S2 - Memory Card Error

[TxMedEd]

Hi! Has anyone here experienced the "Memory Card Error" problem on their Canon S2? I've had this problem & after searching Google, found quite a few people on another camera forum saying they've had this problem. Their theories included certain memory cards (though there didn't seem to be a pattern there), low battery (though my battery was nearly full), going from off directly to play rather than going to record first, or needing a firmware update from Canon. Circuit City has a 30-day return policy & I've had my camera now for a month and a half, so I can't return it... I really like it & would like to keep it anyway, but it's not much use if it keeps freezing up with the memory card error, so I'm kinda stuck right now. Wondering if any of you have had this problem, and if so, have you found a fix or figured out what caused it in the first place? Thanks in advance!

[harran]

Re, memory card problem,

I've had "memory card problem" with an new 1 gb SD card. Surprisingly this sd card worked another canon digital camera.

Now I am using 1 gb A-Data brand MMC card without any problem.

I think you must change your sd card.



Hi! Has anyone here experienced the "Memory Card Error" problem on their Canon S2? I've had this problem & after searching Google, found quite a few people on another camera forum saying they've had this problem. Their theories included certain memory cards (though there didn't seem to be a pattern there), low battery (though my battery was nearly full), going from off directly to play rather than going to record first, or needing a firmware update from Canon. Circuit City has a 30-day return policy & I've had my camera now for a month and a half, so I can't return it... I really like it & would like to keep it anyway, but it's not much use if it keeps freezing up with the memory card error, so I'm kinda stuck right now. Wondering if any of you have had this problem, and if so, have you found a fix or figured out what caused it in the first place? Thanks in advance!

[kellykem]

Memory card errors can sometimes occur with slower cards. The S2 records very fast and if card could not keep up, it would corrupt. The faster cards cost more, but recommended for the faster cameras (like S2). NewEgg still has quite the deal on the Ridata 1GB SD ($52.50).
http://www.steves-digicams.com/flash_memory.html#sd

RescuePro's FAQ at https://www.customernation.com on "What can cause corruption and how do I recover my data":
Symptoms:
Card works in camera but not the reader
Card shows corrupt characters
Card shows used capacity but no files are on it
Card locks camera up
Card does not work in device while other compatible cards do
Card can not be written to or erased
Reader or adapter crashes when card is inserted but works fine with other cards
Card show card error in camera
Card says it needs to be formatted when inserted in device or reader
Shows less available pictures than normal and no pictures on card
Card shows bad sectors in scandisk
Camera can not be turned off with card inserted
Card shows wrong capacity when formatting

Cause:
Taking pictures too fast so the camera cannot finish writing them before the next one is taken
Turning off the camera while it is still saving information
Removing the card while the camera is still saving data to it
Taking pictures with weak batteries
Large static charges to the card
Sitting the cards on or near strong magnetic sources
Removing the card from the reader while you have files that are on the card open
Removing the card from the reader while it is still copying files to the hard drive
On a Mac, removing the card without first trashing the icon
On NT, removing the card without first running safe swap
On ME and win 2000, removing the card without first stopping it.
File corruption is caused by many things and our memory cards are less susceptible than regular hard drives or other media with moving parts.

I'm not sure if this link works, but here's the source:
https://www.customernation.com/pls/ps/ps_faqdb.do_search
There are several data rescue utilities available. Good luck :-)

[XOO]

NewEgg still has quite the deal on the Ridata 1GB SD ($52.50).

The Ridata 1GB card is 66x. Have used it for about a month with nary a problem.

[TxMedEd]

a Patriot 1 gb 60x card from newegg, and the reviewers say they are using it with a Canon S2 without problems, but I didn't have any problems with it either for a couple of weeks. I've been reading that some Canons have problems with different brands of cards, but then some people having this problem also had Sandisk Ultras, so still really not sure what happened. I emailed Canon support days ago & still haven't heard anything back from them yet -- will update with their answer when I hear from them. Thanks for the input, everyone!

[avs3259]

I have a Canon PowerShot S2 IS. I recently purchased a 1 Gb Kingston "Elite Pro" SD Card (SD/1GB-S, 50x: 8.2 read, 7.7 Mb/sec write). Right out of the package- "memory error"; in Menu, format is unavailable.

