Card failures?

[AlbertTheLazy]

I see a lot of negative comments (currently concentrated in Nikon Z threads, but lots of other places) about cameras with only one card slot.The main reason is generally given as 'insurance against card failure'.

I only have about 10 years of digital shooting under my belt, but I don't remember a single case where I lost images due to a card failing. Back in my pro days (film time) I remember one occasion where I lost images due to a film problem, and that was actually because the Ektachrome processing machine jammed.

So my question is: Have you lost images due the card being unreadable when you tried to copy to your computer?

 

[philm5d]

I see a lot of negative comments (currently concentrated in Nikon Z threads, but lots of other places) about cameras with only one card slot.The main reason is generally given as 'insurance against card failure'.

I only have about 10 years of digital shooting under my belt, but I don't remember a single case where I lost images due to a card failing. Back in my pro days (film time) I remember one occasion where I lost images due to a film problem, and that was actually because the Ektachrome processing machine jammed.

So my question is: Have you lost images due the card being unreadable when you tried to copy to your computer?

Once and once was enough, well almost. A 4Gb card from my D2X. "Card contains no images" or similar was the message. I nearly passed out. It contained 200 Raw wedding images. Turned out to be a glitch in the card reader after all but I aged a great deal in the time it took to diagnose. What could an extra slot have cost Nikon 10$, 20$ ??? Sorry I won't risk work on one card only so won't be buying into the system as it stands. Silly Nikon.

 

[jvc1]

I've never had a problem in 15 years of digital shooting but I don't shoot any events for anyone, paid or free. If I did on a regular basis, I think I'd want 2 slots.

 

[Ian Stuart Forsyth]

I have never had a card fail when used in a camera.

While I have had a 1 CF card fail when used with other equipment.

This equipment that includes 5 units that would run 5 day a week and record data to the card for 8 hours a day continuously. In 15 years I have only had 1 card fail under these conditions.

With cameras that have dual card slots I have never used them other than overflow buffers.

 

[BBbuilder467]

I see a lot of negative comments (currently concentrated in Nikon Z threads, but lots of other places) about cameras with only one card slot.The main reason is generally given as 'insurance against card failure'.

I only have about 10 years of digital shooting under my belt, but I don't remember a single case where I lost images due to a card failing. Back in my pro days (film time) I remember one occasion where I lost images due to a film problem, and that was actually because the Ektachrome processing machine jammed.

So my question is: Have you lost images due the card being unreadable when you tried to copy to your computer?

I checked "once", but it wasn't really the card itself. For some reason the computer couldn't see the images from that particular camera. I could see the images on the LCD, but the computer couldn't read them. I formatted the card and it's worked fine in everything ever since.

 

[teejaywhy]

I see a lot of negative comments (currently concentrated in Nikon Z threads, but lots of other places) about cameras with only one card slot.The main reason is generally given as 'insurance against card failure'.

I only have about 10 years of digital shooting under my belt, but I don't remember a single case where I lost images due to a card failing. Back in my pro days (film time) I remember one occasion where I lost images due to a film problem, and that was actually because the Ektachrome processing machine jammed.

So my question is: Have you lost images due the card being unreadable when you tried to copy to your computer?

Once and once was enough, well almost. A 4Gb card from my D2X. "Card contains no images" or similar was the message. I nearly passed out. It contained 200 Raw wedding images. Turned out to be a glitch in the card reader after all but I aged a great deal in the time it took to diagnose. What could an extra slot have cost Nikon 10$, 20$ ??? Sorry I won't risk work on one card only so won't be buying into the system as it stands. Silly Nikon.

You seem to contradict yourself. You had a problem with a card that wasn't a problem with the card. (?)

Had the camera had a second slot, would that have resolved the problem you had?

 

[Krav Maga]

I see a lot of negative comments (currently concentrated in Nikon Z threads, but lots of other places) about cameras with only one card slot.The main reason is generally given as 'insurance against card failure'.

I only have about 10 years of digital shooting under my belt, but I don't remember a single case where I lost images due to a card failing. Back in my pro days (film time) I remember one occasion where I lost images due to a film problem, and that was actually because the Ektachrome processing machine jammed.

So my question is: Have you lost images due the card being unreadable when you tried to copy to your computer?

The choices you provide don't really address other things. For example, I have had a card failure fairly recently. I didn't lose any images, though, because my D750 has dual card slots. It saved my bacon.

The other example, which I think is more common, is helping to mitigate human error. There have been a few times where I've accidentally culled out images that I wanted to keep; removing them from the disk. Luckily, they were all on the second slot card.

Yes, ideally, one wouldn't succumb to human error, but, well, we're all human.

The fact that Nikon didn't spend the extra couple of bucks to have a dual slot is just stupid.

Anytime you're dealing with a combination of mechanical, electronic, and human interaction though maybe not common, it's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when.

I've never been in a serious car accident in 40 years of driving. I'm still wearing my seat belt.

 

[dougjgreen1]

I see a lot of negative comments (currently concentrated in Nikon Z threads, but lots of other places) about cameras with only one card slot.The main reason is generally given as 'insurance against card failure'.

