Data Treatment / Storage

[swolff13]

Hello all -

I've been having some troubles with the SD cards I've been using lately. First, some specs -

Most problems occurred while using a Nikon D7000, with two SD cards at the same time (set to backup mode) - one was a Lexar 8GB premium 60x SD HC, 4 rated, the other was a PNY pro 32 GB 20x SD HC, 10 rated. Format wise, it's HD 1080.

In terms of video - the quality is always a little subpar, even with optimal ISO settings (<400) and shutter speeds (29.97). It tends to be a little grainy. The lens I use most is brilliant - a nikkor 1.8 50mm fixed. I don't think that's the problem. Any suggestions on what might be causing the poorer quality? Is there a chance it's the data transfer rates of the cards?

Second - there's been a TON of video dropping from the cards. I've made it a habit to check that video was properly saved after every shot. It's also been getting increasingly worse. At one point while shooting an awards ceremony last weekend (straight photography, no video), the 32 GB card became corrupt and all the data was lost from that card. The card no longer works.

So, the big[ger] questions -

A.) How should I treat cards while using the camera and transporting data? Should I leave the cards in the camera after shooting, if no editing is going to be done for a while?
B.) Should I reformat after every shoot?
C.) Also, is it detrimental to be turning the camera off and on every few seconds while shooting (nasty habit)?
D.) I've heard that deleting all unwanted data from the cards by using the computer is healthier for the cards than doing so on the camera / by formatting. True?
E.) Is there any way at all to save a corrupt card?
F.) I'm looking at switching to two 32 GB, 133x pro lexar cards, with ratings of 10. Would the cards being the same speed / faster speed help out the footage at all in terms of quality? This is probably an intuitive question, and the answer is likely yes, but it'd be nice to know before throwing down $100 for some cards that are faster than the original, when the original would've been fast enough anyway.

Really appreciate the help, any help would be massively appreciated, and hopefully save me some valuable footage in the future!
Sam

 

[knightly]

I've heard that reformatting every shoot helps. No personal evidence though.

 

[jmoschner]

A.) How should I treat cards while using the camera and transporting data? Should I leave the cards in the camera after shooting, if no editing is going to be done for a while?
B.) Should I reformat after every shoot?
C.) Also, is it detrimental to be turning the camera off and on every few seconds while shooting (nasty habit)?
D.) I've heard that deleting all unwanted data from the cards by using the computer is healthier for the cards than doing so on the camera / by formatting. True?
E.) Is there any way at all to save a corrupt card?
F.) I'm looking at switching to two 32 GB, 133x pro lexar cards, with ratings of 10. Would the cards being the same speed / faster speed help out the footage at all in terms of quality? This is probably an intuitive question, and the answer is likely yes, but it'd be nice to know before throwing down $100 for some cards that are faster than the original, when the original would've been fast enough anyway.

A.) I find it is a good habit to always pull the cards after shooting and dump them into your file management system and back them up to a HD or 4. Otherwise, if you are not in a location where you can bring your backups system, take cards out and put them in your storage cases for cards waiting to be dumped.
B.) Yes reformat after you dump files off to the computer/backup system.
C.) If you are not trying to conserve battery or avoiding overheating it is usually easier to just leave a a camera on.
D.) we usually clear/reformat on the computer. Part of it is workflow. Once you have quadruple checked video has been backed up to hd it is easier to format the card on the computer. Also you can clear files that the camera may or may not take off.
E.) If the data is corrupt yes. If the card itself is bad you have to replace it. A little google fu can help on ways to fix data issues for your specific computer/card combo.
F.) It depends on how fast your camera writes. I don't know the specs for your camera, one of the camera guys here would know better, but my guess is that yes better cards would give better results. Also be aware if the data loss happens with new cards that there could be an issue with the camera.

 

[IndieBudget]

I used Transcend Class 10 16gb and 32gb on my T2i .. never an issue. I did reformat on the cam regularly. Some suggest using 16 as opposed to 32gb ,less chance of overheating on a long day and if a problem, less footage lost.