Problem formatting CF and SD on D800e

[Alex Ethridge]

In trying to check out a D800e for functions, I am having difficulty formatting the storage, both CF and SD.

I have followed the instructions on page 32 of the manual and nothing happens. It just goes back to the controls screen.

Press and hold Mode and Trash until "For" appears.

Press Mode and Trash again to format.

There is only one card in the camera. It goes back immediately to the control screen -- no indication of a format taking place.

 

[Alex Ethridge]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

Lets try this one more time.

if you take a photo does it go away when you press Trash and Mode at the same time?

Yes.

I'm going to do a reset and see if it changes its behavior.

 

[j_photo]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

What else do you expect to see?

You said you can't tell if your cards are being formatted. If there are images on a card, you try to format it, and the format woks, you won't have the images on the card anymore. It's the only thing that visibly changes when you do a format. I don't know how else you expect to see if the formatting worked.

Format the card. If the images are gone, the format worked. If the images are still there, your camera isn't working right or you aren't doing the format right.

How has this become so complicated?

 

[Alex Ethridge]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

What else do you expect to see?

You said you can't tell if your cards are being formatted. If there are images on a card, you try to format it, and the format woks, you won't have the images on the card anymore. It's the only thing that visibly changes when you do a format. I don't know how else you expect to see if the formatting worked.

Format the card. If the images are gone, the format worked. If the images are still there, your camera isn't working right or you aren't doing the format right.

How has this become so complicated?

To answer your question, it becomes complicated when the format function in the menus can take a half-second or so to format a card and gives a confirmation at the end. Then if I perform the same operation with the two buttons, Mode and Trash, with the same number of images on the card, it appears to instantly ignore the command. And when I refer to "instantly", I mean absolutely NO TIME DELAY, NONE. It is as though the command was never given, as though the format function INSTANTLY turned off and INSTANTLY exited to the control screen.

Either the two-button press is not intended to perform the same function as the menu format or this camera is defective.

There are other problems, too. For instance, the pressing of the QUAL and BKT buttons does not reset the current shooting bank back to defaults.

I just bought this D800e and having done the same operation of restoring shooting banks to defaults on my previous D800, I am beginning to think the camera is defective. But having little experience, I'm not absolutely sure.

 

[j_photo]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

What else do you expect to see?

You said you can't tell if your cards are being formatted. If there are images on a card, you try to format it, and the format woks, you won't have the images on the card anymore. It's the only thing that visibly changes when you do a format. I don't know how else you expect to see if the formatting worked.

Format the card. If the images are gone, the format worked. If the images are still there, your camera isn't working right or you aren't doing the format right.

How has this become so complicated?

To answer your question, it becomes complicated when the format function in the menus can take a half-second or so to format a card and gives a confirmation at the end. Then if I perform the same operation with the two buttons, Mode and Trash, with the same number of images on the card, it appears to instantly ignore the command. And when I refer to "instantly", I mean absolutely NO TIME DELAY, NONE. It is as though the command was never given, as though the format function INSTANTLY turned off and INSTANTLY exited to the control screen.

Either the two-button press is not intended to perform the same function as the menu format or this camera is defective.

There are other problems, too. For instance, the pressing of the QUAL and BKT buttons does not reset the current shooting bank back to defaults.

I just bought this D800e and having done the same operation of restoring shooting banks to defaults on my previous D800, I am beginning to think the camera is defective. But having little experience, I'm not absolutely sure.

I just tried a two-button format on my D800. I didn't see any noticeable delay. My screen goes dark and that's all there is too it. It's always worked that way and it's always worked just fine. I don't have any reason to think it's only deleting images but not formatting. Though I don't know how one would be able to tell the difference during normal usage.

I don't mean to rile you. I guess I don't understand why you think there is a problem. When you format, do the images go away? If so, what's the problem?

 

[BobWorrell]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

Lets try this one more time.

if you take a photo does it go away when you press Trash and Mode at the same time?

Yes.

For some reason I'm not sure you have answered my question, does Yes mean the photos you took were deleted, with the two button format?

I'm going to do a reset and see if it changes its behavior.

 

[Marianne Oelund]

In trying to check out a D800e for functions, I am having difficulty formatting the storage, both CF and SD.

I have followed the instructions on page 32 of the manual and nothing happens. It just goes back to the controls screen.

Press and hold Mode and Trash until "For" appears.

Press Mode and Trash again to format.

