Tips & Tricks | Take care with memory cards

We’ve all been in that situation – your memory card is full and you have to quickly change cards without thinking.

CompactFlash cards in particular have an awkward knack of almost fitting in the camera if inserted back to front, or even sideways, and the damage this can do is severe; the pins that interface with the card are easily bent, and once this happens, the CF reader unit needs to be replaced.

This D700 shows how easy it is to insert a card the wrong way.

We see cameras come in every week with bent pins and as well as the inconvenience of being without your camera for a few days while we replace the CF reader, the cost can be upwards of £150.

You only need to bend one pin to render your camera’s card reader unusable.

It’s also worth keeping a close eye on the card itself. If any of the holes on the card’s access port are blocked, this can also result in bent pins – even if the card is inserted carefully. And damage to the plastic sheath around the holes can also cause problems when the card is inserted.

If your cards look like this, it’s time to replace them!.

So next time you’re organising your kit for a shoot, take a minute to inspect your cards using a loupe and remember to double check before you insert them in the camera. It could save you a small fortune.