Memory Card Actuations

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nikonuser

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Dave
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I'm not too clear on the following points so any help would be appreciated -

1. so say, for example, my memory card/camera has 7000 actuations if I put a new card in the camera would the actuations on the card start at 7001, 7002 etc.

2. If the camera has 7000 actuations and I put a memory card in the camera with 10,000 actuations on it would the camera then start to number the next images 10,001, 10,002 etc.

3. Is there any way of formatting a memory card with 7000 actuations on it so that it, and the camera, starts from 0001.
Thanks
Dave
 
What camera have you got? Do you mean photo numbers?
I've got Nikon d90 and in settings you can change photo numbers so they either reset to 0 or continue from previous
 
Hi - I have a D700 but I'm talking about the actuations on a memory card and how this can affect the cameras numbering system
Thanks for your reply
Dave
 
nikonuser said:
Hi - I have a D700 but I'm talking about the actuations on a memory card and how this can affect the cameras numbering system
Thanks for your reply
Dave
Click to expand...

The card cannot affect the cameras numbering system, it is the other way round.
Whatever you set the cameras software to do, ie, continuous numbering, reset each time, or whatever, happens on the card.
If you format the card, it will number each image (file) to whatever you set the camera to do.
 
You could try doing a factory reset on the camera and then formatting the card, I expect that will reset the numbers in the file name to zero. But I wouldn't bother worrying about it unless it's causing you problems when you transfer your images to the computer or something, the numbers are meaningless.
 
SixToes said:
You could try doing a factory reset on the camera and then formatting the card, I expect that will reset the numbers in the file name to zero. But I wouldn't bother worrying about it unless it's causing you problems when you transfer your images to the computer or something, the numbers are meaningless.
Click to expand...

Well no, they are not meaningless. Some cameras cannot have the shutter actuations read by software, so the file count can be a pointer (very rough) to the total. Also gives you a rough idea to how many pics you have taken in a shoot.
But as you rightly say, not worth bothering about.
Might help if the op explains exactly what he is trying to achieve.
 
Its something that has bugged me for some time and I have never been able to get my head around it.
So the memory card cannot affect the cameras numbering system.
There was a question many years ago on dpreview.com where it mentioned that if you used a memory card which had been used in 'another' camera, it was not enough to format the card before you put it in the 'first' camera as this camera could find the old numbering system and use it??.....so in effect your camera would show a higher number of actuations than it had taken.
I also think there was a way of renumbering the memory card to zero through the computer to stop this happening.
So based on this theory you should not put an old card into a new camera....right or wrong I still dont know.
 
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Wrong as far as I know! Think of it as just a storage medium just like a hard drive, once you format the drive every thing on the drive is ignored by the reader (pc, camera etc) and overwriten.
 
If you format the card on your PC and then again in the camera it will clear the card count and will continue from the next number on the camera, It is important to format in the camera as well.
 
wontolla said:
Wrong as far as I know! Think of it as just a storage medium just like a hard drive, once you format the drive every thing on the drive is ignored by the reader (pc, camera etc) and overwriten.
Click to expand...

But - if the card isn't formatted.........?

Then all bets are off. The camera will take the next available number (assuming it's set to continuous numbering)

Then returning it to the original camera after taking 1000 shots (same assumptions) the original camera's file numbering just jumped up 1000 too:).

The simple answer - it's a file number and can't be relied upon to give any indication of shutter actuations.(y)
 
Your D700 logs it's actuations in the EXIF data if you're worried about that.

Photoshop: File/File info.

0LRyb.jpg



yes.. the D2x I was using really did have that many actuations on it... and is still going strong to this day with it's new owner, with over 400,000 actuations.
 
Phil V said:
But - if the card isn't formatted.........?

Then all bets are off. The camera will take the next available number (assuming it's set to continuous numbering)

Then returning it to the original camera after taking 1000 shots (same assumptions) the original camera's file numbering just jumped up 1000 too:).

The simple answer - it's a file number and can't be relied upon to give any indication of shutter actuations.(y)
Click to expand...

