Keep getting memory card error!

Keep getting a memory card error message saying *memory card error memory card may be damaged. Check card or replace.*

This is a brand new sandisk ultra 16g class 10 card.
It did this a couple days ago while shooting RAW. I turned off the camera..popped the card and it worked. Had to do it 3 times mind you. So I googled the problem and did a disk reformat on the camera.


So I go to shoot out in the snow today and set to FINE instead of RAW. After 20 shots or so...same error message. Popped the card out...shot another couple shots...same crap!

Whats the deal? Bad card? Thoughts and comments welcomed.

Is it the only card you have? What are your shooting modes,Continuous High? If you are using Cont-high and keep your finger on the shutter button until the buffer fills, then maybe the card could give you trouble. Maybe if you could explain the shooting conditions.

But you have to understand that we are no camera repair shop and maybe someone has had an experience similar to yours that can help you.

If it was me, I'd first try the same conditions with another card to see if it is the card or if it could be the camera. Cameras are not perfect you know.

In any case, please let us know the results of your quest to find a solution to your problem.

Agree with Marcel. The best way to see if the trouble is with either the camera or memory card is by replicating your shooting style with a different memory card. IF you get the same error, then it is a problem with your camera, if not, then it is the SD card. Return it or get a replacement if it is still fairly new.

Im shooting in manual. Only changes i made is shooting from raw to fine. I will try a 8g card out of my sons camera and see what happens.

First troubleshooting step - use different memory cards to see if you can mirror the issue. If it is, then dodgy card and get a replacement ASAP.
If the other cards play up, time to get your camera looked at

KansanShooter said:

Im shooting in manual. Only changes i made is shooting from raw to fine. I will try a 8g card out of my sons camera and see what happens.

Click to expand...

Manual but are you trying to shoot in continuous mode like 5 or 6 Frames per second?

Marcel said:

Manual but are you trying to shoot in continuous mode like 5 or 6 Frames per second?

Click to expand...

No single frame. On that note...took the family to the zoo Sunday. Shot in single and continuous with no hiccups at all.

KansanShooter said:

No single frame. On that note...took the family to the zoo Sunday. Shot in single and continuous with no hiccups at all.

Click to expand...

Have you checked the lock on the card, you know this little tab that you push to lock it so you can't write on it. I've had a few occasions when while inserting the card in the camera the little lock moved a bit and caused me some problems. Can't remember it they were similar to yours, but it's something you could check quickly.

We're trying here.

No..its not locked. Looked at that when I got the first error.

The one thing I would suggest is to only format the card in the camera.

Some programs want to format the card before ejecting so it may be something like the card is formatted to your computer and not the camera. The first thing I do when inserting a card in the camera is to format it whether it needs it or not.

Have you tried re-formatting the card?

Yes. And only in camera.

It's more than likely a bad card, it does happen and you probably should return it. That said, I've read that close to 50% of the SanDisk cards on the street are counterfeit but assuming it's a real SanDisk they come with a 1 year (or is it 2?) replacement guarantee.

After some more research...it appears it is a firmware problem for fixing the memory card problem. Nikon has the upgrade on their site. But after reading everything and checking my camera...I have all the latest upgrades. So maybe it is a bad card? How can I go about getting it replaced by Sandisk? It is brand new.

KansanShooter said:

After some more research...it appears it is a firmware problem for fixing the memory card problem. Nikon has the upgrade on their site. But after reading everything and checking my camera...I have all the latest upgrades. So maybe it is a bad card? How can I go about getting it replaced by Sandisk? It is brand new.

Click to expand...

Return the card to the store you purchased it at. It shouldn't be a problem, but if it is then follow these instructions - http://www.sandisk.com/Assets/Umbraco/SandiskSupport/UserGuides/smlw_eng.pdf

Thanks Dave. My only problem with returning it to bestbuy is I bought it with a bundle deal. Got a Lowpro bag,d5100 dvd and memory card together. Guess I will call them tomorrow and see what they can do. Thanks everyone.

So I called Nikon Tech Support to see what they thought. After telling them what the problems were and what firmware updates I have they were lost. Had no idea why it would keep giving me these error messages. I told them the only other thing I could think of was maybe I just got a bad card. They agreed. So went and picked up another Sandisc Ultra 16G card.

Shot about 50 pictures. So far so good!

I was gonna add, no matter if the original card was part of a bundle you got or not... if it's faulty it's faulty and the retailer should replace.

But sounds like you're all sorted now, so snap away!!