rbaron Posted September 17, 2009 Share #1 Posted September 17, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I bought two new Sandisk Extreme III 4 gb cards. I formatted them both in the same M8, set for ISO 320, dng only. With one card inserted the camera shows 376 images available; with the other one it shows 366. Why? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 17, 2009 Posted September 17, 2009 Hi rbaron, Take a look here 2 Sandisk Cards Hold Different Number of Images. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wparsonsgisnet Posted September 17, 2009 Share #2 Posted September 17, 2009 My expectation is that there are bad sectors on both cards and at formatting, these are bypassed. The two cards just have different numbers of bad sectors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted September 17, 2009 Is this something I should be worried about? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted September 18, 2009 Share #4 Posted September 18, 2009 Is this something I should be worried about? Yes if they are counterfeit. There are more counterfeit Sandisk cards around then real ones. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted September 18, 2009 Share #5 Posted September 18, 2009 Is this something I should be worried about? Yeah, I would. Go buy ten more cards and see how they show up. Seriously, no, it's interesting but not to worry about. I think it could also be that the cards came from a different suppliers to SanDisk, or that one is actually a knock-off, as Ed suggested. (The reason SanDisk is often pirated is simply it is one of the most respected brands.) The formatting looks at what's available and writes an allocation table, as I understand it. So basically, the process is covering variations between the cards. It's likely that the two cards won't give the same number of images they claim, anyway. You could look at the cards in your file browser or a disk utility to see what differences they exhibit, but until they start acting up, I wouldn't worry about it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share #6 Posted September 18, 2009 I bought the cards at different times within the last month or so from Adorama in New York City, which I consider to be a reputable source. This makes me think they are less than likely to be counterfeits, although I certainly know anything is possible. I've just never seen nor read about this phenomenon so it caught me by surprise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted September 18, 2009 Share #7 Posted September 18, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) It's an interesting point. I would trust Adorama as well. But it's always possible that a counterfeit sneaked in. To be honest, I have no idea why the two cards would format differently, unless it's what Bill said. I don't know what goes on in a formatting operation, and I would assume he's right. Is the one with the smaller formatted capacity the newer or the older? Could be that SanDisk has switched manufacturers, or maybe one card has some changes to make it more reliable. But I'm speculating. I'd say just go shoot, and keep in mind this difference. It might mean something later, and in might not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted September 18, 2009 The card with the smaller capacity is the newest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted September 18, 2009 Share #9 Posted September 18, 2009 Boy, I should never have tried to answer here because my knowledge is so limited. I'm not surprised it's the newer card. I think I've read that some manufacturers are burning extra data into the card either to reduce read/write errors or to make file recovery more reliable when needed. Where are you, Michael? Where are you, Sandy? And there's one guy whose understanding of these cards is so detailed, he must have been born in a card stamper, but whose name I've forgotten. Where are you, Experts of the Cards? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share #10 Posted September 18, 2009 Here's some more data, not that I understand the significance of it: The card that shows 366 Images Remaining, when put in a card reader and opened in Windows Explorer, under Properties, shows (omitting the detailed byte count) 12.0KB used space and 3.68GB free space; total capacity 3.68GB. The card that shows 376 Images Remaining shows 12.0KB used space and 3.78GB free space; total capacity 3.78GB. I have no idea where the missing .1GB might be. --Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted September 19, 2009 Share #11 Posted September 19, 2009 I think SanDisk has a help desk. I'm sure if you called or emailed them, they could tell you what's up. Probably a good idea to have the cards' serial numbers handy as well. And let us know what they say! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share #12 Posted September 19, 2009 Good idea. I just looked and they do have a pretty good support section on their website. I couldn't find the answer quickly so I sent them a detailed email. They promise a response w/in 24-48 hours and I'll let you know what they say. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted September 21, 2009 Share #13 Posted September 21, 2009 Just shoot with the cards and don't worry about it. Run a few exposures thru a new card and verify. After that, go for it. These things probably cost pennies to make. Take care of the camera. Use multiple cards for an important shoot. Drink good wine. Regards, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share #14 Posted September 21, 2009 Drink good wine. One of the seven basic food groups IMNSHO. --Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share #15 Posted September 21, 2009 I just got a somewhat incomprehensible canned response to my email so I called and talked to the SanDisk Help Desk. The tech suggested I reformat the card in a computer and that might wipe it completely clean and free up the missing space. I told him I thought the camera manufacturer recommended that disks be formatted in the camera, not on a computer. He said I should reformat it in the computer and then again in the camera. Well, I dunno. We're just talk about a difference of ten images here, but it is the principle of the thing. And don't you know that standing on principle always seems to get me in trouble..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted September 21, 2009 Share #16 Posted September 21, 2009 Oops! There goes that one. Don't worry. Formatting a card on the computer won't damage the card. One of the M8 FAQs at one time suggested doing the same. As you said, it's a small discrepancy and hardly worth the effort. But since we've already got 16 posts here, I'm curious whether we can get an answer, or whether we'll just end up where we started. I'd say to go ahead and try the computer-format route. Or you might want to try formatting the cards in another camera, just for fun. Whatever you do, you can always re-format in the M8 afterward. But I'm curious and I'd like to see if you can get a definitive answer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share #17 Posted September 21, 2009 OK, here's another data point: I just received three more 4GB cards from Adorama and they all - when reformatted in the M8 - show 366 images remaining. The obvious conclusion is that Sandisk has done something to change something on these newer cards. I'm going to quit worrying and follow Bill Parsons' advice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted September 21, 2009 Share #18 Posted September 21, 2009 OK, here's another data point: I just received three more 4GB cards from Adorama and they all - when reformatted in the M8 - show 366 images remaining. The obvious conclusion is that Sandisk has done something to change something on these newer cards. I'm going to quit worrying and follow Bill Parsons' advice. May I ask if you looked on the card to see if there is a folder or a hidden folder or second partition on these cards that holds some type of recovery software. 12 M8 images comes up to about 130MB of space. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share #19 Posted September 21, 2009 May I ask if you looked on the card to see if there is a folder or a hidden folder or second partition on these cards that holds some type of recovery software.12 M8 images comes up to about 130MB of space. I did, and I didn't see anything. The cards used to come with a mini-disk containing RescuePro software; now they come with an enclosed piece of paper with a unique serial number so you can download the software and activate it online. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.