There has recently been a long thread on one of the mailing lists I belong to regarding the correct way to delete photos and how to format your compact flash cards. There is a lot of confusion and many different opinions on this topic and trying to figure out which one is correct is almost taxing. What I’ve been doing for the last seven years, and I take a lot of photos, seems to work fine, as I’ve never had a compact flash card fail me (knock on wood). People can debate if it is the right way or not, but it has worked for me. These tips are good for any type of flash storage media used in cameras.
First of all, I only use SanDisk or Lexar cards. SanDisk was the company that first introduced compact flash cards and continues to lead the industry. Lexar has a reputation for being of very high quality due to its professional line that has a lifetime guarantee. I use both brands interchangeably, and have found both to be very reliable. I choose their fastest cards that read and write faster and cost a bit more.
When choosing a card, buy the fastest card you can pay. Sandisk cards get faster with every ‘series’ they release: Ultra II, Ultra III, Ultra IV. Lexar lists their speed as 80x, 133x, 300x, that’s how fast they write compared to the original compact flash card specs. Most cameras can’t use all the speed the card can handle, but what if you upgrade your camera? Plus, cards that write faster can generally read faster, which means downloading your photos to your computer is faster, too.
Many people say that you shouldn’t delete photos from your card one at a time. I have never had any problems, and I do it all the time. In the baseball tournament I have to shoot the batter every time the ball is pitched, but he only swings once in a while, so he takes the others out. This is in addition to many photos that I have deleted one at a time without having any issues with the card. So I would tell you not to worry about it.
The best thing you can do to keep your cards in good shape is to always format them IN THE CAMERA, not on the computer, and do it frequently. I format the card after every image download to my computer. Formatting erases all data on the card and gives you a fresh start, so make sure all your images are on your computer before you begin. At some sporting events I format my cards a dozen times a day, a bit of a hassle, but worth it if you don’t lose any images to card failure.
One last word of note: be very careful to make sure you push the cards STRAIGHT into the slot. Although I have never had this problem, I have heard of many people who have bent the pins inside the camera.
So now you know how to format your compact flash cards and they are ready for you to go out and shoot.
Happy shooting!