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SD Card problems.


billh

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I took 163 photos (RAW) on a Sandisk Extreme III 2GB card I use in the Leica M8. Somehow this camera seems to have changed the card from a 2GB to a 1GB card, and I lose what is on the second half (GB) of the card I can see all of the images in the camera (on the LCD), but when I put the card into a Lexar card reader, it does not show up on the desktop of any of my computers (all Mac Intels). I used Data Recovery II software and was able to recover the files from the first 1GB, but the software did not find the files on the second part of the card, despite the fact I see them when I use the Play function. Exactly the same thing happened to my Lexar Professional SD Card, 2GB,133x speed. This Lexar card now shows as a 1GB card in the camera, and is full at 1GB. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening, and if so, how I can prevent it from occurring again? Also, I love to be able to recover the remaining 67 files I can see but not download.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

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I have had exactly the same problem. The answer is to acquire a Sandisk card reader, since the Lexars don't seem able to cope with 2 GB Sandisk Extreme III cards. The Sandisk MobileMate SD+ will allow you to recover the full 2 GB - no doubt the larger readers would also work.

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I have had exactly the same problem. The answer is to acquire a Sandisk card reader, since the Lexars don't seem able to cope with 2 GB Sandisk Extreme III cards. The Sandisk MobileMate SD+ will allow you to recover the full 2 GB - no doubt the larger readers would also work.

 

The camera did the same thing to my Lexar 2GB card, and the Lexar reader does not find the missing 1GB. Have you tried plugging the camera directly into the computer? I don't know where i put the cable that came with it, but I can search for it if there is any possibility that may work.

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Sandisk extreme card reader will do the trick...;)

 

This one?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/446771-REG/Sandisk_SDDRX33IN1R_Extreme_USB_2_0_Card.html

 

Why would this make any difference?

 

Here are the questions, and my answers to the tech people at Lexar - that will hopefully describe the problem.

 

-Also, I am actually facing a bit of a dilemma here. I have the 30% off option which I understand I have to exercise before the end of May. I have the 28 f2.8ASPH, and would probably buy the 28mm Summicron because it is a stop faster and I mostly seem to use the M8 indoors (and the Canons outside). However, I am not sure, even at 30% off, I want to sink any more money into this camera. I have consistent back focus problems - my 50 f1.4 ASPH is unusable, and now I have twice lost images when the camera somehow transforms a 2GB card into a 1GB card. Logically it seems more appropriate to put the money I would spend for another Leica lens into a 1D MKIII (and sell my 1D2) and a Canon 50 f1.2 lens. The Canons are heavier, but the new model has dropped half a pound, and the Canon 50 f1.2 is both sharp and has a beautiful look - (the most used lenses on my 1Ds2 are the 85 f1.2 and the 300 f2.8IS).

 

Subject: Re: Technical support request (KMM154743I59L0KM)*

 

Date: May 10, 2007 03:29:21 AM EDT

 

To: Bill Hollinger

*

Dear Bill,

 

Thank you for contacting Lexar.

 

We understand from your mail that you have a memory card with 2GB of

capacity, but it showing only the first half part of the card data(1GB)

and does not showing other 1GB of data.

 

To assist you better, please get back to us with the following

information.

 

1) What is the part number of the card reader which starts with RW?(Its

printed in the reader itself) Ans: The card reader is the Lexar USB 2.0 Multi-Card Reader, with a number on it: 124922. I do not see any RW code. I tried an identical reader on my other computer with the same results. I do not think it is the reader because this also happened to a Sandisk Extreme III 2.0 GB SD card

 

2) What is the make and model of your camera? It is a Leica M8

 

3) Have you tried these cards in any other camera? Answer: No, but they both worked correctly originally in this camera. With both cards I had to use the Data Recovery II softward because the cards would not mount (appear) on the computer desktop. The software recovered all of the data on the Lexar card, but it only appears as a 1GB card now (and that 1GB works fine), and the software recovered 96 (1GB) od 163 files from the Sandisk card, which is also now showing as only a 1GB card. My immediate concern is how to remove the other 67 image files from this card.

