PHOTOGRAPHIC THREADS: camera queries, any photo tech stuff!

[TC]

I decided to upgrade my camera and bought a Nikon D610 with a Lexar SDHC 16Gb 600x  speed card.
The results have been variable.  Some of the shots have shown serious faults in exposure reminiscent of " shutter bounce" encountered with my old Zenith 3M of 50 years ago.

I don't think it is the camera's shutter but more likely to be a corrupt SD Card or some fault in my USB 3 Card reader.

However, the card reader has performed faultlessly prior to this with a Compact Flash Card.

I will have to do a series of tests with the camera to see if I can isolate the fault.

Has anyone encountered this problem before.

[Peter Maguire]

Tom,
That could be a corrupt SD card, but it would be unusual with a new card, and Lexar are a good make. I can't see the card reader being at fault. It might be worth borrowing another SD card or buying a small capacity one ot see if the problem occurs with that
At a guess, that looks to possibly be a problem with the internal camera firmware. The images seem to have variable colour temperature in different parts of the picture, and in the two pictures you've shown, the affected area is different, so it seems that the camera isn't interpreting the information from the sensor properly.
I think you're right, it isn't the shutter as the shutter blinds move along the long axis of the picture, and the faults run in different directions, the meconopsis showing four different regions of colour temperature/exposure.
You could try downloading updated firmware from the Nikon website, (actually, I've just checked that and there are no firmware updates for the D610 yet) but it looks like you may have got a faulty camera and you will have to get it (or major bits of it) replaced under warranty from Nikon. It's a highly rated camera, you shouldn't be getting pictures like that.

[Chris Johnson]

Gorilla Pods come in a range of weights and sizes. I bought one specifically for a DSLR which was useless - fit for a compact maybe. I can see a studio use for them but the marketing is all about being lightweight for the field. They also suggest wrapping the legs round tree branches but, we haven't got any.

[TC]

Thanks Peter however problem now solved.  I contacted Lexar and they told me to format the card as per the following :-
 
Please follow these instructions to format your flash card using windows.

1. Open my computer and right click on the drive letter/icon corresponding to the flash card.

2. From the pop out menu select ‘Format’

3. In the format window select the following, File System = FAT32, Allocation Size = Default, Volume Label = < Type a label of choice>, Quick Format Box = Unchecked.

4. Click start.

5. You will then receive a message when formatting is complete.

The formatting took about 3 minutes

This did the trick.  I have never had to format a card before using it in a camera...now I know.

As an adjunct.   The D610 produces the goods.  The detail in the pictures is a huge leap from my D200. 

I haven't had time to try it out properly as I am still trying to work my way through the 356 page instruction manual ! 

Today we went up to Loch Doon birdwatching and I took some pictures of Common Sandpipers, hand held at 1/500th @F5.3, ISO 900 at 500mm

The small picture is full frame and the second was cropped by 50%

In a 2 hour period we had a nesting Osprey, 4 Buzzards, Cuckoo, Meadow/Tree pipits, Wheatears, Stonechats, Willow Warblers, Common Sandpipers, Swallows , House Martins, Mistle Thrush, Bullfinch, Goosander, Common Gulls, Chaffinch, Snipe, Pied Wagtail and Black Grouse-----the latter on it's lekking ground.  Not bad for a  day that started out wet but was pleasantly warm by the late afternoon.  Even the midges forgot to come out !

[Peter Maguire]

Good to hear you've solved the problem Tom.

As a matter of interest, do you re-format flash cards every time you want to get rid of older files, or just delete the pictures? I've always understood that it is best to re-format the card using the camera menu to wipe off old images: never had a problem with any of my cards using this approach, and it's quick.

[TC]

It depends.  When I have downloaded the pictures onto the PC and check that they are in My Pictures ,I delete the file on the card reader...effectively formatting the card.

Some other times,  I just reformat the card in the camera.  Both work equally.

What struck me about the reply from Lexar was the need to format the card BEFORE using it for the first time.  I had never done this before and I never had any trouble with either my D70, D200 or Coolpix 5000.

[Brian Ellis]

I seem to remember having to format a card before using it in my Canon some years ago and have just automatically done it with new cards since.  I also always reformat the card in the camera to avoid any problems.

[TC]

I spoke too soon !  I went out an hour ago to take some pictures with my 60mm macro lens.  Of the 7 pictures taken, 3 had colour banding again.

Emails off to Lexar and Nikon !

[Peter Maguire]

Good luck! 

Just for reference Tom, deleting the file from the card in Windows Explorer or whatever is not quite the same as reformatting the card. There's a technical explanation that I couldn't remember but I found a useful link here:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/2918464802/to-format-or-to-delete

I always use a routine of: download all pictures > back up the download (you can never be too careful!) > re-format the card in the camera.

[David Pilling]

I never reformat cards - I don't hold any strong opinion about that being the right thing to do or not.

Cards have a finite lifetime, they can only be written so many times. Presumably if formatting does anything it is writing and bringing the day when the card fails closer.

One plus to formatting is that it will reinitialise the directory structure, it is likely that software will be faster/more reliable setting off from a new state. OTOH deleting all files will not be much different. If you think the camera has bugs in its software then reformatting is sensible (I've not seen bugs in camera software, but I have frequently in phones).

I've seen comments about formatting before, but only regarding cameras, does anyone using the same cards in computers (etc.) regularly reformat them.

[Geoforce]

I've seen comments about formatting before, but only regarding cameras, does anyone using the same cards in computers (etc.) regularly reformat them.

SD cards and the others including the USB thumb-drives all contain basically the same chips.  While the really do have finite life, it is on the order of 50-100k write cycles.  That would be 3-4 times a day for 50-100 years.  Mostly what happens to destroy them is excessive heat, static charges or even such unlikely events as cosmic ray penetration.

Handling them in hot, dry conditions which allows easy static generation is the worst thing you can do generally.

Thus said, I have rarely reformatted a card but always remove the photos after transfer to the computer. 

Geo

[Peter Maguire]

Thanks David and George, it's useful to know the background to these things.

However I'll probably still continue to format the CF cards in my camera, old habits die hard......
I have for some time now established a routine that any card that finds it's way back to my camera bag and that contains images is only there because it's already been backed up to two hard drives so can be safely wiped.

[Graeme]

Never used FAT32 for years for formatting any drive or cards or sticks always use NTFS - particularly if you are using large cards
Also using NTFS you normally get more free space on your storage device than using FAT32
 

[Geoforce]

Never used FAT32 for years for formatting any drive or cards or sticks always use NTFS - particularly if you are using large cards
Also using NTFS you normally get more free space on your storage device than using FAT32

Agreed for any MSWindows uses, this is the only one to use. 

The windows side of my Mac and the BU drive for it is NTFS, and the Mac side and the Time Machine drive is Mac OS Extended.  With proper apps, I can rapidly access any of the drives from either side of the street.

[TC]

I have been mucking about with various SD cards and have now come to the conclusion that the fault must be in the card reader.  I have uploaded pictures direct from the camera and then uploaded the same bunch with my Sweex USB 3.0 card reader. Two of these were faulty as can be seen on the attached.  It looks as if I will have to buy a new card reader.