There is only one card in the camera. It goes back immediately to the control screen -- no indication of a format taking place.

It only takes a fraction of a second for today's cards to format. If you are looking for an indication that formatting is taking place, you will probably miss it.

You should try again with a card containing some photos or folders. Then confirm that the format has occurred by checking that the card no longer contains the photos.

 

[Marianne Oelund]

Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

Absolutely incorrect! If the image files are no longer present on the card, then the format was successful. No if's and's or but's about it. You can also confirm that any folders have been removed.

If you insist on seeing a noticeable time delay for the format operation, why don't you try a very old, slow memory card?

 

[A Owens]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

What else do you expect to see?

You said you can't tell if your cards are being formatted. If there are images on a card, you try to format it, and the format woks, you won't have the images on the card anymore. It's the only thing that visibly changes when you do a format. I don't know how else you expect to see if the formatting worked.

Format the card. If the images are gone, the format worked. If the images are still there, your camera isn't working right or you aren't doing the format right.

How has this become so complicated?

To answer your question, it becomes complicated when the format function in the menus can take a half-second or so to format a card and gives a confirmation at the end. Then if I perform the same operation with the two buttons, Mode and Trash, with the same number of images on the card, it appears to instantly ignore the command. And when I refer to "instantly", I mean absolutely NO TIME DELAY, NONE. It is as though the command was never given, as though the format function INSTANTLY turned off and INSTANTLY exited to the control screen.

Either the two-button press is not intended to perform the same function as the menu format or this camera is defective.

There are other problems, too. For instance, the pressing of the QUAL and BKT buttons does not reset the current shooting bank back to defaults.

I just bought this D800e and having done the same operation of restoring shooting banks to defaults on my previous D800, I am beginning to think the camera is defective. But having little experience, I'm not absolutely sure.

With respect, it is being complicated by your lack of logical progression through the issue and your failure to respond properly to folk who are very knowledgeable on this topic and are trying to help you.

That said, I think we may have established that:

1. Your camera successfully formats cards through the menu system and provides you confirmation of this.

2. Your camera successfully deletes files off the card when you use the two button format method but the read/write light does not illuminate like it should, even very briefly.

From this and from what folk here have told you, you now know that:

1. Your format function is working as it should, regardless of method used to initiate it.

2. The read/write light should illuminate, albeit briefly, when you reformat a card regardless of what method is used to initiate the reformat.

3. From what you have told us, this light is not illuminating. That is actually the only faulty behaviour your camera is exhibiting.

4. You need to test that further. Watch the light as you reformat using both methods. Does it illuminate? If not, does it illuminate when you take or delete a photo, insert a card? It should. It should illuminate any time there is I/O activity on the card.

This light is green and is found in lower RHS at the rear of the camera between the LV and the info button. When you reformat a single card using the 2 button method, this is the only confirmation the camera will give you.

Establish the situation with formatting and the read/write light and then move onto the quality/bracket issue.

 

[snellius]

In trying to check out a D800e for functions, I am having difficulty formatting the storage, both CF and SD.

I have followed the instructions on page 32 of the manual and nothing happens. It just goes back to the controls screen.

Press and hold Mode and Trash until "For" appears.

Press Mode and Trash again to format.

There is only one card in the camera. It goes back immediately to the control screen -- no indication of a format taking place.

It only takes a fraction of a second for today's cards to format. If you are looking for an indication that formatting is taking place, you will probably miss it.

You should try again with a card containing some photos or folders. Then confirm that the format has occurred by checking that the card no longer contains the photos.

 

[Alex Ethridge]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

What else do you expect to see?

You said you can't tell if your cards are being formatted. If there are images on a card, you try to format it, and the format woks, you won't have the images on the card anymore. It's the only thing that visibly changes when you do a format. I don't know how else you expect to see if the formatting worked.

Format the card. If the images are gone, the format worked. If the images are still there, your camera isn't working right or you aren't doing the format right.

How has this become so complicated?

To answer your question, it becomes complicated when the format function in the menus can take a half-second or so to format a card and gives a confirmation at the end. Then if I perform the same operation with the two buttons, Mode and Trash, with the same number of images on the card, it appears to instantly ignore the command. And when I refer to "instantly", I mean absolutely NO TIME DELAY, NONE. It is as though the command was never given, as though the format function INSTANTLY turned off and INSTANTLY exited to the control screen.

Either the two-button press is not intended to perform the same function as the menu format or this camera is defective.

