What is??????????????

[ignatiusjk]

My digital camera says "Card write protected" when I try to press the shutter.What gives??? Please be simple with any responses. Thanks.

[William Whitaker]

Throw the camera away, it's digital. Simple enough?

Seriously, look at the left side of the card (assuming you're using an SD card). There should be a lock switch (a little tab of plastic) which when slid up "unlocks" the card and allows your camera to write to it. So, this is a large format digital camera?... ;)

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

Flip the little (usually white) "protection" lever on the card itself.

[Vaughn]

How many of us use, or don't use, the "write protectors" on our film holders? Those little "L" shaped darkslide locks. Personally I don't, but I can't get myself to actually remove them.

[sanking]

How many of us use, or don't use, the "write protectors" on our film holders? Those little "L" shaped darkslide locks. Personally I don't, but I can't get myself to actually remove them.

I always use them. Why would one not? Have you never accidentally lost an exposure because the dark slide came partially out?

Sandy

[Vaughn]

I always use them. Why would one not? Have you never accidentally lost an exposure because the dark slide came partially out?

Sandy

Once, maybe twice in 30 years. IMO, not significant. I find them to be a minor annoyance. -- always in the wrong position when loading holders! :D I suppose I have sort of trained myself to handle holders in such a way as not to pull the slides out.

I am certainly not advocating the practice of ignoring the overwrite protectors, to each their own, but I have come across holders with them purposefully (an assumption, really) removed. Perhaps in a fast paced shoot, they would just get in the way and slow things down.

Vaughn

[Brian C. Miller]

You have to pull the darkslide so the little guy inside the camera can write on the index card. He uses all his fingers, which why those are called "digital" cameras.

The giclée cameras have a little guy who drinks a lot of beer and the holders have to be chilled so the snow won't melt. Frank has one. Ask him about it.

(yes, like Will said, you need to move the tab on the SD card)
(And yes, I use the little darslide locks on my holders. And I tape them when I'm done and write exposure info on the tape. I use blue masking tape.)

[rguinter]

I always use them. Why would one not? Have you never accidentally lost an exposure because the dark slide came partially out?

Sandy

I'm with Sandy on this one. I always use them.

My total LF photo count over the 20+ years I've been doing LF photography probably is less than a year's worth for many here on this forum.

But the insurance of learning to use (and always using) the darkslide locks to me is just common sense.

It is such a habit that I never think twice about them... when loading/unloading film holders or making exposures.

Bob G.

[Bruce Watson]

How many of us use, or don't use, the "write protectors" on our film holders? Those little "L" shaped darkslide locks. Personally I don't, but I can't get myself to actually remove them.

Same here. Never use 'em, but can't be bothered to remove them either.

[Bruce Watson]

I always use them. Why would one not? Have you never accidentally lost an exposure because the dark slide came partially out?

Because they just get in the way. And no, I've never lost an exposure due to a partially pulled darkslide.

But I *have* lost exposures because the lock prevented me from pulling the dark slide. Once when I was racing the sun -- the time lost in having to come back around the camera to find out what was impeding my progress was more time than I had; it cost me that bit of sunlight where it needed to be to make the photograph work. Another time a lock cost me the entire setup -- I pulled the dark slide expecting it to come out -- and because the lock fell into position I instead pulled the camera off to one side. Barely caught it; would have been a costly mess had the camera hit the ground.

In both those cases I just tore down my setup and walked. No exposures made. I figured the universe was trying to tell me something.

Comes down to workflow. The locks work for you; they don't work for me. C'est la vie.

[sanking]

Just the opposite with me. I have lost a number of negatives, at least partially, because the dark slide came out. On the other hand, I have never lost anything because I was too clumsy to get the dark slide out of the camera fast enought

On the other hand I have lost plenty of shots due to being clumsy in other ways, i.e. backing into the camera and knocking it over, dropping the lens when trying to put it on the camera, having the camera blow over when trying to work in heavy wind, dropping the back when trying to change it from portrait to landscape orientation, losing all of my camera gear into the surf when a rogue wave rolled in, etc.

But those little L hooks, I consider them muy buddies.

Sandy

[Andrew O'Neill]

I ALWAYS use the L hooks, especially with 4x5 holders. The slides just come out too easily when you are are a hurry and pull out a holder from the bag... out comes the slide from another holder! Film is getting too expensive to screw up in the field.
...And what does a digital card have to do with large format??
Happy New Year, everyone!!

[ignatiusjk]

Problem solved thanks.