Problem with the K-5 handling SDXC cards

brosen · 11-06-2011, 07:53 AM

Please try to recreate this potential problem with the K-5 handling SDXC cards when using RAW+JPEG, as follows:

- Take 5 or 6 shots in RAW+JPEG
- Try to zoom in while viewing the photos in the camera, there shouldn't be any problem
- Now delete 2 or 3 of the images in camera
- Now take 5 or 6 more shots in RAW+JPEG again
- Try to Zoom in while viewing the latest shots in camera
- Now 1 or 2 of the latest shots should be corrupted, cannot zoom in or is corrupted when imported

I did the same test with an SDHC card and the problem did not happen. I think there is a problem with the K-5 handling SDXC cards, or my SDXC cards are defective, but I've tested them in another camera with no problem. I am using Lexar Professional 128GB SDXC cards.

NOTE: Did the exact same test with JPEGs and the problem did not happen, it seems to be related to RAW+JPEG only.

Please could you try to reproduce the problem in your camera if you are using an SDXC card, thanks

Bernard

JohnBee · 11-06-2011, 08:26 AM

Without knowing how common this is, I'd say it sounds like a firmware update is in order.
Have you contacted Pentax support to inform them of the issue?

aT0Mx · 11-06-2011, 08:28 AM

And you have at least the 1.02 firmware?

brosen · 11-06-2011, 08:29 AM

Yes, I've sent them like 3 emails, but it seems they do not get it, they are reluctant to even research it, they just ask me to do dumb things to resolve the problem. Maybe somebody with more influence or contacts with Pentax can help to get their attention ?, thanks

brosen · 11-06-2011, 08:29 AM

Originally posted by aT0Mx

And you have at least the 1.02 firmware?

I have FW V1.11

brosen · 11-06-2011, 03:11 PM

I just did another quick test, took like 50 pictures in JPEG only using the Lexar 128GB SDXC card, deleted 3 of them, and I got "Card Error" messages, it was not possible to view any photo, prior to delete the 3 photos I was able to view each of the 40 pictures without any problem, the only change was to have deleted 3 of them. The only solution was to format the card and loose all the pictures.

bobmaxja · 11-06-2011, 03:21 PM

If you sent the email over the weekend, I am not sure you will get any answer

Katsura · 11-06-2011, 06:47 PM

In a test case it is always important to eliminate the common denominators.

It is not enough that your SDXC card worked on a different camera. in order to really point it to the camera being the problem, you need to try a different SDXC card - preferably, a different brand and/ or capacity.

RonHendriks1966 · 11-07-2011, 02:17 AM

I have no SDXC cards, but this should not be a problem. Not yet a second test from some-one?

rawr · 11-07-2011, 02:38 AM

Originally posted by brosen

Please try to recreate this potential problem

You need to add a few more steps to the test procedure for people to follow:

- update your camera to the latest K-5 firmware (v1.11);
- buy a brand-name SDXC from a reputable bricks-and-mortar store (to try and avoid using inferior quality counterfeits);
- format the SDXC card using the K-5 in-camera before using it.

It may also be worth noting that in the past Pentax have generally only recommended and tested certain card brands for compatibility - typically Panasonic, Toshiba and Sandisk (eg for SDHC cards for the K-x )

Chex · 11-07-2011, 02:50 AM

Originally posted by rawr

- buy a brand-name SDXC from a reputable bricks-and-mortar store (to try and avoid using inferior quality counterfeits);

Lexar is a very well established brand, not one I'd choose, but it's been around a long time. So unless he got a counterfeit from an online store, I'd think it should be ok..
I agree with using your K-5 to format the card.. absolutely!
I would then try loading the card full of Data from your PC to make sure it IS a good card.. you should be able to load 128 GB of RAW/JPG files on it and see them on your K-5.. I think that would be a start in the right direction.

brosen · 11-09-2011, 08:43 AM

Yesterday I tested two brand new SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB SDXC cards and I got the exact same error, so clearly there are issues with the K-5 handling the SDXC cards, I've tested 2 Lexar and 2 SanDisk, and all of them are giving problems, I really don't think 4 cards, 2 brand new and 2 different brands are all deffective, I think it's related to the way the K-5 handles the SDXC cards. After that I checked again two SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB SDHC cards and NO PROBLEM at all. I do not think is Lexar related, as it was previously stated.

I've reported the problem to Pentax US multiple times, I hope they will learn and do soemthing.

