7D Mk II Compact Flash Format Capacity

[PEJKKJ]

I just bought a new SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB compact flash card (160 MB/s UDMA 7) for my 7D Mk II.  Got it on Amazon.  When I put it in the camera and go through the format card process using the menu, it shows the formatted capacity is only 29.8GB.  That is what my old 32GB card always said.  I have updated to the latest firmware 1.1.2.  Any suggestions before I return it? 

[Ray-uk]

Try formatting it on your PC just to see if it comes up with the same figures, do not choose quick format option, if it improves then reformat it in the camera.

It does sound suspiciously like a fake memory card, was this directly from Amazon or one of their resellers ?

[PEJKKJ]

Thanks, Ray.  I'll get a card reader and try that.  Not sure if it was an Amazon reseller, it just said Amazon Prime.

[Ray-uk]

Normally if it's Amazon prime then it is direct from them, but I could be wrong.

Are you sure that you haven't been confused and formatting a card in the SD slot instead, if you have one in there.

[RobertTheFat]

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@Ray-uk wrote:

Normally if it's Amazon prime then it is direct from them, but I could be wrong.

Are you sure that you haven't been confused and formatting a card in the SD slot instead, if you have one in there.

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I believe Amazon Prime is just a paid subscription service that gives you some benefits, like cheaper shipping. I don't think it has anything to do with the products or the sellers thereof.

[ebiggs1]

I would try to format it with a Windows computer. If it works just use it as is.  I have not seen any problems using a Windows machine to format CF cards but I never use that large CF cards.  I think it is a very bad idea. The risk of loss is too great for my world. If you lose that single CF card you lose all your shots. Instead, if you used three or four or five smaller cards the risk of total lose it diminished. I know total lose of a card is small but it does happen and I can't afford that.

I don't know if formatting it on a Mac works or not. I am not a Mac user. Mac's are so screwy, I would not do it. At least, if you do, reformat in the camera.

Remember this only tells you if the CF card is good or not. It does not mean you didn't do something wrong or there isn't something wrong with or in the camera.

[Waddizzle]

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@PEJKKJ wrote:

I just bought a new SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB compact flash card (160 MB/s UDMA 7) for my 7D Mk II.  Got it on Amazon.  When I put it in the camera and go through the format card process using the menu, it shows the formatted capacity is only 29.8GB.  That is what my old 32GB card always said.  I have updated to the latest firmware 1.1.2.  Any suggestions before I return it? 

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I say return it.  And, never buy anything from that vendor again.  I think you probably have mislabeled 32GB card.  

[TCampbell]

When you buy on Amazon, you can check to see who the seller is.  

I've not purchased memory cards via Amazon, but I have purchased batteries ... dead batteries.  The show up packaged like new, I put them in whatever device needed them, and ... nothing.  So I grab my multi-meter to test and its shows very low voltage.  I went through several "new" batteries ... all dead.   I tried a different seller ... same thing.

I contacted Amazon and they know about the problem.  They shut the seller down.  But the seller just pops up a few days later under a new name.  They can't really get rid of the bad sellers.

I have ultimately managed to find a marketplace seller where every battery I buy from them is good (actually someone else found them and passed along the name).  I now specifically check to see if that seller has the batteries I need.  Otherwise I take the 30 minute drive out to Batteries Plus to pick up batteries.  (these are odd battery sizes that local stores don't stock.)

It turns out the same is true of memory cards.  There are loads of fake cards sold under the names of manufacturers you trust ... but that's not really what the card is.  Consequently I only buy my memory cards from stores known to be authorized dealers of those brands.

You can try to see if your PC will format the card ... but you may have been duped and it may just be a 32GB card sold as a 128GB card (and if that's the case, it almost certainly isn't really a SanDisk card.)

[PEJKKJ]

Thanks for all the replies.  I contacted Amazon and they sent me a replacement card...the same thing.  Returned both and bought cards from B&H instead.  They work fine.  Problem solved.  Won't ever by easily copied knockoff memory from Amazon again.

[ebiggs1]

Lesson learned.