I only have about 10 years of digital shooting under my belt, but I don't remember a single case where I lost images due to a card failing. Back in my pro days (film time) I remember one occasion where I lost images due to a film problem, and that was actually because the Ektachrome processing machine jammed.

So my question is: Have you lost images due the card being unreadable when you tried to copy to your computer?

Once and once was enough, well almost. A 4Gb card from my D2X. "Card contains no images" or similar was the message. I nearly passed out. It contained 200 Raw wedding images. Turned out to be a glitch in the card reader after all but I aged a great deal in the time it took to diagnose. What could an extra slot have cost Nikon 10$, 20$ ??? Sorry I won't risk work on one card only so won't be buying into the system as it stands. Silly Nikon.

You seem to contradict yourself. You had a problem with a card that wasn't a problem with the card. (?)

Had the camera had a second slot, would that have resolved the problem you had?

He would have known he had the images on another card as well, so he would not have aged in the time it took to diagnose the problem.

 

[mxx]

I really think the card slot issue is overblown. For years most of us made do with one card slot, and it has never been an issue.

I just bought a Pentax K1, which has two slots, but I would have bought it anyway regardless of number of slots.

People are bashing Nikon now for the single slot on the current Z's, but I think it was done deliberately to help distinguish the current models from an upcoming all conquering flagship.

 

[Gizmo89]

Whether they by xD, memory stick, SD, or microSD, in 15 years never had a memory card failure. I did have a flash drive go bad once though.

 

[dougjgreen1]

I really think the card slot issue is overblown. For years most of us made do with one card slot, and it has never been an issue.

I just bought a Pentax K1, which has two slots, but I would have bought it anyway regardless of number of slots.

People are bashing Nikon now for the single slot on the current Z's, but I think it was done deliberately to help distinguish the current models from an upcoming all conquering flagship.

or other non-repeatable events. The folks that do are willing to pay a significant premium for a redundancy that will rarely, if ever, be needed. As it was explained to me.... one lost set of wedding images will destroy your business forever.

 

[Labe]

I`ve had a total of 3 card failures that could not be recovered.

An old xD card with non vital images on so no issue.

2 sandisc cards ( that almost all black pro`s) again not a real issue as I could reshoot them anyway .

I have shot over 4TB of images in the 10 years swapping cards out from one camera to another .

Now using extreme pro 95`s with no issues . Single card slot camera again.

 

[Schrodingers_cat]

[No message]

 

[mxx]

Oh, but I did shoot weddings, and I was a newspaper photographer. All without two card slots. And I survived just fine.

 

[contadorfan]

About every 3 months, I get a failure notice when transferring images from my PNY 128 GB SDHC card. Not sure if it's a problem with the card or the card reader (Insignia, USB 3). I'm not a pro, so not shooting anything of critical importance. But I'm glad to have that back up card in slot #2. So far, EaseUS Data Recovery has been really good about getting images off the "corrupted" card.

 

[Schrodingers_cat]

Oh, but I did shoot weddings, and I was a newspaper photographer. All without two card slots. And I survived just fine.

Several hundred years ago, when we all shot film, if we did an important job we'd send the film to more than one lab. Or sometimes the same lab in more than one batch. I can't recall anybody I was using have their production line ever actually go down, but it was something everybody had heard about somewhere and wanted to guard against. All depends on the value of the shoot of course. I've done some where If I'd never even showed up nobody would have noticed

But this is about insurance and attitude more than about prior experience. You don't need it till you do I've been paying for life insurance for 70 years and never used it, but I wouldn't consider it a waste . I'd just have squandered the money saved on women and whiskey anyway (uh ..... well ...... may need to think about that further).

It's also about comfort level. "Probably my card won't go Tango Uniform, but in case it does I've got a backup." Every single person I once served with carried more than one gun (more than one of pretty much everything for that matter).

Think of it as wearing a belt and suspenders both

 

[Jake2046]

Once is enough for me....no worst feeling when a whole day works going into a garbage can...and what are you going to tell your client....oooops? I rather have a safety net than having a lawsuit.

 

[stevedavidsonphotography]

Lots of questionable bootleg cards out there. I only buy cards from Best Buy.

 

[OldSchoolNewSchool]

I see a lot of negative comments (currently concentrated in Nikon Z threads, but lots of other places) about cameras with only one card slot.The main reason is generally given as 'insurance against card failure'.

I only have about 10 years of digital shooting under my belt, but I don't remember a single case where I lost images due to a card failing. Back in my pro days (film time) I remember one occasion where I lost images due to a film problem, and that was actually because the Ektachrome processing machine jammed.

So my question is: Have you lost images due the card being unreadable when you tried to copy to your computer?

Since 2006 when I first started shooting digital, I've probably used 120 memory cards, many of them over and over. Only two failed. That's a pretty good track record.

 

[TheClueless]

...as card mishaps.

- Oops, butterfingers... straight off the bridge.

- Oh crap, where is it on the floor of the tour bus?

- *Crunch*... er, was that you Dave with the Doritos or did that come from my boot?

etc.

And also that's before you get into stuff like separation of shot types of course, which goes more into workflow enhancement than disaster avoidance.