Problems with my Olympus 4000z

[dsgobie]

I keep having problems with the memory cards with my camera. I've had the thing for about a year now and the problem just started.

I can use a new card take pictures. But then sooner or later it says there is an error with the card. I try to format it, but nothing.

My smart media drive on my home computer wont even read the card after I get the "card error".


Any ideas what's doing this?

Camera? Computer?

 

[ssra30]

I had similar problem with my old C4040 in the past and it was the card's problem and not the camera's. Did this happen with just one card or multiple cards. I had 4 SM cards and 1 failed but the other 3 continued to work fine with my camera.

 

[Dee]

How are you deleting your photos after downloading? In the beginning, I always used a card reader to download my photos. When I would open the removeable drive in my file manager, I would look through them first and rotate any photo that needed to be on the verticle. After I downloaded the ones I wanted, I deleted the rest...through the computer. Doing this a couple of times would result in a card error. Most of the time I could format the card in the camera but on a couple of cards they were ruined.

Now, I mostly use the USB cable to download to the PC. I copy them all to my hard drive immediately and do any manipulation to the photos from there. I diconnect the USB and do any deleting and/or formatting in the camera.

Why use the USB cable to douwnload instead of the card reader? I've noticed the wear and tear on the SM cards from being taken in and out of the camera. Those little gold bars on the outside of the card is the business part of it and suseptable to ill treatment, which is my only thing against SM cards. Since I started using the USB cable, the SM card never has to be removed from the camera. I'm talking about Beasts (my old) C-4040. I now use XD and CF cards in the 5050.

 

[marpacifica]

I have several SM cards, from the 8MB ones that came with my 3000Z and 4000Z up to 128MB, and the only one I had an "error" reading on was a 64MB card that I bought for a discount at Circuit City. It wasn't in its original packaging and looked like a return. I got what I paid for. I use the same system as Dee -- keep the card in the camera and use the USB cord to download images to my hard drive, with backups on CD in two separate physical locations. I don't have a card reader dervice. I reformat the SM cards every few uses. Make sure to use the name brand SM cards, too. There's another thread I saw a few days ago about the reliability of media formats so if you scroll through the entries or do a search you may be able to find it.

 

[Gilligan]

I have a C4000 and am using 128MB ScanDisk brand cards. I used them in my C2040 also. They are over a year old now and so far no problems. Up until about a month ago I was using the USB cable for downloading from the camera to the computer and an AC power adaptor. It is kind of a pain so I purchased a USB card reader at Costco, also a ScanDisk product. I like the convenience of simply switching out cards after a dive. So far no problems with the cards. Dee may be correct in there is added wear and tear on them from removing and replacing them. Time will tell.
I don't format the cards with the reader but do delete the contents of them after copying them to the desktop and making a second copy on the desktop for temporary backup.
So far so good, but it's only been a month or so.

 

[andrea31419]

I do the same as Dee. I use the USB cord, and knock on wood... no trouble yet. I also have the C4000Z.

A.

 

[dsgobie]

Well I have had it 3 SM cards fail, and I normally do delete the info from the computer.

I've had new, old, and brand new cards fail.

Thank you for all this information. I will try one more card before I junk the olympus and go with something else.

ds

 

[boney]

I know with my cell phone and on other laptop parts the gold contacts that Dee speaks of can get "gunked" up, to use a technical term.
You can use those pink erasers that come on the end of an old school lead pencil to clean them. Just rub the gold contacts with it like you are erasing them, if they are in fact dirty you should notice them being much brighter...

Don't know if this will fix your problem, but just a thought...

 

[dsgobie]

I don't think the gold connections are the problem. The fact that this has happened to a brand new card, (2-3 days old) makes me think that it's the camera.