CF card will not format

[BrianB]

I just bought a used d50 it came with no cf card so I bought a Lexar professional 32 GB udma and a San Disk Extreme 64 GB udma7 when I put the sandisk in and try to formate the camera says can not formate card change card. And when I put the Lexar card in, the camera wont even turn on. can you tell me if I got a bad camera or is it a problem with it not being able to read those bigger cards

[ebiggs1]

Irregardless it makes " UDMA 7-compatible CF cards released in February 2012" work better or at all. You may choose to play with words but the OP needs to update the FW.

"...AFMA does not make a lens sharper."  It doesn't it simply moves the focus point in the camera.

[BrianB]

Ok so I just received an 8GB and a 4GB CF cards and still when I put one in the camera and turn on the power and try to format the card it still says can not format change card

[jrhoffman75]

You performed the firmware update? Or have the 1.0.9 firmware?

[BrianB]

No it just has firmware ver. 1.0.3

[jrhoffman75]

Look at message 5 above. You need to update firmware. 

[BrianB]

Ok I will do that, thank you
Brian Baker

[Waddizzle]

“Look at message 5 above. You need to update firmware.”

May have to do that by wire.

[jrhoffman75]

Yes. Will need to use EOS Utility.

Another option is to buy a small lowest price CF card from a place like Staples or Wal-Mart. Small, slow CF cards won't be UDMA7 and then you could load firmware update on the small card.

[ebiggs1]

"...it still says can not format change card"

If you format the CF card with a Windows computer, not a Mac, does the camera see it?  Or, does the camera see any CF card at all?  It didn't have one when you bought it?

You may have a problem beyond the FW which you do need to update.

[BrianB]

It did not come with a cf card. I have not tried to format a card on a computer because I lost my computer, 5 nikons a hassalblad and all of my studio lighting and equipment when my house burnt down. So I thought I try a canon for the first time. and so far it looks like that was a bad choice. Now it appears I've got to buy a computer so I can update the filmware to try and get this camera to work.