Micro SD memory card compatibility

I have a Pentax k100d and would like to know if a micro sd memory card will work in my camera?

Your camera takes an SD card, so you'd need an adapter to use a smaller version. I don't see why it wouldn't work, but it seems a difficult way to do things when SD cards cost so little?

Only in an adaptor for a full size card.

No reason not to use Micro SD cards.

I use mini and micro SDs all the time. The compact size makes it easier to store them.

You need to ensure that you are only using basic SD cards as the k100D was originally only specified for SD cards up to 2GB and not for SDHC. There were firmware updates issued to allow SDHC cards to be used, so you would need to update the firmware, using an SD card. SDXC is a definite NO.


Always ensure you do the FULL format of the card on a PC. Cameras do not fully format cards but only clean the FAT - called a quick format. Download the images using an adapter as it will be quicker and easier, then delete the images from the DCIM directory. The card is then ready for immediate re-use.

Pentax recommend that you format the card in the camera that it's to be used in. Please see the instruction manual.

A camera does not fully format an SD card. Card manufacturers recommend that an correct SD formatting application is used. Quick formats may result in less than optimal performance. A full format of an 8GB SDHC card on a mid-range dual core PC can take several minutes or more. Does an in camera format take that long? No, it takes a second or two - because it is not formatting, it is overwriting the FAT only.

In various Pentax manuals you will find comments that include:
Please note that formatting the SD Memory Card will not necessarily delete the data so that it cannot be recovered using off the shelf data recovery software. In other words - it does not actually FORMAT the card. If it did, the data would not be recoverable.

elsewhere they refer to the process as "Initialisation".

But then what do I know?

As the File Allocation Table (FAT) is the only reference to where files are stored I don't see what difference it would make. A full format will highlight faulty areas of the card but that is rare. Quick formats are fine on other digtal storage types.

Going off topic...

Not much does, actually
An SD card is not pure memory. It is NAND-flash plus a complex controller. The controller can choose how the SD-card interface side interacts with the NAND flash, and will include ECC correction, wear-levelling etc.
From an electronic's perspective, you can never be 100% sure you are actually erasing everything, even with a "a mid-range dual core PC" taking "several minutes or more."
If you have (super) sensitive information, don't store on SD-cards, CF-cards, or USB sticks.
It is very rare to know 100% what the SD-card controller is doing. (Google for "bunnie studios SD card" for interesting background stuff)

(Disagree if you like, but I have worked with raw SLC & MLC NAND-flash chips, SD-card technology, and various embedded file systems for 10 years+ )


Formatting in-camera is usually advisable because it will create the required FAT-32 structure, rebuilding the boot sector+partition table, and the FAT table(s) required. (Point of fact, an SD-card can be specially formatted with multiple partitions on Linux/Mac, or with non-FAT file systems like jffs etc).

Back to the OP:
There's no reason you can't use a micro-SD card in your camera with a suitable micro-SD to SD card adapter. Do watch out for the class number of the card. Many micro-SD cards have a very low data rate (as they're designed primarily for phones that don't have a huge bandwidth anyway).

Personally, I have had good success with the Samsung Extreme SD cards. They're a good price, are water resistant, and crush resistant. They have lasted much, much longer than Sandisk professional grade cards for me

Matt

Avoid Maplin's own labelled brand they are cheap for the capacity but the one I bought lost everything twice.

Even if you haven't got a USB 3.0 card reader yet. It's the future so you should only buy very fast cards now...... at least 70 MB/sec.

I agree with Matt that the Samsungs seem about the best value at present. Go for the SDHC UHS-I Class 10 cards. Make sure it has a cup after SD with a 1 in it. There is a cheaper/slower version without the cup.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/gadgets/1299823/samsung-sdhc-uhs-i-card-pro


SAMSUNG_LINK

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Thanks everyone for the info. Downloaded the new version firmware and the micro sd card worked! My purpose for using this memory card was to be able to view, edit and organize my photos while on vacation using my samsung tablet.

Get some more cards if you can. Download to the tablet but keep them on the cards until you return home. You will have a back-up of them all.

This is a very fast (90MB/s) SDHC and microSD USB 3.0 card reader for only £9.99 + free delivery...

Transcend RD5

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The PROOF.

I have just take five brand new never used, packaged SD cards. One each 1, 2, 4, 8 & 16 GB - so two SD and 3 SDHC. I Inserted them into a K20D camera, and the screen message is "Memory Card Error". Accessed the menu, selected format, the formatting screen present for a few seconds before it returns to "Memory Card Error".

Took each card, ran it through formatting on my PC, returned it to the camera and could take and save images immediately.

QED

I was interested in this, so I too took a new and unused card (2gb SD), put it in my K20D, and it just worked. Didn't even have to format it.