Erasing (deleting) photos in camera vs.on computer

[JerryG]

Hi, all. New to Fujifilm cameras, with an X-T3.  The manual, in the "Inserting Memory Cards" section, warns that photos should only be erased in the camera, not on a computer.  I want to delete hundreds of photos on my SD card to make room for new ones,  (They're all loaded on my PC and backed up in 3 places, of course.)  It would take forever to tag and delete them in camera, and seconds when it is connected to the PC via USB, which seems to work fine, as it does with other cameras.

Does anyone delete batches of photos from their SD card in Windows, and have you had any issues after doing it?  Thanks.

[Greybeard]

I guess they are worried that you might corrupt the filesystem when you delete images in a computer - the filesystems used on these cards are not as reliable as filesystems normally used on a computer. A lot of people are reluctant to delete files even using the camera.

If you do this it would be good practice to make sure all your images are backed up.

It would also be good practice to regularly move all your images off the card and format it.

[Herco]

For some reason Fuji cameras are quite susceptible to read/write errors on SD cards. I've had multiple issues (incl. lost images) with several different Fuji cameras, so I use the following 'workflow' to reduce the chance of error:

• always use Fuji recommended SD cards
• use two exact same cards if the camera has two slots
• insert them gently straight in and out
• format both cards in the camera before a shoot
• regularly copy (not move!) all images on the card to your computer
• then (re)format both cards in your camera (never on your computer)
• do not take out one card to view images on a computer/tablet and then put it back in the camera for further shooting (I share the images via my phone to a Dropbox to view them on bigger screens. Or in the studio I work tethered.)

That way you don't have to select and delete images one by one or by group in your camera, which is a tedious process.

In general: SD cards are not meant for long-term storage of images. Just for shooting and transport to your safe storage on a computer and back-up drives.

Edited September 4, 2020 by Herco

[JerryG]

Thanks, Greybeard and Herco!  You're making me even more cautious!

[Andi Anggono]

15 hours ago, Herco said:

For some reason Fuji cameras are quite susceptible to read/write errors on SD cards. I've had multiple issues (incl. lost images) with several different Fuji cameras, so I use the following 'workflow' to reduce the chance of error:

• always use Fuji recommended SD cards
• use two exact same cards if the camera has two slots
• insert them gently straight in and out
• format both cards in the camera before a shoot
• regularly copy (not move!) all images on the card to your computer
• then (re)format both cards in your camera (never on your computer)
• do not take out one card to view images on a computer/tablet and then put it back in the camera for further shooting (I share the images via my phone to a Dropbox to view them on bigger screens. Or in the studio I work tethered.)

That way you don't have to select and delete images one by one or by group in your camera, which is a tedious process.

In general: SD cards are not meant for long-term storage of images. Just for shooting and transport to your safe storage on a computer and back-up drives.

Thank you ,its help me lot and best away to avoid lost my photos 

[kkgiyer]

With stills, I had write errors when shooting panorama, CH, CL, long exposure etc and using a slower card. Had reported to Fuji here and as expected the issue was never heard of by them in spite of sending them links to the issues. But they were very helpful in loaning a camera, a faster card and they took my card to try on their camera. It was concluded by Fuji that the card was slow. And the truth is, I switched to a faster card and haven't seen the issue after that. 

Also, I never delete the images in camera or computer. I switch to read only when reading images from a computer or copying. 

[syborg]

It doesn't matter where you delete files from your SD card, as long as OS recognizes the filesystem. And FAT32 (that's what your card uses) is ubiquitous and old (15 yo), so it's supported everywhere.

Edited November 10, 2020 by syborg

[JerryG]

Yeah, Syborg, wouldn't you think?  In view of the comments about Fuji cameras being quirky about this, I've been following Herco's advice above, with no issues.  Can't complain about that solution.  Thanks for you comment.