Hi Guys

Just a warning about memory cards. I was on a Europe Focus Tour April 25- May 11th, three days into our trip i reliased i lost my memory card of the digital camera. Three days of photos lost.

I imagine i lost it at the Collosuim in Rome, when i changed memory cards. Both my wife and myself were devastated . But the good thing is that at least i have 13 days of photos.

So please be careful. Dont lose your memory cards. Always double check you have it every now and then, or keep it in a safe place.

Regards

Leo and Victoria

Good advice. Whenever I remove a card from my camera it goes straight into my hidden money compartment and that is where it stays. I don't risk leaving them in carry-on baggage, purses or suitcases.

i consider my memory card of equal important as my passport - i know in reality it isnt quite the same. my full memory cards go with my passport safely in a pocket of my travelinvest.

I have a 1gb memory card so I dont have to change it and risk losing it.

quote:

Originally posted by WaryB:
[qb] I have a 1gb memory card so I dont have to change it and risk losing it. [/qb]

I thought this article makes good and sensible reading about camera cards

Memory Cards: What You Need to Know

Everyone who buys a digital camera finds out sooner or later (and more often sooner) that the amount of memory available either on board or on the card that came included is not enough. Whether it's a single important event or a weekend trip, most of us as camera users will want more than the standard 8-16MB (megabytes) of included memory so that we can take plenty of pictures at maximum quality before running out of card space.

Having the right amount of memory available will enable you to get through the event, weekend trip or full vacation without having to run to the computer to download your photos. After all, while downloading photos can be quick, it's not yet as convenient as simply changing a role of film, especially if you're not in the vicinity of your own computer.

So, what's the best solution for choosing and using memory cards? It's a combination of a few things. Here's what to keep in mind:

1. Size Isn't Everything: While larger memory cards will let you shoot longer without having to download your pictures, going for the biggest memory card you can find isn't the right solution for most people.

One reason is that memory cards can and sometimes do fail. So, if you buy the mothership 1GB card (that's 1000MB) to last you through your entire 3-week trip and then some, you risk losing all the photos from your trip if it fails. Rare as this may be, we know it happens and it's not a pleasant proposition. We recommend you choose multiple smaller cards to guard against it. Large memory cards also present other unique issues.

A combination of 128MB cards and 64MB cards for a total of 4 or 5 cards, including the one that came with your camera, will get most of us through even a full vacation. Think about your picture taking habits in general, then use the graph below and discuss it with the camera salesperson to determine what combination of cards will work best for you. If you're new to digital photography, keep in mind that you'll almost definitely be taking 2 to 3 times more photos than you would with film.

2. Don't Count on Deleting: It's true you can make room for more photos by deleting ones that don't look great, but think twice or three times before relying on this method or buying smaller memory cards with this in mind. First off, it is often difficult to tell what the true quality of a photo is by simply reviewing it on your camera's small LCD screen.

Also, unless you've consistently been taking each photo two to three times with different settings to practice your skills and get the best shot, it's likely you'll be forced to delete photos that might otherwise represent a nice memory. Finally, it's usually our mistakes in photography that we learn most from, so by deleting all your bad shots, you're depriving yourself of good learning experiences later when you sit down at your computer and go through your new collection.

3. Format Your Card Regularly: Deleting all the pictures on your card from your computer after downloading them isn't the same thing as formatting the card using your camera. As mentioned above, cards do fail occasionally (though rarely) and one contributing factor can be the existence of unstable data left over from previously deleted photos, which is more likely to occur if you delete photos using your computer. The best thing to do is format the card from the camera's own menu after downloading.

Thanks for that information Guy H. I have just bought myself a Nikon 5900 digital camera and it is the first camera I have owned. My husband usually takes all the shots with his old trusted Minolta but I thought I could manage a small digital. As yet I have not purchased a memory card as I wanted to play with the camera first to see that I though I would need. Your comments were great for a non camera buff like myself.

sydney duty free has 256mb cards for little over $30 i discovered. interesting the 512 cards were more than twice the 256 and the same with the 1G cards.

I Took 5 256MB memory cards, and filled 3 on my recent Britain and Ireland Highlights tour (8 actual days of touring!). I prefer using multiple smaller cards instead of one super-sized card, in case of card failure.

My piece of advice about memory cards (in addition to keeping them in a safe place) is to number your cards, and keep them in "rotation" -I started my trip with card #1 in my camera, and ended with card #3 - #4 is in my camera now. I don't know if they get "worn out" from repeated use, but I figure it's best to spread out the use.

I bring several 256 mb cards rather than one large one. My reasoning is that if my camera ever gets stolen, at least I will only lose the pictures on that card since I keep the others separate from the camera and securely hidden on my person.

I too use 1 256 and 2 128s. The time spent at the photo print processing machine works better for me with smaller cards-less labor instensive to process 1 256 card and return another time for the 128 or smaller cards. I also travel with them wrapped in bubble wrap or foam to prevent shock. Some how the stores I use have a rough time copying the larger cards onto 1 cd. The 256 card will always take 2 CDs no matter which shop I go to. It's Kodak processing as well. Just took me over 3 hours to process 1 256 and 2 128 CF cards in 2 trips; and - didn't print all my shots! One was done at Target, and 2 done at CVS. Believe it or not, the CVS prints came out fantastic and were 10 cents cheaper per print. They must have done a recent chemical change! Now that I have a new Notebook, I have all the cards loaded and set up as a slide show. When it's fired up, I glance over and see an instant memory of somewhere around the globe!

Thanks for the info Guy H. I do use the 1gb card at the moment but I wont be taking it away with me. When I upgrade my camera next year I will use the smaller cards, probably 256mb. Another tip is, and I know its hard to do while travelling, to constantly download your photos and reformat your card. You can take your card into camera/photo stores and they will copy your pictures onto disc for you (I did it in Barcelona and Texas). By reformatting your card your camera doesnt become slow and sluggish when taking photos..

Rarogirl - spot on my brother only 3 weeks ago had his new digital camera "lifted" in the hotel at new york. fortunately they didnt lose too many photos but if they had a 1g card in i think they would be a lot sadder than they were.

Guy had plenty of good advice but consider an approach other than 1 or 2 large memory cards: a personal storage device. Like an i-pod (a full size i-pod can act like a psd), these cigarette pack size packages contain a 20 to 80 gigabyte hard drive. Some have a viewing screen to check your photos and some will hold music as well as photos.

I use a Sony 707 camera which will not take memory sticks larger than 128 megs. I carry six of these with a total capacity of 300 high resolution images. At night, in the hotel, I off- load pictures from that day to the psd, format the used sticks and I am ready to go the next day.

My main camera bag with the psd, chargers, etc., goes only on the bus or the plane: if staying in a city overnight, it doesn't leave the hotel. I had my memory stick case stolen in Rome but it had only that morning's photos. 800 images from 13 days of touring were safely on the psd in the hotel.

PSDs run from US$180 to US$300, depending on features and hard drive capacity.

Glenn

PS See the thread entitled "i-pod photo" in this same section