Ok, well lets assume you leave the images on the card, the last file number is 101, the CAMERA, not the card will number the next file 102.
Now lets assume you format the card, in camera, the last number the CAMERA numbered was 101, the next file on the card will be 102!
No difference.
Unless someone else KNOWS better!
But thats how it works on my Canon 40d!
 
wontolla said:
Ok, well lets assume you leave the images on the card, the last file number is 101, the CAMERA, not the card will number the next file 102.
Now lets assume you format the card, in camera, the last number the CAMERA numbered was 101, the next file on the card will be 102!
No difference.
Unless someone else KNOWS better!
But thats how it works on my Canon 40d!
Click to expand...

Same on Nikon. I often format cards and my numbers remain sequential. I do recall seeing a menu setting for this though, so there may be options. I generally don't bother worrying about it,as the camera logs the actuations, and I always batch rename files usually anyway.
 
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wontolla said:
Ok, well lets assume you leave the images on the card, the last file number is 101, the CAMERA, not the card will number the next file 102.
Now lets assume you format the card, in camera, the last number the CAMERA numbered was 101, the next file on the card will be 102!
No difference.
Unless someone else KNOWS better!
But thats how it works on my Canon 40d!
Click to expand...
That's not even contrary to what I said....
Phil V said:
But - if the card isn't formatted.........?

Then all bets are off. The camera will take the next available number (assuming it's set to continuous numbering)

Then returning it to the original camera after taking 1000 shots (same assumptions) the original camera's file numbering just jumped up 1000 too:).

The simple answer - it's a file number and can't be relied upon to give any indication of shutter actuations.(y)
Click to expand...

In response to you appearing to say that cards wouldn't remember their numbering if formatted (bear in mind these are your words and I clarified about when a card wasn't formatted).
wontolla said:
Wrong as far as I know! Think of it as just a storage medium just like a hard drive, once you format the drive every thing on the drive is ignored by the reader (pc, camera etc) and overwriten.
Click to expand...
You appear to just want to disagree with every viewpoint on this. :thinking:
wontolla said:
Well no, they are not meaningless. Some cameras cannot have the shutter actuations read by software, so the file count can be a pointer (very rough) to the total. Also gives you a rough idea to how many pics you have taken in a shoot.
But as you rightly say, not worth bothering about.
Might help if the op explains exactly what he is trying to achieve.
Click to expand...

I'll reiterate:
Phil V said:
The simple answer - it's a file number and can't be relied upon to give any indication of shutter actuations.
Click to expand...

If you believe that's wrong - I'm happy to discuss further but;

It's how it works on my 7d, 40d, all the 20d's I owned and the 300d too. Also from what I can see above - Nikon's too:)

It also explains why the file numbers from all my cameras are fairly close - despite their age and usage differences. Would that be close enough to KNOWing how it works:shrug:
 
nikonuser said:
...So the memory card cannot affect the cameras numbering system...
Click to expand...
If it is formatted before being put into the new camera it shouldn't.

But I've seen it where the camera continues file numbering on a second camera based on file names from a first camera. A few years ago I was using the same memory cards between a Powershot A75 and an EOS 400D. I'd had the A75 for ages and the 400D only a few weeks. When I loaded a CF card from the A75 (with existing images on it) into the 400D it skipped about 8000 filenames, and continued from that point when I switched to a new CF card in the 400D.
 
From personal experience, I know that swapping memory card/camera has messed up my sequential file numbering, but I'm bu55ered if I can replicate it!
 
wontolla said:
Ok, well lets assume you leave the images on the card, the last file number is 101, the CAMERA, not the card will number the next file 102.
Now lets assume you format the card, in camera, the last number the CAMERA numbered was 101, the next file on the card will be 102!
No difference.
Unless someone else KNOWS better!
But thats how it works on my Canon 40d!
Click to expand...

That's how it works on Nikon too but as mentioned earlier you can reset numbers to 0 in the menu and start fresh.
In the end it's whatever numbers you feel comfortable with
 
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