There are other problems, too. For instance, the pressing of the QUAL and BKT buttons does not reset the current shooting bank back to defaults.

I just bought this D800e and having done the same operation of restoring shooting banks to defaults on my previous D800, I am beginning to think the camera is defective. But having little experience, I'm not absolutely sure.

I just tried a two-button format on my D800. I didn't see any noticeable delay. My screen goes dark and that's all there is too it. It's always worked that way and it's always worked just fine. I don't have any reason to think it's only deleting images but not formatting.

Thanks for that; it is what I needed to know -- that it behaved the same on someone else's D800/e/810.

Though I don't know how one would be able to tell the difference during normal usage.

I don't mean to rile you. I guess I don't understand why you think there is a problem. When you format, do the images go away? If so, what's the problem?

I seem to have a prose that many interpret as confrontational when I am only trying to be accurate. In this case, there is my added anxiety over wanting to be sure this expensive used camera is working as it should and, being an ebay purchase, having a short time to make that confirmation.

Not having another sample here to work with, I have no way of confirming that on my own.

As for deleting and formatting being different functions, they are different. Based on what you have written above and due to the time difference between the functions, I now believe Nikon is mis-applying the term "Format" for the two-button function when it should be "Delete All". The time required for the two functions is too great to be otherwise.

And there is a difference between formatting and deleting. See this from Nikon:

Using the camera's menu to "format" removes all files and reinstalls the cameras' directory to the memory card for use in the camera. Deleting simply removes one file after another.

Both functions remove images, but formatting removes all images and erases the disk. It is a good idea to occasionally format a card (always format in the camera and not on a computer) but deleting images is fine for daily cleanup of images.

So, that problem is now solved to my satisfaction.

 

[Alex Ethridge]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

Lets try this one more time.

if you take a photo does it go away when you press Trash and Mode at the same time?

Yes.

For some reason I'm not sure you have answered my question, does Yes mean the photos you took were deleted, with the two button format?

Yes, they are deleted.

I'm going to do a reset and see if it changes its behavior.

 

[Alex Ethridge]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

What else do you expect to see?

You said you can't tell if your cards are being formatted. If there are images on a card, you try to format it, and the format woks, you won't have the images on the card anymore. It's the only thing that visibly changes when you do a format. I don't know how else you expect to see if the formatting worked.

Format the card. If the images are gone, the format worked. If the images are still there, your camera isn't working right or you aren't doing the format right.

How has this become so complicated?

To answer your question, it becomes complicated when the format function in the menus can take a half-second or so to format a card and gives a confirmation at the end. Then if I perform the same operation with the two buttons, Mode and Trash, with the same number of images on the card, it appears to instantly ignore the command. And when I refer to "instantly", I mean absolutely NO TIME DELAY, NONE. It is as though the command was never given, as though the format function INSTANTLY turned off and INSTANTLY exited to the control screen.

Either the two-button press is not intended to perform the same function as the menu format or this camera is defective.

There are other problems, too. For instance, the pressing of the QUAL and BKT buttons does not reset the current shooting bank back to defaults.

I just bought this D800e and having done the same operation of restoring shooting banks to defaults on my previous D800, I am beginning to think the camera is defective. But having little experience, I'm not absolutely sure.

With respect, it is being complicated by your lack of logical progression through the issue and your failure to respond properly to folk who are very knowledgeable on this topic and are trying to help you.

I will try to be more responsive.

That said, I think we may have established that:

1. Your camera successfully formats cards through the menu system and provides you confirmation of this.

2. Your camera successfully deletes files off the card when you use the two button format method but the read/write light does not illuminate like it should, even very briefly.

Correct, not even a flicker with the two-button method.

From this and from what folk here have told you, you now know that:

1. Your format function is working as it should, regardless of method used to initiate it.

2. The read/write light should illuminate, albeit briefly, when you reformat a card regardless of what method is used to initiate the reformat.

Yes, but there is not even a flicker when using the two-button method.

3. From what you have told us, this light is not illuminating. That is actually the only faulty behaviour your camera is exhibiting.

Correct, it is not illuminating, not even a flicker.

4. You need to test that further. Watch the light as you reformat using both methods. Does it illuminate?

Yes, with the menu method only.

If not, does it illuminate when you take or delete a photo, insert a card? It should. It should illuminate any time there is I/O activity on the card.

Yes to all except two-button format.

