My new camera...

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Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
seems to be missing the odd picture...

It's a Samsung, S700, bought new last week after my reliable old Canon got dropped and the lens cover/on switch got dislocated... Memory is an SD card, also bought new last week - Hama brand (both bought from a camera shop in town).

Have noticed a couple of times downloading pics that a few (maybe 6 or 7 out of 60 odd) don't seem to have 'worked'. When I open the card or camera up in 'my computer', I get the photo icon for these, but no thumbnail, and it won't preview them or anything. Doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason why not - they are just scattered among pics that have worked fine...

Any idea if it might be the camera or the SD card? I do have another SD card, the one I use in my helmet cam, but haven't had a chance to swap them yet, and it's just occurred to me that having formatted it for the helmet cam files (FAT), it might not be suitable for the Samsung? Is the card likely to need formatting or anything? I'm a bit in the dark about such stuff..

I can take it back, but if I can sort it myself, I'd rather. Trouble is, of course, like any intermittant issue, it may not happen for a while, so it's hard to pin down...

Just thought, I suppose it might be my laptop! I'll have to try the card in another one...
 

Melvil

Guest
If the above doesn't work see if you can go on their website and download the latest firmware and update the camera...might help.
 

Brock

Senior Member
Location
Kent
I would suspect the card first. I'd probably take it back to the shop and tell them you'd had the same intermittent failures with it in another camera so you'd like them to replace it. Either that or order another, perhaps here.
If the same problems occur with another card then maybe the camera needs to go back to the shop.
Have you checked to see if the 'missing' pictures are available to review on the camera itself before you attempt to transfer them to your pc?
 
Brock said:
I would suspect the card first. I'd probably take it back to the shop and tell them you'd had the same intermittent failures with it in another camera so you'd like them to replace it.

It would be easiest to check this with another camera first.
 

Brock

Senior Member
Location
Kent
Patrick Stevens said:
It would be easiest to check this with another camera first.
Not necessarily, if it's an intermittent problem, I'd be inclined just to get another card and see how it went. Corrupt files due to a slightly dodgy media card could be hugely annoying after all.
 

bonj2

Guest
So the file is there - but it isn't a valid picture file, is that what you're saying?
Is the file about the right size?
Try the other SD card but better still either have a look in the instructions or contact Samsung technical support (if such a thing exists) and find out whether the camera is capable of 'formatting' the card itself, and if so, do that, and see if you still get the problem.
If it happens again, instead of opening up the SD card as a drive, try using the camera's own photo transfer software. And, like others have said, determine for definite whether it is the camera or the card. If necessary by putting it on continuous shoot and taking lots of pictures of an inanimate object, and see whether they're all ok.
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Thanks all.

Yes, the pictures appear Ok when reviewing on the camera, just not on computer. Have just checked on another computer and the same pics seem to be 'missing'. Looking at the file size, they seem to be the same size as working pics.

It also occured last week when I connected the camera up direct rather than read the card, but I've left the lead at home today so can't check that now. Actually, I'm not sure I installed the softeware correctly (try reading the full instructions next time Archer), so it might be worth me redoing that anyway...

Good idea to check card in another camera, it's just a case of getting round to finding a mate with a suitable camera (can think of one, and he's away for the week). Of course, as it seems to be intermittant, sod's law says it'll work fine - and we'll have to take a fair few pics to be sure.

I was probably going to get another card anyway, as a top up, so maybe I'll see if that works. Any ideas from ATC owners on whether my helmet cam SD card is likely to work with the samsung OK?
 

Brock

Senior Member
Location
Kent
Arch said:
Thanks all.

Yes, the pictures appear Ok when reviewing on the camera...
That makes the problem more mysterious then. What error do you get when you try and open the suspect files on your computer then?
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Brock said:
That makes the problem more mysterious then. What error do you get when you try and open the suspect files on your computer then?

Just the normal picture/fax viewer window, but with the words "no preview available". All the others view normally.
 

bonj2

Guest
Arch, what happens if you right click on the picture and choose 'Edit' from the menu (to open it directly into paintbrush)? If you don't get that menu option, go Start, All Programs, Accessories, Paint - and then File, Open - and choose the picture file. What happens then?
(or any other image-processing application).
It might just be windows explorer/windows image viewer cocking up, as it often does.
 

Tim Bennet.

Entirely Average Member
Location
S of Kendal
Is there any chance that your unfamiliarity with the new camera means you are inadvertently changing the picture format to RAW for these particular shots?

Windows won't display these; you have to use something with the dedicated RAW convertor.
 

Brock

Senior Member
Location
Kent
yeah, do what bonj says.
It might even be as simple as right clicking on the directory window and selecting 'refresh'. Depends what you're doing. Frankly I don't think they should sell such complicated things to girls, especially if they are over 25. ;)
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
bonj said:
Arch, what happens if you right click on the picture and choose 'Edit' from the menu (to open it directly into paintbrush)? If you don't get that menu option, go Start, All Programs, Accessories, Paint - and then File, Open - and choose the picture file. What happens then?

Either way I get:

"Paint cannot read this file. It is not a valid bitmap file, or its format is not currently supported."
 
OP
OP
Arch

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Tim Bennet. said:
Is there any chance that your unfamiliarity with the new camera means you are inadvertently changing the picture format to RAW for these particular shots?

Windows won't display these; you have to use something with the dedicated RAW convertor.

I haven't a clue, but I think it's unlikely, this is basically a point-and-shoot camera, and I'm just point-and-shooting - not changing any settings or anything between pics.

Patrick, if I wasn't such a girl, you wouldn't like me so much...;)

Yeah, thanks Brock, I think I'd be better off sticking to a box brownie and worrying my pretty little head about opera boxes and bonnets instead.:sad:

BTW, have reinstalled the software and made no difference - also brought lead in, so could connect directly, same thing. For some reason, the automatic task manager doesn't come up when I connect the camera though, like it did with the Canon, and I think it should do...
 
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