**TomB_tx** · 11-09-2011, 09:44 AM

The Leica M9 has also had problems with some SD cards (including Sandisk) and finally had to work with the card mfgrs to figure out why some worked and others didn't. They are still testing firmware changes to fix their issue. That is to say that the SD standards aren't as easy to work with as it may seem, and even Sandisk has some unique properties that "generic" drivers may have problems with. This would be especially true with the SDXC cards, as the standard is newer, and all the variations in implementing may not be understood.
So give them a chance to find and sort out the problems, and they'll have a firmware fix. In the meantime be sure to report the issues, giving exact models and specs of cards, and what happened. They can't fix what they don't know about, and testing with all possible models of cards is a nightmare.
For now I stick with SDHC cards, as the standard and variations are more stable (older) and better understood.

RonHendriks1966 · 11-09-2011, 01:32 PM

Originally posted by brosen

Yesterday I tested two brand new SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB SDXC cards and I got the exact same error, so clearly there are issues with the K-5 handling the SDXC cards, I've tested 2 Lexar and 2 SanDisk, and all of them are giving problems, I really don't think 4 cards, 2 brand new and 2 different brands are all deffective, I think it's related to the way the K-5 handles the SDXC cards. After that I checked again two SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB SDHC cards and NO PROBLEM at all. I do not think is Lexar related, as it was previously stated.

I've reported the problem to Pentax US multiple times, I hope they will learn and do soemthing.

I use those 32 GB Pro cards as well and they don't give problems. Sorry to hear that the new SDXC cards are giving trouble. Can you just use them, without deleting shots? That would save you for now.

rawr · 11-09-2011, 03:50 PM

Originally posted by brosen

Yesterday I tested two brand new SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB SDXC cards

How did you test them? Did you format them in camera before use, or using your PC?

I'm curious about this because SDXC and SDHC use (by default) different filesystems. SDHC uses the FAT32 filesystem, SDXC uses the exFAT filesystem. Somehow the K-5 would have to be able to deal with that (in reading and formatting the cards), as would your PC operating system.

11-06-2011, 07:53 AM	#1
brosen Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: US Posts: 183	Problem with the K-5 handling SDXC cards Please try to recreate this potential problem with the K-5 handling SDXC cards when using RAW+JPEG, as follows: - Take 5 or 6 shots in RAW+JPEG - Try to zoom in while viewing the photos in the camera, there shouldn't be any problem - Now delete 2 or 3 of the images in camera - Now take 5 or 6 more shots in RAW+JPEG again - Try to Zoom in while viewing the latest shots in camera - Now 1 or 2 of the latest shots should be corrupted, cannot zoom in or is corrupted when imported I did the same test with an SDHC card and the problem did not happen. I think there is a problem with the K-5 handling SDXC cards, or my SDXC cards are defective, but I've tested them in another camera with no problem. I am using Lexar Professional 128GB SDXC cards. NOTE: Did the exact same test with JPEGs and the problem did not happen, it seems to be related to RAW+JPEG only. Please could you try to reproduce the problem in your camera if you are using an SDXC card, thanks Bernard

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11-06-2011, 08:26 AM	#2
JohnBee Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Newrfoundland Photos: Albums Posts: 4,667	Without knowing how common this is, I'd say it sounds like a firmware update is in order. Have you contacted Pentax support to inform them of the issue?

11-06-2011, 08:28 AM	#3
aT0Mx Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Nova Scotia Photos: Albums Posts: 387	And you have at least the 1.02 firmware?

11-06-2011, 08:29 AM	#4
brosen Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: US Posts: 183 Original Poster	Yes, I've sent them like 3 emails, but it seems they do not get it, they are reluctant to even research it, they just ask me to do dumb things to resolve the problem. Maybe somebody with more influence or contacts with Pentax can help to get their attention ?, thanks

11-06-2011, 08:29 AM	#5
brosen Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: US Posts: 183 Original Poster	Originally posted by aT0Mx And you have at least the 1.02 firmware? I have FW V1.11

11-06-2011, 03:11 PM	#6
brosen Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: US Posts: 183 Original Poster	I just did another quick test, took like 50 pictures in JPEG only using the Lexar 128GB SDXC card, deleted 3 of them, and I got "Card Error" messages, it was not possible to view any photo, prior to delete the 3 photos I was able to view each of the 40 pictures without any problem, the only change was to have deleted 3 of them. The only solution was to format the card and loose all the pictures.

