Just saying hi ... and an SD card query

[RichC]

Got an R-D1 for Xmas; well, half of one anyway - had to sell all my Canon 10D stuff to pay for the other half! Now, all I have to do is get used to it - it's so different to using an SLR (note to myself: remember to take lens cap off, and that the camera doesn't autofocus!)! 😀

Anyway, I have a question: can you or can you not use 2 Gb memory cards? I know Epson says 1 Gb max, but searching the Web gives a mixed response.

I'm wondering if the difference is the file system used when formatting, i.e. does formatting the card in the computer using FAT-32 allow the full 2 Gb to be seen by the camera (which presumably means the camera uses FAT-16 when formatting, and has a 1 Gb size limit)?

Can anyone confirm that formatting using FAT-32 reliably breaks the 1 Gb barrier, as I would like a larger card - but am wary of wasting my money?

 

[Socke]

FAT-32 is made to overcome the 2GB barrier. CF cards are IDE disks and SD is addressed totaly different to IDE and CF.

 

[Sean Reid]

I don't know the answer to this but I choose to use 1-Gig cards for all the cameras I work with because it lessens the loss if a card should go bad. For the RD-1s I use the Sandisk Ultra II SD cards. Enjoy your new camera.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[brightsky]

Someone in this forum posted that they successfully used a 2GB SD by formatting it on their computer instead of the camera.

I'd buy one 1GB SanDisk Extreme III anyway because it comes with disk recovery software. Then, as Sean said, buy a SanDisk Ultra II SD card. They're less expensive, but you can still use the disk recovery software on them should you encounter a problem.

 

[rami G]

I use Ridata 2GB pro 150x and I I got so far over 180 Raws on one card. I will try again and give exact nubmer when my card is finished. I format the card in camera.

 

[rami G]

btw, I hardly used my 2GB cards so far because they were not compatible with my Epson P-2000 but with the lattest firmware upgrade they are compatible now, if anybody is interested.

 

[sf]

As Sean said, it is a good idea to shoot with a couple smaller cards than one big one. I have lost stuff before when my enormous card just got strange one moment and died the next. Buy 2 1 GB cards. Speed is not important for an RF user, but don't buy the nasty cheap ones - they are sketchy sometimes.

 

[rami G]

I never had any problem with pro cards, not even with Compact Flash cards, that are said to be less reliable than SDs. I wouldn't worry about it, as long as you don't buy the consumer's cards. BTW, when I had a problem once with a chip card I easily recovered the data (but not the card). The only thing to avoid, again, on the compact flash side of the fense, is the Memory Cards. They die eventually (that is, within a year of casual use) and it is harder to recover lost data.