80D cannot access card. Should I try reinstalling the firmware ?

[boblite]

My 80D is having problems accessing cards.  When I turn the camera on I get the message:

"Card cannot be accessed
Reinsert/change the card or
format card with camera"

So I tried to format the card but got the message:

"Cannot format
Change card"

I put the same card in my 7D Mark II and it had no problems formatting it.

The 80D has firmware version 1.0.3 installed.

Should I download the firmware and reinstall to see if this fixes things ?

[rs-eos]

What brand of SD card are you using?

Do you have a second card you can try out in the 80D?

[boblite]

Many thanks for your response. 

[1] Please note that after the 80D refused to format the card I tried formatting it in my 7D Mark II, which successfully formatted the card.  Which very strongly suggests that there is a problem with the 80D. 

[2] I thought of reinstalling the firmware in the 80D but after downloading the firmware to my PC discovered I am supposed to format an SD card in the 80D and then transfer the firmware from the PC to the SD card.  Which is a wee bit impossible because I cannot format an SD Card in the 80D.

Or can the 80D read the firmware from a PC via USB cable ?

[3] Tried three cards -  a Samsung 64GB, an ONN 64GB and a Transcend 16GB.  No joy.

[4] So is there anything I should try ?  Or should I just send in the cam for repair ?  

[Waddizzle]

(1) Evidence does suggest that there could be an issue with the 80D.  Did you eyeball the memory card slot?  [Okay, done]

(2) Reinstalling the firmware will not fix anything.  You are more likely to do more harm than good.  Go into the menus and reset the camera back to factory defaults.  Yes, the firmware can be updated via USB, but an SD card is safer.

(3) I am not a fan of any of those brands of memory cards.  I use Lexar and Sandisk exclusively.  Samsung may be okey, but other two are on my "do not buy" list.   Are all of the cards you have full size SD cards?

(4) Reset the camera back to factory defaults, and follow the other advice you have already been given.

[boblite]

Hi Waddizzle: 

The only camera reset command I could find in the menus or user manual is "Clear all camera settings" which (according to the user manual) resets the menu functions to the default settings.  Is this the type of reset you are suggesting ? 

If yes, I already did this, to no avail, alas. 

[Waddizzle]

---

@boblite wrote:

Hi Waddizzle: 

The only camera reset command I could find in the menus or user manual is "Clear all camera settings" which (according to the user manual) resets the menu functions to the default settings.  Is this the type of reset you are suggesting ? 

If yes, I already did this, to no avail, alas. 

---

I think you find it.  Most cameras call it "Reset to Factory Defaults", the [Wrench-4] function seems to be it.  

It does seem like you may have an issue with your camera.  Under current circumstances, I am not certain if the Repair Services are still up and running.  If they are still accepting customer packages being mailed to them, I have to wonder how long that practice may continue.

[Waddizzle]

Make sure your card slot is free from foreign objects, dust, or dirt.  What make and model card are you using?  

Be sure to use only FULL SIZE cards from a top name brand.  Only purchase SD cards from a reputable vendor.  The least expensive cards that you can find on Amazon and eBay may be counterfeit more times than not.

[boblite]

"Make sure your card slot is free from foreign objects, dust, or dirt."  Thanks for the suggestion.

I have a pretty powerful headlamp.  Looked in the slot and could see no foreign objects.  Don't think any dust or dirt could have got in the slot because all card changes have occurred in clean environments. 

As noted in my reply to rs-EOS, my 7D-Mark II had no problems reformatting the same card. And I should add that my PC successfully read the card before I tried to reformat it.

[CanonFan23]

I have the same problem, the Canon T7i, after years of service simply stopped reading ALL SDCARDS, including microSD with adapters. I have tried 12 different cards, re-set settings on the Camera and the problem persists. Is this it? Is my camera useless now? I can still use it for Remote View, but not being able to save files locally essentially cripples the unit. Any help?

[Waddizzle]

I recommend that you start a new thread of your own.  Also, never use micro-SD cards in the camera.  Only use full-size SD cards and make sure you format them in the camera prior to first use.