This light is green and is found in lower RHS at the rear of the camera between the LV and the info button. When you reformat a single card using the 2 button method, this is the only confirmation the camera will give you.

Yes, I know where that is.

Establish the situation with formatting and the read/write light and then move onto the quality/bracket issue.

--
Alistair Owens

Thanks.

http://www.alistairowens.net
http://www.500px.com/AlistairOwens
https://plus.google.com/+AlistairOwensgooglePlus/posts

 

[Alex Ethridge]

In trying to check out a D800e for functions, I am having difficulty formatting the storage, both CF and SD.

I have followed the instructions on page 32 of the manual and nothing happens. It just goes back to the controls screen.

Press and hold Mode and Trash until "For" appears.

Press Mode and Trash again to format.

There is only one card in the camera. It goes back immediately to the control screen -- no indication of a format taking place.

It only takes a fraction of a second for today's cards to format. If you are looking for an indication that formatting is taking place, you will probably miss it.

You should try again with a card containing some photos or folders. Then confirm that the format has occurred by checking that the card no longer contains the photos.

 

[Alex Ethridge]

I just did a firmware update and there is this change: The I/O light now turns on during the two-button format where it did not before. I am now satisfied that the two-button format is working as it should.

Next problem was that either the instructions given on page 193 of the manual to return shooting banks back to defaults did nothing.

After the firmware update, that also is functioning.

Conclusion: With my limited knowledge of digital cameras, I can come to the conclusion that the firmware in this camera was faulty and the firmware update corrected it.

Now, just musing now: I wonder if this is the reason he put this camera up for sale as aside from the fact that he robbed the strap and screen protector off the camera, it looks totally unused.

 

[A Owens]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

What else do you expect to see?

You said you can't tell if your cards are being formatted. If there are images on a card, you try to format it, and the format woks, you won't have the images on the card anymore. It's the only thing that visibly changes when you do a format. I don't know how else you expect to see if the formatting worked.

Format the card. If the images are gone, the format worked. If the images are still there, your camera isn't working right or you aren't doing the format right.

How has this become so complicated?

To answer your question, it becomes complicated when the format function in the menus can take a half-second or so to format a card and gives a confirmation at the end. Then if I perform the same operation with the two buttons, Mode and Trash, with the same number of images on the card, it appears to instantly ignore the command. And when I refer to "instantly", I mean absolutely NO TIME DELAY, NONE. It is as though the command was never given, as though the format function INSTANTLY turned off and INSTANTLY exited to the control screen.

Either the two-button press is not intended to perform the same function as the menu format or this camera is defective.

There are other problems, too. For instance, the pressing of the QUAL and BKT buttons does not reset the current shooting bank back to defaults.

I just bought this D800e and having done the same operation of restoring shooting banks to defaults on my previous D800, I am beginning to think the camera is defective. But having little experience, I'm not absolutely sure.

With respect, it is being complicated by your lack of logical progression through the issue and your failure to respond properly to folk who are very knowledgeable on this topic and are trying to help you.

I will try to be more responsive.

That said, I think we may have established that:

1. Your camera successfully formats cards through the menu system and provides you confirmation of this.

2. Your camera successfully deletes files off the card when you use the two button format method but the read/write light does not illuminate like it should, even very briefly.

Correct, not even a flicker with the two-button method.

From this and from what folk here have told you, you now know that:

1. Your format function is working as it should, regardless of method used to initiate it.

2. The read/write light should illuminate, albeit briefly, when you reformat a card regardless of what method is used to initiate the reformat.

Yes, but there is not even a flicker when using the two-button method.

3. From what you have told us, this light is not illuminating. That is actually the only faulty behaviour your camera is exhibiting.

Correct, it is not illuminating, not even a flicker.

4. You need to test that further. Watch the light as you reformat using both methods. Does it illuminate?

Yes, with the menu method only.

If not, does it illuminate when you take or delete a photo, insert a card? It should. It should illuminate any time there is I/O activity on the card.

Yes to all except two-button format.

This light is green and is found in lower RHS at the rear of the camera between the LV and the info button. When you reformat a single card using the 2 button method, this is the only confirmation the camera will give you.

Yes, I know where that is.

Establish the situation with formatting and the read/write light and then move onto the quality/bracket issue.

 

[Alex Ethridge]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

What else do you expect to see?

You said you can't tell if your cards are being formatted. If there are images on a card, you try to format it, and the format woks, you won't have the images on the card anymore. It's the only thing that visibly changes when you do a format. I don't know how else you expect to see if the formatting worked.

