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TribeLeader · Feb 22, 2006, 05:06 PM

I have a 512mb Lexar Secure Digital memory card in my digital camera (Pentax Optio 60). It's fairly new. Right now, I have 26 photos (6mp) on it and I am getting the message "memory card full." (I've had more photos on it that 26 before, I think.)

Problem is, I am on vacation and I have no way of downloading them to my laptop (USB cable is at home).

My understanding is that a 512mb card should hold up to 160 images (at 6mp) which would have been more than enough for this particular trip.

Any ideas? Or am I going to have to go to Wal-Mart to buy a new card?

Thanks for any ideas/suggestions!

d4nth3m4n · Feb 22, 2006, 05:09 PM

any videos in there?

phantomdragonz · Feb 22, 2006, 05:10 PM

most cameras will allow you to delete or format it within the camera... if you format it you will lose whatever you have on it though..

Zach

OldManMac · Feb 22, 2006, 05:13 PM

Are you sure it's not the internal built-in memory that's full, and that the camera is set to accept the add-in card?

Rolling Bones · Feb 22, 2006, 05:14 PM

Find some place to download what you have. Internet cafe or camera shop and burn to CD.

So you won't lose what you have.

phantomdragonz · Feb 22, 2006, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Rolling Bones

Find some place to download what you have. Internet cafe or camera shop and burn to CD.

So you won't lose what you have.

it looks like pentax gave that camera a proprietary cable for the camera and since he does not have the cable he might be SOL...

I bought a 1gb SD card from walmart yesterday for $49.99 (sandisk)

otherwise I would look for the cable or a new card...

Zach

TribeLeader · Feb 22, 2006, 05:54 PM

Thanks for the quick replies. I'll try to respond ...

No videos.

I've deleted the "extra" stuff that we don't need already. Don't want to format and lose the ones we have.

I took the card out and checked the camera for images -- there were none. They're all on the card.

We'll probably get a 1gb card tonight. We're in Arizona for a seminar and will head to the Grand Canyon when it's over this weekend (we're from the east coast)! So we want to make sure we have plenty of space for pics.

TETENAL · Feb 22, 2006, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by TribeLeader

My understanding is that a 512mb card should hold up to 160 images (at 6mp)

I don't have a camera that supports RAW, so I don't know how large raw files are. Assuming they are completely uncompressed (not even lossless) than a 6MP picture would be about 18 MB large (1 byte per pixel and colour channel). Your card would then hold 28 of such pictures.

Maybe you shot JPEG before and that was the reason you fit more on the card?

TribeLeader · Feb 22, 2006, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by TETENAL

[...] Assuming they are completely uncompressed (not even lossless) than a 6MP picture would be about 18 MB [...] Your card would then hold 28 of such pictures.

The Pentax Optio 60 only supports JPEG that I am aware of.

tooki · Feb 22, 2006, 06:31 PM

That camera doesn't support raw, so that can't be the problem.

The only reasonable explanation is that there's a movie on the card. There's no way the pictures are 19MB each. I don't know how that camera deals with movies, but it's the only reasonable and likely explanation.

As for the silliness of buying another USB cable*... Just get a USB card reader. Then you get the ability to copy pictures from the card without draining the camera's battery. Then you could offload the contents of the card to the computer and then format the card in the camera to ensure that everything is peachy.

tooki

*Note that contrary to popular belief, most camera USB cables are not proprietary, they just use one of several competing mini-USB plugs that exist.

TribeLeader · Feb 22, 2006, 06:57 PM

We've not recorded any videos. I just checked to make sure.

The Godfather · Feb 22, 2006, 08:38 PM

Empty the Trash? In Windows, it is shown as the .Trash folder.

k squared · Feb 22, 2006, 08:43 PM

Originally Posted by The Godfather

Empty the Trash? In Windows, it is shown as the .Trash folder.

Happens to my Memory Stick all the time: I delete photos while the Stick is mounted in the Finder and forget to empty the Trash, thus the deleted files take up space on the Stick.

rozwado1 · Feb 22, 2006, 08:46 PM

Go to CVS and they'll put the pics on CD for you; reformat.

TribeLeader · Feb 22, 2006, 08:52 PM

[EDIT: I wrote the following before seeing rozwado1's post. Still curious about the following]

I was just reading the manual (online) and read the instruction/recommendation to format the SD card before using. If I didn't do that on the front end (I do NOT recall if I did or not), could that be the problem?

If that's the case, would the best bet to be to go to Wal-Mart, download the images to CD, then reformat the card?

Thanks!

TribeLeader · Feb 23, 2006, 06:25 PM

This was wild.

We went to Sam's to put the pics on CD. Our camera told us there were 26 pics. But 174 pics appeared on Sam's machine.

After we saved the 26 to CD, we deleted ALL images from the camera. But afterward the camera stated it had room for 26 pics.

We reformatted and now it says it has room for 147.

Bizarre. Hopefully, it's good to go.

Thanks!

greenamp · Feb 23, 2006, 06:32 PM

Memory cards and thumb drives are just weird like that sometimes. When you drag something from the card to the trash, you have to make sure you empty the trash before ejecting the card, or the pictures and data won't actually be deleted, just the thumbnails will be.

The easiest solution is to just save whatever pics are on the card and just reformat it with Disk Utility.

tooki · Feb 23, 2006, 06:37 PM

No, always reformat in the camera. That is the only way to ensure that the card is formatted in a way that is suitable for the camera.

tooki

iLikebeer · Feb 23, 2006, 07:55 PM

Now that you have that solved, I would recommend eating somewhere before going to the Grand Canyon. A lot of restaurants are still closed, and the ones that are open aren't the best around. Not sure where you're coming from, so If you take I-17 up, eat in Flagstaff before heading west on 40. If you're in Prescott, stop in Jerome or Sedona for a nice meal.

TribeLeader · Feb 24, 2006, 12:04 AM

Hey, thanks for that info! We're heading out early in the morning (from Phoenix).

greenamp · Feb 24, 2006, 12:52 AM

Originally Posted by tooki

No, always reformat in the camera. That is the only way to ensure that the card is formatted in a way that is suitable for the camera.

tooki

Ah yes you're right. My bad.

iLikebeer · Feb 24, 2006, 01:05 AM

Originally Posted by TribeLeader

Hey, thanks for that info! We're heading out early in the morning (from Phoenix).

I guess there's 3 ways to get there from Flagstaff. Download the PDF here. Might want to ask about the road conditions. It was supposed to snow up there this last weekend, so one of the highways might be in bad shape...but I'm not sure. Make sure you take warm clothes and some snacks too. It can get VERY cold and windy out there this time of year.
And have fun, this is one of the best times of the year to see the canyon.

http://www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon/maps/gosouthrim.htm

brapper · Feb 24, 2006, 01:54 AM

Also, if you're hiking a trail down, beware of ice at the top and intense heat at the bottom.
Great time though.