I tested the new reader with an older card then put the new card in and worked also. Just for sake of gilding the pig, I did not check my new card in the old reader. The old reader will be put out to pasture.

here these are the same batch from Newegg.com . SanDisk 512MB Compact Flash (CF) Card Model SDCFB-512-A10

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820171072

dave
 
I bought 2 sandisk 2gb Ultra II's in UK, and shortly after using them they developed or I found a fault - I am 90% sure it developed.

When you hold the pin block (the plastic part of the card with the holes in to connect to camera's cf pins) it wobbles seperately to the rest of the cf card case. Surely I thought this can't be right ?

My 6 other CF cards (other makes, mostly transcend) don't do this . . . my friends 1gb sandisks don't do this . . .so i called sandisk, they said they shouldn't be like that and told me to send them back to supplier for refund or exchange.

Well that was back in april . . . now the replacements just arrived yesterday, and guess what . . . straight out of the package the pin block is rattling/loose/wobbling in exactly the same way.

To me I can't risk using them . . it just doesn't seem right . . .and as I shoot professionally I can't take the risk . . . usually when I suspect something is right . . . time only proves me right. But here I have no leaway to give time a chance, I have to take all precautions.

Has anyone else found this problem with sandisks recent batches ??? it may be particular production ?

Curious to know if others pin blocks wobble ???

Regards,
Kev
 
With the first disk, I formated it in my D70, then filled it up
with RAW images I shot around my house, just to check it. Then I
put it in my reader and copied a few files and tried to paste them
on my hard drive. This is what I do on all my disks and works
great.
But not this time. Did you try another reader? Another USB cable? Have you tried reading the images directly from the camera without using your reader?

"Good" and "bad" is relative with cards and readers. Some cards are good with some readers/cameras but bad with other readers/cameras. There are tricky timing issues when interfacing cards and readers. Lexar and Canon users have recently been reacquainted with this issue. Maybe you are experiencing something similar.

Wayne Larmon
 
I bought 2 sandisk 2gb Ultra II's in UK, and shortly after using
them they developed or I found a fault - I am 90% sure it developed.

When you hold the pin block (the plastic part of the card with the
holes in to connect to camera's cf pins) it wobbles seperately to
the rest of the cf card case. Surely I thought this can't be right ?

My 6 other CF cards (other makes, mostly transcend) don't do this .
. . my friends 1gb sandisks don't do this . . .so i called sandisk,
they said they shouldn't be like that and told me to send them back
to supplier for refund or exchange.

Well that was back in april . . . now the replacements just arrived
yesterday, and guess what . . . straight out of the package the pin
block is rattling/loose/wobbling in exactly the same way.

To me I can't risk using them . . it just doesn't seem right . .
.and as I shoot professionally I can't take the risk . . . usually
when I suspect something is right . . . time only proves me right.
But here I have no leaway to give time a chance, I have to take all
precautions.

Has anyone else found this problem with sandisks recent batches ???
it may be particular production ?
I recentlty bought a Sandisk 1gb Extreme III SD card that rattled but worked fine. Something inside the card was sliding around that I could hear and feel if I shook the card gently. Sandisk said that was not normal and told me to send it back. The replacement card rattled too. So I sent that back as well. The new replacement card does not rattle so far but I have not had a chance to use it since my camera is at the Canon service center.

None of my Sandisk CF card pin blocks rattle or wobble but obviously we need to check all cards carefully for manufacturing defects which, while probably rare, do happen.
Curious to know if others pin blocks wobble ???

Regards,
Kev
--
Regards,

Bill Wood
Fountain Hills, AZ
 
Thanks Bill, usefull feedback. Particularly that you had two rattlers in a row, then a solid one.

With 512mb cards I would be less concered, but with 2gb on the line, it's nerve racking shooting with it suspecting it may fail soon.

Kev
 

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