 

4) Have you tried this cards in any windows PC? Answer: No.

 

5) Was it working properly in the same camera and the card reader

before? Answer: Yes in the same camera and in two different Lexar USB 2.0 Multi-Card Readers.

 

Please get back to us with the above details so that we can help you

further.

 

E-mail response tracking no: 83955**

**

Please use this number for further reference with Lexar.

 

You may also contact our Live Chat Support at

http://www.lexar.com/support/index.html by clicking on the ?Chat with a

Live Support? under the ?Support? section, which is available 24 hours a

day, 7 days a week.

 

For further assistance contact us at (510) 413-1275 during regular

business hours, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday.

 

Regards,

Shankar

Technical Support Team.

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...I have consistent back focus problems - my 50 f1.4 ASPH is unusable, and now I have twice lost images when the camera somehow transforms a 2GB card into a 1GB card...

Hi Bill, i've heard of the same card problem on the R-D1 and the solution is the same as our friends said above: try another card reader. Haven't you bought an Amtron firewire card reader one or two years ago? Works fine with my Sandisk and Transcend 2GB cards at least.

As for back focus with the 50/1.4asph it is not normal at all. I have no problem with my modest R-D1 and R-D1s bodies so i see no reason why Leica could not adjust or repair your M8 at your full satisfaction.

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Bill, there have been postings for this problem, many with Mac's.

 

If you get a new card reader, it will most likely solve the problem. I use, and many have recommended, the Sandisk Multimate. The 12-in-1 that I use was about $40 -- and speeded up my file transfer by about a factor of 10. It's a usb-2 device and is m-u-c-h faster than the camera in transfering files.

 

Cheap, handy to have with you, and fast. They also save (ab)using the camera for this purpose.

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Can't give you technical reasons, but this has been problem with Lexar stuff for ahile...it seems to be designed to only work with other Lexar products. I've been selling this stuff for a few years now and we get many complaints.

For awhile Lexar was packaging their pro cards with a card reader...it would only read Lexar cards.

We sell a number of card reader...Sandisk, Lexar and a number of off-brands...the Sandisks and off-brands always seem to function no matter what you put in them...the Lexar's are usually finicky unless it is a Lexar card.

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Hi guys,

 

This made no sense to me, but you were right, a new card reader did the trick. Oddly enough it was the tiny Lexar USB reader that came with the Lexar card and plugs directly into a USB port that worked. Neither of the larger Lexar USB 2.0 Multi-Card Readers will work, although both did in the past. Why did they both suddenly stop working? I still am only able to see and use 1 GB of the 2 GB Lexar Professional SD Card, 2GB,133x speed - so what is a happy 2GB card for the M8? Get another Sandisk?

 

Thank you!

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Hello Bill!

This made no sense to me, but you were right, a new card reader did the trick. Oddly enough it was the tiny Lexar USB reader that came with the Lexar card and plugs directly into a USB port that worked. Neither of the larger Lexar USB 2.0 Multi-Card Readers will work, although both did in the past. Why did they both suddenly stop working? I still am only able to see and use 1 GB of the 2 GB Lexar Professional SD Card, 2GB,133x speed - so what is a happy 2GB card for the M8? Get another Sandisk?

Leica M8 is able to tread (any) SD card (NOT SDHC) like a (super) floppy disk or like a (partitionable) hard disk.

It depends if a new SD card is either completely empty (only null bytes) or prepartitioned and preformated.

If the SD card is completely empty, M8 formats the card as a super floppy disk, no partition table, boot sector is the very first sector (instead of master boot record).

If the SD card is prepartitioned (has at least one primary partition), then M8 formats the partition.

If SD card is partitioned and formated by any other operating system, M8 reacts often not predictable, which can go so far, that the capacity of the card is not as specified.

The influence of a card reader is also obvious. A card reader has to act like a USB mass storage device (MSD). A CF card is in fact a MSD, but a SD card is no MSD from the view of the cards hardware. Normaly, a card reader 'fakes' a MSD, but it depends on the card readers firmware, if this will be done for MSD only or also for super floppy (removeable device, NO MSD).

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