11-06-2011, 03:21 PM	#7
bobmaxja Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Laval, Quebec Canada Posts: 2,171	If you sent the email over the weekend, I am not sure you will get any answer

11-06-2011, 06:47 PM	#8
Katsura Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Noosa, Queesnland Photos: Albums Posts: 199	In a test case it is always important to eliminate the common denominators. It is not enough that your SDXC card worked on a different camera. in order to really point it to the camera being the problem, you need to try a different SDXC card - preferably, a different brand and/ or capacity.

11-07-2011, 02:17 AM	#9
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	I have no SDXC cards, but this should not be a problem. Not yet a second test from some-one?

11-07-2011, 02:38 AM	#10
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Originally posted by brosen Please try to recreate this potential problem You need to add a few more steps to the test procedure for people to follow: - update your camera to the latest K-5 firmware (v1.11); - buy a brand-name SDXC from a reputable bricks-and-mortar store (to try and avoid using inferior quality counterfeits); - format the SDXC card using the K-5 in-camera before using it. It may also be worth noting that in the past Pentax have generally only recommended and tested certain card brands for compatibility - typically Panasonic, Toshiba and Sandisk (eg for SDHC cards for the K-x )

11-07-2011, 02:50 AM	#11
Chex Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: The 'Stoke, British Columbia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,678	Originally posted by rawr - buy a brand-name SDXC from a reputable bricks-and-mortar store (to try and avoid using inferior quality counterfeits); Lexar is a very well established brand, not one I'd choose, but it's been around a long time. So unless he got a counterfeit from an online store, I'd think it should be ok.. I agree with using your K-5 to format the card.. absolutely! I would then try loading the card full of Data from your PC to make sure it IS a good card.. you should be able to load 128 GB of RAW/JPG files on it and see them on your K-5.. I think that would be a start in the right direction.

11-09-2011, 08:43 AM	#12
brosen Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: US Posts: 183 Original Poster	Yesterday I tested two brand new SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB SDXC cards and I got the exact same error, so clearly there are issues with the K-5 handling the SDXC cards, I've tested 2 Lexar and 2 SanDisk, and all of them are giving problems, I really don't think 4 cards, 2 brand new and 2 different brands are all deffective, I think it's related to the way the K-5 handles the SDXC cards. After that I checked again two SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB SDHC cards and NO PROBLEM at all. I do not think is Lexar related, as it was previously stated. I've reported the problem to Pentax US multiple times, I hope they will learn and do soemthing.

11-09-2011, 09:44 AM	#13
TomB_tx Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,446	The Leica M9 has also had problems with some SD cards (including Sandisk) and finally had to work with the card mfgrs to figure out why some worked and others didn't. They are still testing firmware changes to fix their issue. That is to say that the SD standards aren't as easy to work with as it may seem, and even Sandisk has some unique properties that "generic" drivers may have problems with. This would be especially true with the SDXC cards, as the standard is newer, and all the variations in implementing may not be understood. So give them a chance to find and sort out the problems, and they'll have a firmware fix. In the meantime be sure to report the issues, giving exact models and specs of cards, and what happened. They can't fix what they don't know about, and testing with all possible models of cards is a nightmare. For now I stick with SDHC cards, as the standard and variations are more stable (older) and better understood.

11-09-2011, 01:32 PM	#14
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Originally posted by brosen Yesterday I tested two brand new SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB SDXC cards and I got the exact same error, so clearly there are issues with the K-5 handling the SDXC cards, I've tested 2 Lexar and 2 SanDisk, and all of them are giving problems, I really don't think 4 cards, 2 brand new and 2 different brands are all deffective, I think it's related to the way the K-5 handles the SDXC cards. After that I checked again two SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB SDHC cards and NO PROBLEM at all. I do not think is Lexar related, as it was previously stated. I've reported the problem to Pentax US multiple times, I hope they will learn and do soemthing. I use those 32 GB Pro cards as well and they don't give problems. Sorry to hear that the new SDXC cards are giving trouble. Can you just use them, without deleting shots? That would save you for now.

11-09-2011, 03:50 PM	#15
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Originally posted by brosen Yesterday I tested two brand new SanDisk Extreme Pro 64GB SDXC cards How did you test them? Did you format them in camera before use, or using your PC? I'm curious about this because SDXC and SDHC use (by default) different filesystems. SDHC uses the FAT32 filesystem, SDXC uses the exFAT filesystem. Somehow the K-5 would have to be able to deal with that (in reading and formatting the cards), as would your PC operating system.