Why I don't "full format" my memory cards every time
Plus: A massive new photography museum; cast your vote for wildlife photographer of the year; and new Tamron zooms
Most of the time, hitting Format in your camera performs a Quick Format.
That’s the default on pretty much all cameras. It simply wipes the card’s directory while leaving the actual photo data intact. It is fast, and it leaves a crucial safety net: if you accidentally format the wrong card, your photos are still physically there. As long as you don’t shoot new photos over them, you can easily rescue the entire shoot using standard off-the-shelf data recovery software.
Some cameras also offer a “Full” (or low-level) format. This scans the entire card for errors and permanently overwrites every single sector.
It sounds like that should be the better approach. And it’s tempting to run a Full Format every time to keep things completely clean; it’s thorough, even if it’s also slower. But that actually does more harm than good. Flash memory has a finite number of write cycles. Deep cleaning your card every time you clear it unnecessarily burns through its hardware lifespan.
I stick to quick formats for my daily workflow. I only run a full, in-camera format in a few specific situations:
Brand new cards: To catch factory defects before relying on them for a shoot.
Performance drops: If the buffer starts unexpectedly lagging during burst shooting or high-bitrate video.
Persistent errors: To force the card to identify and map out bad sectors.
Disposing of the card: To ensure old files are permanently unrecoverable.
Regardless of which method is needed, I always format the card inside the exact camera I intend to use. That ensures the file system and folder structure are perfectly optimized for that specific device and eliminates the risk of file system mismatches.
Photography Gear
New Tamron zoom lenses. Tamron has released a bright standard zoom for full-frame Nikon Z and Sony E: Tamron 35-100mm f/2.8 Di III VXD. Priced around $900 and expected to start shipping in late March. Looks like a fun and versatile lens for travel photography.
Nikon sales paradox. Reading the tea leaves, Nikon’s latest reports offer hints that Nikon might soon pivot back to premium, high-margin mirrorless camera bodies. Something to watch closely if you shoot with cameras like the Z9 or Z8. [Petapixel]
RAMageddon is here. AI companies are gobbling up memory hardware at a staggering rate. That’s creating shortages and driving prices through the roof. Expect everything from laptops to phones to memory cards and, yes, cameras, to keep increasing in price more rapidly than normal. It could be a good time to buy sooner rather than later. [The Verge]
Weatherproof gear wraps. My new Spinn.Design ProWrapps (no, that’s not a typo) were just delivered. They’re versatile protective wrappers that stick to themselves. I have some of the previous version. These are new and updated, now weatherproof, and were launched through a Kickstarter. They’re great for lenses and camera bodies. Same general idea as Domke wraps, just tweaked a bit with fully self-gripping fabric, and they don’t take up as much space in the gear bag.
Wide Angle
Massive new photography museum. Rotterdam’s Nederlands Fotomuseum has officially moved into the historic Santos Warehouse, reopening as a massive vertical hub for photography that spans nine floors. It has display galleries, of course (and an incredibly large collection of 6.5 million objects), but I’m particularly intrigued by the fully functional analog darkroom, the open studio and workshops, and the viewing area over the restoration labs. It sounds like a must-see stop.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year: People’s Choice. The 24-image shortlist for the 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year ‘People’s Choice’ award by London’s Natural History Museum is now open for voting. There are some stunning images, and you can check out the photos and cast your vote now through March 18.
He got the shot (but only just). You’ve almost certainly seen the photo this week of the former Prince Andrew slumped and looking stunned in the back of a car after being arrested and questioned for hours. It really is a one-off. There are no other versions, no other similar angles. It was captured by Reuters photographer Phil Noble, and he explains how he got the shot (and almost didn’t).
