[Javanoid]

Simple question but I just couldn't figure it out, I tried everything. Any help? Thanks.

[klaus123]

by the "switch-card-button" (back side 5 o'clock direction from the OK-button)

[crewl1]

Above is correct for play mode.
For capture mode you need to configure how the camera will use the cards: sequential, duplicate or split duty.
If you have it set for sequential you cannot choose which to use, the camera will automatically use the first card that is available until it is full then swicth to the other card.
Note that if there is no card in the first slot when it starts to capture it will continue on the second card then switch to the first when it is full.

[Stone G.]

Just to elaborate a bit on the above: It happens quite often, that I forget to re-insert my card in slot 1 after download to PC. As crew1 says, the camera will now start writing to the card in slot 2 and it will continue to do so "forever" until card 2 is full - even after I insert a card in slot 1 again.

I can only reverse the sequence by powering the camera off, remove the card from slot 2 and power up again with the remaining card in slot 1.

[Adam]

Simple question but I just couldn't figure it out, I tried everything. Any help? Thanks.

As the others have implied, there's currently no setting that allows you to tell the camera which card to write to first (assuming you're using the other card for overflow rather than writing to both cards). Removing one card and power cycling the camera will force it to write to card 2 if card 1 was removed, and vice-versa.

[DaveXT]

All you have to do to switch cards is pull the card you don't wish to use then replace it with the camera switched on.

[Javanoid]

It seems like such a simple thing to do, press a button and you switch between which SD card you want to record pictures and/or video on. Either I'm completely naive to how hard it is for Pentax to accomplish such a simple sounding task or they were too lazy to include it.

[rawr]

Either I'm completely naive to how hard it is for Pentax to accomplish such a simple sounding task or they were too lazy to include it.

It's not just Pentax. I believe the 2 card Nikons have the same limitation. Something about the way engineers think.

[crewl1]

Engineers assume if you are doing sequential write that the two cards are identical so it shouldn't matter which card the camera chooses.

The only reason one would need this feature is that you WANT to use a certain card first because it is faster or larger or better in some way.

[ChrisA]

The only reason one would need this feature is that you WANT to use a certain card first because it is faster or larger or better in some way.

I use an Eye-Fi card in slot 2, as a convenient way of getting images off the camera when I'm only taking the odd one or two at a time, which is most of the time.

So mostly I'd want it to use that. However I'd like to be able to switch to a larger, faster card in slot 1, if I suddenly find myself in a situation where I want to take a larger number of pics in quick succession. Which isn't all that uncommon.

Quite disappointed that now that I have two slots, I can't do that - It doesn't seem like much to ask.

Not the end of the world, I can obviously take out the Eye-Fi card, but all the same...

[gaweidert]

Remember that these systems are under the control of computer programmers. They do not think like us and they still want the person who installed the GOTO command into BASIC programming hung drawn and quartered. GOTO is chaos to a programmer. Their whole world is tightly controlled sequences of code. Their whole world is made up of two words. Yes or No. Or 0 and 1 if you like. Because of this we get to have great toys to play with. We just have to play by their rules.

Look at it this way. You want to get up from your chair and get a drink of water. In doing so you have to tell every muscle in your body one of two things. Yes or No. On top of this sne we are analog creatures, how much Yes and how much No. And you have to do this on the fly constantly monitoring all you muscles and turning them on or off as needed. On top of this you are receiving information from your eyes, sensors on your skin and you inner ears are interacting with you brain to accomplish the slight muscle actions that keep you on course and in balance.

Modern DLSR cameras are a world of chaos to a programmer. And the human who is pushing buttons on them is the ultimate form of chaos in their world. Their job is to bring order to chaos. It's amazing how what seems to be a simple thing to do physically can wreak havoc in a complex system. I am not a programmer but I do field service on highly sophisticated imaging systems for the printing industry. I need to know a lot of commands to perform service and do diagnostics. These commands allow me to operate the equipment outside of normal parameters. But theses systems, like a DSLR need to get back to a starting point and the only way to do it is to reset or reboot them.

The reset and reboot are wonderful things becasue after it is completed the equipment is now back in a condition where it knows the exact state of it's hardware and software. Once it know this, it then know what to do when you push the button, Film was one of the greatest inventions in history. Just look at what it takes electronically to approximate the same results. It is software controlling hardware that allows this and we have to play by it's rules. Accept this and you will be a lot less frustrated.

[ChrisA]

Remember that these systems are under the control of computer programmers. ..... I am not a programmer ... Accept this and you will be a lot less frustrated.

Thank you for that rather patronising explanation.

AAMOF, I am a programmer, and I've made my living at it for 25 years. And I know full well that it's not a trivial exercise.

I also know that it's not solely up to the programmers. It's also up to the testers, and the constraints they're all under. Management want it good, fast and cheap, and don't realise that the very best you can achieve is two out of the three.

None of that changes the fact that just because it's good, doesn't mean that we're unreasonable wanting it better.

[gaweidert]

ChrisA,

Sorry, didn't want to seem to be patronizing. Programming complex equipment is not easy. It's amazing how much work a simple request can make. As as you stated, management and marketing don't make the job any easier either.

[ChrisA]

Sorry, didn't want to seem to be patronizing. Programming complex equipment is not easy. It's amazing how much work a simple request can make. As as you stated, management and marketing don't make the job any easier either.

No worries, thanks.

[Javanoid]

I've noticed you can select which SD card you would like to record video on whilst in video mode through the menu. I'm still not sure whether the button on the right of the menu button does anything (the one which has the blue card 1 and 2 signs next to it).