Formatting SD cards

[gavavemom]

This may seem like a dumb question...do I have to format a brand new SD card prior to first use?

[Habenero]

The first time I put any card in my camera, I format it. I also format a card that has had its images copied to a hard drive. It ensures that the new images have the best chance of getting captured cleanly!

[chipmaster]

Yes

 

A couple things always to do.

 

1) Format your card IN the camera

2) Reformat your card everytime you start again. IE after you copy/transfer or if you swap cards into another camera.

 

This may seem like a dumb question...do I have to format a brand new SD card prior to first use?

[awboater]

I usually format a new card before using it first, but it's not a regular thing I do during it's life cycle.

 

It is important to format new cards because cameras typically use 32kb block sizes while Windows normally uses 4kb block sizes. Depending on the card you buy, the block size they use to initially format it could be anything.

 

This is getting a bit technical, so I'll just say that for huge files, such as photos, a larger block size is normally more efficient in storage than smaller files, which is why cameras generally use 32kb blocks. Windows uses smaller block sizes as there are a multitude of different file types, so 4kb is more logical in that situation.