For a photographer, memory card is a precious asset. It will be so fatal if your memory card is error or damaged in the middle of shooting sessions. In order to prevent such thing, there are some tips and tricks to make your card camera always in good condition.
1. Do not panic if it gets wet.
Never panic when your memory card accidentally gets wet. Just let it be until it dries. There are some ways of drying wet memory card. The easiest one is by using hair dryer or silica gel which is widely found in supermarket. Moreover, you may use rice paddy as the alternative. After it gets completely dried, use card reader to move the photos.
2. Format memory card.
You may format your memory card periodically. Of course, you may do this after moving all the photos inside it. Formatting camera should be done when you use memory card of different camera.
3. Update your memory card.
Though your memory card can last for long, you are suggested to update it regularly for example once every two years or three years. If you are a professional who shoots thousands of images every month, it is best to update the card oftener.
4. Move the card safely.
After uploading all photos to the camera from the card, make sure you follow safe process before unplugging it from the card reader. For the windows users, use “safely remove hardware” or “eject” for the OSX users. Do not turn off your camera during the buffering image, this can damage the photo and lost the file. The same works when you do image transferring using card reader. Do not turn off the computer or move your card when the lamp on the card reader is still on.
5. Choose good quality card reader.
When you transfer your photos from your card to your computer, there are so many that can connect the camera to it. This is considered inefficient and battery-consuming. Apart from that, there is a possibility of black flow from the computer to the camera which can cause short circuit in electricity which is able to damage your camera.
6. Pay attention to the capacity.
Know the capacity of your memory card. Do not force to fill your card with too many photos. It will be better if you think of having an extra card for a back up so you do not count on one card only. 4 memory cards with 1 GB capacity in each are better that one card with a capacity of 4 GB.
7. Make use of the help from software.
Have you ever unintentionally deleted your file? Do not worry because there is software which can help to restore deleted photos. Yet you have to remember, you can do image recovery in your memory card before you format it.
8. Pay attention to the indicator lamp.
Watch for the lamp on your camera especially after using burst mode or continuous shooting. When you took a lot of pictures, your camera needs time to write the data into your memory card. Do not turn off the camera when the indicator lamp is still blinking.
