Nikon Transfer and extra pictures in CF-card

<p>The problem background:<br>

After running automatic Nikon Transfer on plugged in CF-card, I should have those files set up in two directories. One is the main and the other is for backup. After finishing the transfer - as I have chosen - the system should clean up the CF-card for new pictures. This far it goes as planned and as intented.<br>

The problem:<br>

2-3 weeks ago I noticed that with most of my CF-cards (5 of them) there were pictures still stored after the transfer. I think I waited enough. Out of 200+ pictures the process had left 2-5 files lying in the CF-card. Not quite sure about this, but some of the not supposed to be existing files in the CF-cards were those I had deleted in the camera. Maybe not all. I noticed these extra files as I returned the CF-card to the camera.<br>

The setup:<br>

D700, 8Gb 60MB/s UDMA CF-cards, USB3 card reader via USB2 plug in a docking station, Laptop, 6Gb memory, Win7 64bit. VNX2 (and CNX2) are 64bits.<br>

After I noticed this behaviour I updated VNX2 to 2.5.0, cleaned and formatted - in camera - all CF cards and made some PC main disc maintenance operations.<br>

So far I has been ok, but I'd like to know possible reasons for the problem behavior.</p>

<p>-cheers Kari</p>

<p>Were the "extra" files actually deleted in-camera, or is there a slim chance that they were inadvertently locked, thereby preventing their erasure? Just a random thought.</p>

<p>You are doing a risky business, allowing Nikon Transfer to clean up the card after the transfer.</p>

<p>I usually inspect the pictures on the computer, and then clean up the card, after backing up the pictures. I never allow Nikon Transfer, or any software, to delete anything from the card.</p>

<p>I generally don't let any computer software delete photo from my CF cards. I stick with this process:</p>

<ol>

<li>Shoot</li>

<li>Go through images in the camera and cull out the obviously bad ones.</li>

<li>Repeat step #2 (sometimes more than once. I get a better feel for what I have after the first trip through the card).</li>

<li>Import the images to my Mac via a card reader, <strong>not</strong> by connecting my camera.</li>

<li>I don't let the computer clean up the card. Just eject when done importing.</li>

<li>Verify the images were imported properly, and the images were archived in a second location (I have Apple Aperture do both during import).</li>

<li>Put the CF back in the camera.</li>

<li>Format the CF in the camera.</li>

</ol>

<p>By doing this, I know that there's nothing odd leftover on the CF cards. They're formatted in the camera that's going to be using them, so I don't need to worry if the computer did the right thing or not. Also, reformatting the CF in the camera is a lot faster than deleting individual images!</p>

<p>Thank you for the advise.<br>

I think that at least some of the pictures that were left behind in the CF card were not transferred but they stayed on the card. I had to transfer those manually. I have tested the image locking function once, but never uset that function. So that is not a good explanation.<br>

If I start formatting memory cards in camera before using, I am just afraid that I will mix full and stored with full and not strored as I have 4-5 cards. Formatting in camera after each transfer increases the risk of messing things up, as it is another manual step to take care of.<br>

I agree, with one or two cards, no problem.</p>