I read the S2 IS review in which SanDisk Ultra III (1GB) was used without any problems. Also, on the Kingston website they show all of their Elite Pro memory being compatible with the S2 IS. Finally, at buy.com there is, for what it's worth, a positive user review of SanDisk "Secure Digital Ultra II", 512 Mb (SDSDH-512-901).

I did notice in the Canon S2 IS User Guide as well as on Canon's website that they DO NOT show any 1GB memory for this camera, i.e 512 Mb is the maximum available ( SDS-512MSH). This memory is very over priced and very slow. Also, no firmware upgrades at this time.

I'm starting to wonder if this camera, with it's first version firmware, is only capable of reliably accessing SD cards that are 512 MB or less.

-avs

[JTL]

I'm starting to wonder if this camera, with it's first version firmware, is only capable of reliably accessing SD cards that are 512 MB or less.

-avsThis is simply not true. I've been using a SanDisk Ultra II 2GB card since the day I bought the camera (6/03/05) without issue. I've taken over 5,000 shots at this point...no errors...

[Schloerby]

I've had the same problem at the very first shooting session of both the camera and SD card. It was a SanDisk 512MB. Took about 200 pictures, then in playback mode it sometimes said "memory card error" but after switching off/on it would still work.

Then it failed completely. Even SanDisk themselves could not recover the data. :(

Cheers!
Johannes

[golffoxtrot]

I think this is typical of SD cards in cameras though --- i had called canon and they said to me it would be able to address any card up to 8GB.

I bought initially a Kingmax 2GB card that didn't work for me (memory card error) but now am using an A-Data 150x 2GB that works great. (its only about 170 i think at factorydirect.ca) and have written a few thousand photos any maybe 50 videos to it.

[avs3259]

JTL & GOLFFOXTROT-

Glad to hear there is not a 512 MB limit (it did seem ridiculously low), and that Canon puts the addressable memory limit at 8 Gb.

I took my camera to a large electronics store today and tried out 1 GB Corsair (40x) and SanDisk Ultra II cards. Both worked fine. What's troubling are the instances where the cards have died after working well for a couple of weeks. It's easy to take memory back when purchased locally, although after 15 or 30 days you will probably have to deal with the manufacturer. Mail order is significantly cheaper initially, but every time the memory has to be sent back it costs time and money. Either way it's a crap-shoot.

[JTL]

JTL & GOLFFOXTROT-

Glad to hear there is not a 512 MB limit (it did seem ridiculously low), and that Canon puts the addressable memory limit at 8 Gb.

I took my camera to a large electronics store today and tried out 1 GB Corsair (40x) and SanDisk Ultra II cards. Both worked fine. What's troubling are the instances where the cards have died after working well for a couple of weeks. It's easy to take memory back when purchased locally, although after 15 or 30 days you will probably have to deal with the manufacturer. Mail order is significantly cheaper initially, but every time the memory has to be sent back it costs time and money. Either way it's a crap-shoot.Considering that multiple people are having issues, I'm considering myself lucky! :D

[sHanzek]

Here's my two cents worth on this:
Consider the memory card as an electronic hard drive. Just like your computers hard disk can get fragmented, causing slower performance, does it not stand to reason that a memory card could have that problem? Would periodic formatting of the card once all the photos have been downloaded, rather than using the 'erase all' menu command help keep the card 'tuned up'?
I've had my S2 for just over a month, and use a Lexar 1Gb card (from Sam's Club), and have never had a memory problem (knock on wood). I will make it a point to format the card periodically to see if that keeps the problem away from me...
I don't have my user's guide handy to check the use of the 'low level format'...
Steve

[TxMedEd]

Would periodic formatting of the card once all the photos have been downloaded, rather than using the 'erase all' menu command help keep the card 'tuned up'?


I had formatted mine originally before it failed, and then after I started getting the "memory card error" message, the camera won't format it anymore -- it makes it about halfway through the formatting & says error.

