memory cards damaging cameras

[ron_erwin1]

<p><a href="http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=39904">http://www.sportsshooter.com/message_display.html?tid=39904</a></p>

<p>This discussion is going on on sportsshooter.com. I found only one similar question posted on photo.net, and that thread ended pretty quickly. What I find worrisome here is that at least 3 of the photo-journalists have experienced the same problem with a "killer card". Their information seems pretty reliable. Has anyone here had similar problems?</p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>Always use your camera manual that describes the safest method to transfer your pictures out of camera to your computer. Never use any other risky inventive methods or devices, as those could cause the problem.</p>

<p>With fast USB 3.0 ports of latest DSLR cameras, you will not need any unauthorized computer devices that could ruin cards, and then cameras.</p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>Hi Ron, the thread contains a comprehensive discussion which pretty much covers the probable causes: card failure due (likely) to rough handling, meaning a "killer card" is one which has developed an internal failure in a way which causes the camera to fail, although I would have thought the camera's power supply is sufficiently protected against short circuit</p>

<p>I imagine sportsshooters are likely rougher on their gear more so than the average user. Card failure of the symptom described is almost unheard of in general photography so one can probably safely conclude that this is not a common manufacturing problem, but one which is more likely inadvertently caused by its user. </p>

[bobatkins]

<p>Since it's so rarely heard about I assume it's not something you really need to worry about. It seems it can happen with some cards and some cameras, but that doesn't mean that every camera is capable of suffering such a fate. It's possible that some cameras use CF reading circuitry that's less susceptible to damage. The sportsshooter thread seems to describe the problems on Nikon bodies. Pephaps Canon or Pentax or Sony cameras are more difficult to kill this way?</p>

[jim_service]

<p>And so the war begins..</p>

[lex_jenkins]

I'm usually skeptical about stuff like this, but Robert Hanashiro's comments - citing remarks he'd heard from a Nikon service tech - do seem to lend credibility to the reports.

 

So far I've had only one CF card fail and it didn't affect the D2H. I don't recall now whether I hot swapped cards on that occasion (I did so before and since, and might have done so on auto-pilot that day), but I do recall it was on a very hot, humid day at a local wetland. The air was soggy and if I did hot swap it could conceivably have killed the card. Curiously, that SanDisk 1 GB ultra-whatever CF card still works fine on other digicams that take CF cards. But it refuses to work with the D2H in which the glitch occurred.

[unangelino]

<p>It's interesting that the CF card pinout locates the ground (pin 1) as far as possible from the power rail (pins 13 and 38). I'm sure this is done to prevent the very kind of short being discussed. Still, just because they're far away from each other at the pins doesn't mean something couldn't happen on the pcb to bring them together in a bad way.</p>

<p> </p>

[ron_erwin1]

<p>Thanks for the replies.<br>

I agree with both your points, Michael. I think it's agreed that user-caused damage is the reason this has happened. And yes, photo-journalists are rough on the gear. But like you, I would have thought the camera circuitry would have been well-protected enough to survive.<br>

And Les, I too am skeptical about these types of claims, but I've followed the sportsshooter forum for a few years now and found them to be a fact-checking bunch. I wouldn't have posted otherwise. As I said above, though, it surprised me that several members mentioned having experienced the problem, yet this is the first post on that site <br>

The main thing I will change based on this information is that if I do experience any strange reaction from a memory card in one camera, I won't automatically stick it in another. </p>

[MichaelChang]

<p>Ron, if you should ever experience the bad luck of coming across one of those cards, it might be informative to measure resistance across the power and ground pins as indicated by Paul. I don't think modern DVMs will cause (further) damage to the card on a higher Ohms scale, and a power short will be immediately obvious. </p>