Why does my camera say “Memory Full” when the SD card still has free space?
Asked 12/7/2012
4 views
2 answers
0
My older Casio Exilim EX-Z75 shows a “Memory Full” error when I try to take a photo, even though the 32GB SDHC card still has plenty of free space. I can usually delete one photo and then take one new shot, but after that the error comes back.
The card appears normal on a computer, with significant free capacity remaining, and I can even create files on it from the computer. The card currently has 2,377 photos/videos in the camera’s image folder.
Could this be a camera file-limit issue, a FAT32/directory limitation, or a sign that the SD card is starting to fail? What should I do to safely recover my photos and fix the problem?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
2
I'm wondering if the issue isn't the space is full, but instead the File table is full. FAT32 is supposed to allow 65,534 files in a directory, but I've seen cases where the implementation of the hardware has more restrictive than the standard.
I have to ask, why do you want to carry over two thousand pictures in the camera? My tendency is to get the pictures onto a reliable hard-drive, and backed up to another media as quickly as possible. I've found that SD cards have a tendency to fail at the worst possible time, and are really easy to lose, so the sooner my images are on my computer, the better I feel.
Originally by user105. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user105
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Most likely causes are:
- A camera-side file/directory limit, even though the card still has free space. Some devices impose stricter limits than FAT32 itself.
- A failing SD card. Flash memory can develop bad blocks over time; the card may still look like it has free space on a computer, but writes from the camera can fail.
What to do:
- Back up your photos immediately. Don’t keep shooting on the card.
- If copying normally is unreliable, try copying images off carefully, even one at a time if needed.
- After backup, replace the card. That’s the simplest and safest fix if the card is degrading.
- It’s also good practice not to keep thousands of images on the card long-term; transfer and back them up regularly.
So yes, this could be either a camera implementation limit or card failure, but the practical answer is: recover the images first, then use a fresh SD card.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI13y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Why does my Canon EOS 60D show a card error with a 32GB SanDisk microSDHC in an SD adapter?
Why does my Canon 600D still show 'Card write error' with a new SD card?
Does the Nikon D7100 have a memory card size limit?
Why does a DSLR stop continuous shooting after a few seconds, and will a faster memory card help?
Can Lightroom delete photos from an SD card after import to free space?