Format the card. If the images are gone, the format worked. If the images are still there, your camera isn't working right or you aren't doing the format right.

How has this become so complicated?

To answer your question, it becomes complicated when the format function in the menus can take a half-second or so to format a card and gives a confirmation at the end. Then if I perform the same operation with the two buttons, Mode and Trash, with the same number of images on the card, it appears to instantly ignore the command. And when I refer to "instantly", I mean absolutely NO TIME DELAY, NONE. It is as though the command was never given, as though the format function INSTANTLY turned off and INSTANTLY exited to the control screen.

Either the two-button press is not intended to perform the same function as the menu format or this camera is defective.

There are other problems, too. For instance, the pressing of the QUAL and BKT buttons does not reset the current shooting bank back to defaults.

I just bought this D800e and having done the same operation of restoring shooting banks to defaults on my previous D800, I am beginning to think the camera is defective. But having little experience, I'm not absolutely sure.

With respect, it is being complicated by your lack of logical progression through the issue and your failure to respond properly to folk who are very knowledgeable on this topic and are trying to help you.

I will try to be more responsive.

That said, I think we may have established that:

1. Your camera successfully formats cards through the menu system and provides you confirmation of this.

2. Your camera successfully deletes files off the card when you use the two button format method but the read/write light does not illuminate like it should, even very briefly.

Correct, not even a flicker with the two-button method.

From this and from what folk here have told you, you now know that:

1. Your format function is working as it should, regardless of method used to initiate it.

2. The read/write light should illuminate, albeit briefly, when you reformat a card regardless of what method is used to initiate the reformat.

Yes, but there is not even a flicker when using the two-button method.

3. From what you have told us, this light is not illuminating. That is actually the only faulty behaviour your camera is exhibiting.

Correct, it is not illuminating, not even a flicker.

4. You need to test that further. Watch the light as you reformat using both methods. Does it illuminate?

Yes, with the menu method only.

If not, does it illuminate when you take or delete a photo, insert a card? It should. It should illuminate any time there is I/O activity on the card.

Yes to all except two-button format.

This light is green and is found in lower RHS at the rear of the camera between the LV and the info button. When you reformat a single card using the 2 button method, this is the only confirmation the camera will give you.

Yes, I know where that is.

Establish the situation with formatting and the read/write light and then move onto the quality/bracket issue.

--
Alistair Owens

Thanks.

http://www.alistairowens.net
http://www.500px.com/AlistairOwens
https://plus.google.com/+AlistairOwensgooglePlus/posts

Thanks Alex. So any files on the card are deleted using the 2 button method of formatting but the read/write light does not illuminate. However the read/write light does illuminate, files are deleted and confirmation is received using the menu method of formatting.

All I can say is that my 800e does not behave in that way. The read/write light is illuminated for an equal duration of time regardless of formatting method used.

It sounds like your camera has a fault. A somewhat unusual one at that!

--
Alistair Owens
http://www.alistairowens.net
http://www.500px.com/AlistairOwens
https://plus.google.com/+AlistairOwensgooglePlus/posts

Thanks, problem is solved as per my previous post.

 

[j_photo]

As for deleting and formatting being different functions, they are different. Based on what you have written above and due to the time difference between the functions, I now believe Nikon is mis-applying the term "Format" for the two-button function when it should be "Delete All". The time required for the two functions is too great to be otherwise.

I don't think there is any basis for this conclusion. You can't time a data writing operation by watching the menu screens on your camera.

When a card is formatted, the file allocation table, a small bit of data at the start of the card, is rewritten. That's all that happens. No files are deleted. In fact no files are deleted when a file is deleted either. When a file is deleted, only its entry in the file allocation is removed. The file remains. That's why after deleting files or formatting cards, files can still be recovered, with the right software. My point is, formatting is not a data-intensive step.

Regarding it taking longer when done in the menus, it's more likely that the speed at which the camera refreshes messages in the menu system is causing the delay you see. It's just not realistic to think you can time the formatting operation based on what you see happening in menus, etc.

Lots and lots of photogs with Nikons have been using two-button format forever. If it wasn't function properly, someone would have noticed by now.

 

[Alex Ethridge]

As for deleting and formatting being different functions, they are different. Based on what you have written above and due to the time difference between the functions, I now believe Nikon is mis-applying the term "Format" for the two-button function when it should be "Delete All". The time required for the two functions is too great to be otherwise.

