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Working with Memory Cards
As the medium that stores your picture files, the memory card is a critical
component of your camera. See the steps at the start of this chapter for help
installing a card; follow these tips for buying and maintaining cards:
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Buying cards: When you shop for an SD memory card, the one specifica-
tion to note other than card capacity is card speed, which indicates how
quickly data can be moved to and from the card (the read/write speed ).
For the best camera performance, especially for movie recording, buy
the fastest cards you can find.
Deciphering card-speed specs is a little confusing because different
labels are used to indicate different attributes that contribute to the
read/write speed. To keep things simple, just look for a card that has a
rating of 10, UHS-1 (Ultra High Speed), or both, which indicate the fast-
est cards your camera can use. You should also see a specific value on
the card indicating the number of bytes of data that can be handled per
second, such as 45MB per second. The higher that number, the faster
the card.
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Formatting a card: The first time you use a new memory card or insert
a card that's been used in other devices, you need to format it to prepare
it to record your pictures. You also need to format the card if you see the
blinking letters FOR in the viewfinder or if the monitor displays a message
requesting formatting.
Formatting erases everything on your memory card. So before you format
a card, be sure that you've copied any data on it to your computer. After
doing so, get the formatting job done by selecting Format Memory Card
from the Setup menu.
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Removing a card: After making sure that the memory card access light
is off, indicating that the camera has finished recording your most
recent photo, turn off the camera. Open the memory card door, depress
the memory card slightly, and then let go. The card pops halfway out of
the slot, enabling you to grab it by the tail and remove it.
If you turn on the camera when no card is installed, the symbol [-E-]
blinks in the lower-right corner of the viewfinder. A message on the
monitor also nudges you to insert a memory card. If you have a card in
the camera and you get these messages, try taking out the card and
reinserting it.
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Handling cards: Don't touch the gold contacts on the back of the card.
(See the right card in Figure 1-20 .) When cards aren't in use, store them
in the protective cases they came in or in a memory card wallet. Keep
cards away from extreme heat and cold as well.
Chapter 1: Getting Up and Running
31
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