[chasqg]

Hi! Has anyone here experienced the "Memory Card Error" problem on their Canon S2? I've had this problem & after searching Google, found quite a few people on another camera forum saying they've had this problem. Their theories included certain memory cards (though there didn't seem to be a pattern there), low battery (though my battery was nearly full), going from off directly to play rather than going to record first, or needing a firmware update from Canon. Circuit City has a 30-day return policy & I've had my camera now for a month and a half, so I can't return it... I really like it & would like to keep it anyway, but it's not much use if it keeps freezing up with the memory card error, so I'm kinda stuck right now. Wondering if any of you have had this problem, and if so, have you found a fix or figured out what caused it in the first place? Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone..
I recently stumbled across a website that is looking into the mystery of why some cards fail and some don't. I'm afraid I've lost track of the site (try Google, as I did) but the gist of his finding is that it depends where the eg SanDisk card was manufactured. Chinese and Taiwanese ones are suspect in certain cases. The only way the buyer can know iwhere his card was made is from the serial number on the card itself.
I hope I've posted this in the right place. I'm a complete novice at this! Please advise if I've made a mess of it. chasqg

[p2078]

http://www.zlk.com/canoncarderror.html

[JTL]

http://www.zlk.com/canoncarderror.htmlI've heard of "ambulance chasers"...but memory card error chasers? That takes the cake! :rolleyes:

[my00wrx1]

I'm using a Kingston 128 Mb MMC card (about 2 years old) and haven't had any problems after 200 shots. Has anyone had a problems with MMC in the S2?

[gingersrus]

I just bought my S2 from Butterfly Photo (great service BTW) and the salesman talked me into buying a "hi speed" 1GB by Digital Visions - the only brand they sell. I already had some normal speed SD cards from San Disk including a 1 gb card, but knew I would want something hi-speed. In a word or three - DON'T BUY IT. They do not even post their claimed transfer rate - only that they are "high speed" and it intermittently malfunctioned in my S2. I reformatted in the camera (used "low level format") and it still would mess up about half the time. I would have to turn the camera on and off several times before it would work - kept getting "memory card error" message. Butterfly did not give me any hassle about the return, but I would not recommend buying this brand for the S2.

The normal 1GB San Disk works fine but I have now ordered a couple of ultras off eBay.

[Reddog99]

Considering that millions upon millions of flash memory chips are manufactured yearly, it's a wonder that more of them don't turn up bad. Most manufacturers have a good warranty and I've returned them and gotten replacements.

It's certainly an inconvenience to have to return any product, but thats the way the cookie crumbles. Just find the manufacturers web site and go thru their RMA rain dance. I called Lexar for my bad card and got to speak to some nice lady in India :D . It took a few minutes to convince her that I had tried reformatting multiple times and still got errors, but in the end I finally got a new card. The new one seems to work fine...

Pat

[macse]

I also have the error. I am using kingston elite pro 1gb (made in taiwan). Error occurs after about 200 shots are taken. Then I either get "identifiable image" or "no image" in playback mode. In record mode "memory card error". One way I get around this turn off the cam., then turn it back on record mode and take a picture. (may take a few attempts) This seems to revive the card until I turn it off. Even with the error on the card, I can still read it from a card reader.

I have tried formatting fat, fat32, low level formatting; fresh alkaline, fresh charged niMH (2300mah), single shooting, continuous shooting; no matter what I still get the error after about 200 shots. I have no problems fillng up the 1gb with a movie clip (although I get the error right after a large clip).

I don't think it's the battery; I know someone else who has 2 kingston elite pro 1gb (made in taiwan) cards and it works fine.

A few things I am wondering:
1) Those people have the issue; what did you do to resolve it? Or what card did you end up purchasing
2) Anyone with a "bad" card know anyone else with an s2? Then you can try it on their camera to see if it's a card issue or a camera defect.
3) Also, I tested my card on an sd100, took ~200mb pics; the sd100 can playback fine however the s2 has the memory card error. So the 1gb card works fine in the sd100.
4) I also have a sandisk 256mb card and I can fill up the card n/p

I am really hoping its not a bad batch of cameras.

Thanks

[lwilkes]

When I bought my Canon A80 from Butterfly Photo, I also bought a 512 MB memory card. It worked fine for a few months. My daughter took it to Peru, had once-in-a-lifetime experiences and took irreplaceable photos (natch) and when the card was full it suddenly showed that it was empty. I've taken it to the local photo shop who couldn't help but sent it in to their resource who pronounced that the microchip in the memory card had failed. Does anyone know of any other options for retrieving the images? Replacing the card is the least of my worries at this point.....Thanks.

[bubble.tea]

AWWW CRAP.

I have an S2., and just bought a 1 gig elite pro.

hope your cards were just faulty :(

I'll keep posted.