I don't think there is any basis for this conclusion. You can't time a data writing operation by watching the menu screens on your camera.

It was the lack of two-button format LED that brought me to this belief. Now that the firmware update seems to have solved the problem of the I/O LED not displaying during the two-button format, I agree that was an incorrect conclusion.

When a card is formatted, the file allocation table, a small bit of data at the start of the card, is rewritten. That's all that happens. No files are deleted. In fact no files are deleted when a file is deleted either. When a file is deleted, only its entry in the file allocation is removed. The file remains. That's why after deleting files or formatting cards, files can still be recovered, with the right software. My point is, formatting is not a data-intensive step.

Regarding it taking longer when done in the menus, it's more likely that the speed at which the camera refreshes messages in the menu system is causing the delay you see. It's just not realistic to think you can time the formatting operation based on what you see happening in menus, etc.

Lots and lots of photogs with Nikons have been using two-button format forever. If it wasn't function properly, someone would have noticed by now.

 

[A Owens]

There is no "less than a second". The screen change is instant. But I have solved the problem by using the menu option where I can see the "less than a second" take place. Comparing the two methods, I don't think the Mode+Trash option is doing anything at all.

It definitely works. You aren't doing it correctly.

Impossible.

Note that for the second card slot, you need to turn the back control wheel to switch the formatting from the primary to secondary slots.

Using only one card at a time of each.

Until you figure things out, format with ONLY ONE CARD IN THE CAMERA AT A TIME. It's easy to format just one card and not the other without realizing.

The easy way to tell if formatting is working is take a picture. Preview the picture. Format the card. Try and preview the picture again. If t he card formats, there won't be any pictures to preview.

There is a difference between deleting pictures and formatting. Seeing that the pictures are deleted is not a guarantee that the card was formatted.

What else do you expect to see?

You said you can't tell if your cards are being formatted. If there are images on a card, you try to format it, and the format woks, you won't have the images on the card anymore. It's the only thing that visibly changes when you do a format. I don't know how else you expect to see if the formatting worked.

Format the card. If the images are gone, the format worked. If the images are still there, your camera isn't working right or you aren't doing the format right.

How has this become so complicated?

To answer your question, it becomes complicated when the format function in the menus can take a half-second or so to format a card and gives a confirmation at the end. Then if I perform the same operation with the two buttons, Mode and Trash, with the same number of images on the card, it appears to instantly ignore the command. And when I refer to "instantly", I mean absolutely NO TIME DELAY, NONE. It is as though the command was never given, as though the format function INSTANTLY turned off and INSTANTLY exited to the control screen.

Either the two-button press is not intended to perform the same function as the menu format or this camera is defective.

There are other problems, too. For instance, the pressing of the QUAL and BKT buttons does not reset the current shooting bank back to defaults.

I just bought this D800e and having done the same operation of restoring shooting banks to defaults on my previous D800, I am beginning to think the camera is defective. But having little experience, I'm not absolutely sure.

With respect, it is being complicated by your lack of logical progression through the issue and your failure to respond properly to folk who are very knowledgeable on this topic and are trying to help you.

I will try to be more responsive.

That said, I think we may have established that:

1. Your camera successfully formats cards through the menu system and provides you confirmation of this.

2. Your camera successfully deletes files off the card when you use the two button format method but the read/write light does not illuminate like it should, even very briefly.

Correct, not even a flicker with the two-button method.

From this and from what folk here have told you, you now know that:

1. Your format function is working as it should, regardless of method used to initiate it.

2. The read/write light should illuminate, albeit briefly, when you reformat a card regardless of what method is used to initiate the reformat.

Yes, but there is not even a flicker when using the two-button method.

3. From what you have told us, this light is not illuminating. That is actually the only faulty behaviour your camera is exhibiting.

Correct, it is not illuminating, not even a flicker.

4. You need to test that further. Watch the light as you reformat using both methods. Does it illuminate?

Yes, with the menu method only.

If not, does it illuminate when you take or delete a photo, insert a card? It should. It should illuminate any time there is I/O activity on the card.

Yes to all except two-button format.

This light is green and is found in lower RHS at the rear of the camera between the LV and the info button. When you reformat a single card using the 2 button method, this is the only confirmation the camera will give you.

Yes, I know where that is.

Establish the situation with formatting and the read/write light and then move onto the quality/bracket issue.

 

[j_photo]

Glad to hear your camera is working.