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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Do CF cards wear out?
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 04/29/2009 07:23:14 PM · #1
I've been having some issues with a couple of the older cards that I have that seem to be scrambling files, getting harder to format, and sometimes just plain not giving up the files without an extraction tool.

Have I just slapped 'em around too much and it's time for some fresh ones?

I don't even wanna think that my camera's losing it......8>(
 04/29/2009 07:30:22 PM · #2
I have one CF card that just stopped being readable in my USB reader. I can download from it in my 5D, but not from the USB device. All my other CF cards work fine, and that one used to as well. So something happens to them.
 04/29/2009 07:31:24 PM · #3
Yes, they get old. stop using them and get some replacements.
 04/29/2009 07:33:14 PM · #4
They are specced for a certain number of read/write cycles, so they can indeed become unreliable after a lot of use.
 04/29/2009 07:36:31 PM · #5
they do wear out, but it sure seems to take a while! Luckily the price on these bad boys just isnt that bad anymore.
 04/29/2009 07:39:12 PM · #6
I've only seen one case where CF cards really "wore out" that is, exceeded their read/write life and died. Normally, the controller chip levels the writes across the card. Still, there are other reasons they might die, including the interconnections from the memory die to the outside world. Get a new card by a reputable manufacturer, and if you don't have the problem with the new card(s) then you have confirmed it is your old cards.
 04/29/2009 07:44:29 PM · #7
Originally posted by kirbic:
I've only seen one case where CF cards really "wore out" that is, exceeded their read/write life and died. Normally, the controller chip levels the writes across the card. Still, there are other reasons they might die, including the interconnections from the memory die to the outside world. Get a new card by a reputable manufacturer, and if you don't have the problem with the new card(s) then you have confirmed it is your old cards.

I personally have been happy with Sandisk Extreme II price & performance-wise.....I'm afaraid that I may have ruined them through my own ignorance as well.

I have been known to not bother reformatting when I clear them, and not even turn off the camera when I pull 'em to pull images off.

Anyone want to chime in with their recommendations as to what I should do when I buy a new card for its best and most relieble service?
 04/29/2009 07:56:36 PM · #8
It shouldn't matter whether you re-format or not, although the cards will slow down noticeably if you use them many times over without reformatting; I've proven this to myself. As soon as you open the battery door on the camera, it turns off. So it's nearly impossible to corrupt a card that way.
Sandisk cards are usually very reliable; is it the Ultra IIs that you have? I still have Ultra IIs that work just fine. The best bang for the buck now seems to be the Extreme III cards.
 04/29/2009 08:03:14 PM · #9
Originally posted by kirbic:
It shouldn't matter whether you re-format or not, although the cards will slow down noticeably if you use them many times over without reformatting; I've proven this to myself. As soon as you open the battery door on the camera, it turns off. So it's nearly impossible to corrupt a card that way.
Sandisk cards are usually very reliable; is it the Ultra IIs that you have? I still have Ultra IIs that work just fine. The best bang for the buck now seems to be the Extreme III cards.

Oops, yeah....sorry, Ultra IIs.

Message edited by author 2009-04-29 20:03:27.
 04/29/2009 08:25:21 PM · #10
Extreme IIIs are the way to go. I bought one when that specific product first hit the product line, and it still is probably my best card. DO NOT go with RIDATA- nothing but problems from me, though my frequent camera store reccomended them
 04/29/2009 08:27:50 PM · #11
Originally posted by amathiasphoto:
DO NOT go with RIDATA- nothing but problems from me, though my frequent camera store reccomended them

I have one Ridata card. No problems with it yet. It is, however, a make with a lesser reputation in my eyes. Now that bigger cards are cheaper, I usually buy Kingston or Sandisk.

Message edited by author 2009-04-29 20:28:17.
 04/29/2009 08:45:05 PM · #12
I have two 4 gig Ridata cards that I've been using for the last year. No problems with them at all. I think I paid like all of 8 bucks a piece for them, but I couldn't tell you where now.
 04/29/2009 09:15:18 PM · #13
interesting to hear that. Maybe I just got a dud, or they just stink with a d300. Now that I think about it, it has never been a problem with the d200. Anybody ever have problems with specific cards in specific cameras?
 04/29/2009 09:23:48 PM · #14
I've jumped ship from SanDisk cards (and products all together) - I experienced far too many problems with them failing, and I find their prices to be consistently higher. I only use Kingston cards now; cheaper, fast, and never so much as a hiccup.
 04/29/2009 09:56:49 PM · #15
Originally posted by NikonJeb:
I've been having some issues with a couple of the older cards that I have that seem to be scrambling files, getting harder to format...

Have I just slapped 'em around too much and it's time for some fresh ones?


Probably reaching the end of the life cycle. Older smaller capacity cards will reach the end of their read/write cycles quicker than the newer larger capacity/high speed cards. There's a lot of factors that go into why - everything from connector corrosion to connector wear to static to just plain old use.

I'm using the new Extreme III cards - love 'em.

Later,

Tom
 04/30/2009 05:05:06 AM · #16
I've got a pair of 4gb Extreme III's that I got from play.com when they were £15 apiece. Due to the global rise in memory prices they are now £30 apiece. Yikes! Really good cards though I think.
 04/30/2009 03:00:13 PM · #17
Originally posted by kirbic:
It shouldn't matter whether you re-format or not, although the cards will slow down noticeably if you use them many times over without reformatting;

Hmmm. I never format my CF cards. Some I've been using for years! Actually, I should say I've owned some of them for years. As I got faster, larger cards the smaller ones haven't been used much except for vacations. Still, you've got me thinking maybe I should consider formatting them, eh? :-)
 04/30/2009 03:29:28 PM · #18
Originally posted by glad2badad:
Still, you've got me thinking maybe I should consider formatting them, eh? :-)

I don't reformat unless it's a new card for that camera -- I go with the "If it ain't broke ..." method for cards, and most other electronics as well.
 04/30/2009 05:49:49 PM · #19
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by glad2badad:
Still, you've got me thinking maybe I should consider formatting them, eh? :-)

I don't reformat unless it's a new card for that camera -- I go with the "If it ain't broke ..." method for cards, and most other electronics as well.


I always took this attitude as well. I had two or three cards that I'd cycle through, deleting and re-filling as I went, and eventually I noticed that those cards seemed to be *a lot* slower than I expected. Just on a hunch, I reformatted one of them, and bingo. Back to expected speeds.
I suspect that the slow-down has to do with severe fragmentation. It's probably worse with CF cards than with hard drives, since the memory controller tries to spread out data writes to level the read/write cycles across the media. I suppose that different controllers might handle this quite differently, so it is entirely possible that some cards might not slow down perceptibly. I don't know.
What I *do* know is that formatting is faster than deleting, and involves less changes to the card (it just wipes the directory information). Since it also leaves the card in a condition where files may be written more contiguously, I'll do a format over a global delete every time.
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