Trail Camera Photography Tip

My pal Smokey Joe is a technology guy so I asked him about a vexing issue I was experiencing.

Seems as I was making the rounds of the four trail cameras swapping out SD cards I noticed that periodically a camera would flash an alert NO SD CARD.  And I would have just installed a freshly erased and formatted SD card.

Or I would return home and place an SD card in a card reader and there would be nothing on it.  In fact the card reader would indicate there wasn't even a card in the clot.  Nothing!
 
A wholly frustrating experience that was slow to arrive and increasingly problematic.

So I asked Smokey - Is it possible for an SD care to wear out?  I've been experiencing issues where the cameras are indicating there isn't an SD card installed when in-fact there is one and sometimes the card reader tells me there's nothing in the reader.  What gives?

After explaining my routine of downloading any decent pictures, wiping the disk and formatting it Smokey Joe tells me - Yup.  SD cards do wear-out.  You shouldn't format the disks.  It will degrade them and shorten their useful life. 

Go figure.  The failed disks have been discarded and four more replacement disks introduced to the line-up.  

Good think they've come down in price.

Learn more about this here.