Camera Cards: Is Bigger Really Better?

With digital photographic equipment, the temptation is always to seek out the biggest, baddest, fastest, coolest tool on the market. Bigger cards are certainly more expensive which is often how we measure value and quality! For those working with Huge RAW picture files, this may be a viable option. When purchasing memory cards and photographing with a 10 or 12 megapixel camera, I still prefer the 4GB card over the 32 or 64GB card.

Why is the smaller card a better solution for me? It all comes down to workflow and insurance. I usually keep my cards in plastic, waterproof cases with a window showing each card. The cards are numbered on the back. If a card is ready for use, the side without a number will show through the window. If a card has been filled with pictures, it is returned to the case with the numbered side facing through the window. I can tell from the outside of the case, which cards are available. This allows me to change cards swiftly and smoothly. Since I am using more cards, it is important to be quick and professional so that the client hardly notices when I am changing to a new memory card.

Bigger cards take much longer to transfer and this is one of your most vulnerable steps (especially if you are transferring from a camera that you have been shooting all day and it has a weak battery). If you are using an older computer it will seem to take forever which puts even more of a drain on the battery! Bigger cards and folders can take forever to load and process.

When transferring images to the computer, it's a good idea to indicate the card number in the folder name. Do a quick check on each folder to make sure your photos will open. If you have a card that is failing, you want to know this before your next photographic event. If all is well, do a temporary back up to your computer files on an external drive. After processing the card files, you can do a couple of permanent backups of your keepers and delete your temporary backups.

This strategy works for me because I am careful with my cards. I keep them in a case and treat them gently when inserting into a card reader or camera. The compact flash card is tougher and can take more abuse but you still have to be careful that it is facing the correct way when inserting into any device so that youI avoid damaging the pins of the receiving device. Avoid dropping or flexing the SDHC or XD card which can damage the processor in the card. I make sure my hands are clean and free of lotion, or sunscreen. I download right after every shooting session and format the card when I put it back into the camera to keep the directory clean before I begin shooting again..

I am hearing from some of the local labs that they are seeing a higher percentage of card failures on the more fragile SDHDC and smaller XD cards due to physical damage.If you are rough on your equipment or your procedures and have organizational issues (you know who you are) then keeping one larger card in the camera may be the way to go.You can download straight from the camera without ever touching the card. Keep your battery fully charged. Be sure to download after every session and format the card before shooting again. Also avoid deleting from the camera. Wait till you download and then delete from the computer.

Camera cards can fail. Good card maintenance, including regular formatting from the camera,before every shoot, will keep your cards healthy. If a memory card should fail, the losses are minimized if you only lose 4GB of a shoot. If you put the entire job on one card and it fails, then all is lost. If you are fairly computer geeky, you can try one of the many software rescue downloads available to recover images before discarding a failed card. Be careful to avoid doing a "clean wipe" until you have the "lost" images safely backed up. Most of your local labs have recovery software and offer image rescue as a service.. Many times, the images can be recovered if there has been no physical damage to the card.

Use a bigger card if you like living on the edge and before every shoot you will have to ask yourself, "Do I feel lucky?"