I've seen patterns like Paul's, on my car the morning after cleaning and waxing it. I suspect that it's something to do with the way that moisture beads up on a freshly waxed surface, then freezes, allowing larger ice crystals to form.

Which gives me an idea, all I need is a sheet of polished metal, some car wax and a cold night (or my freezer)

I'd expect that with a K20D hovering over the horizon, that the price of the K10D may fall as stockists try to get rid of old kit. And I wouldn't worry about a K10D being outdated, it's going to be "good enough" for a long lime!

You also need to bear in mind that software such as virus checkers or spyware detectors may be running in the background and may be accessing your removable media when you remove it.

Also, in order to speed up access to files, windows may keep recently accessed files open for up to 15 minutes after you have finished using them. You can check to see what is still open if you right-click on My Computer, click Manage then click Open Files.

There are a lot of things happening on your PC even when you aren't doing anything to it, so better safe than sorry. I liken it to changing gear on your car without using the clutch - it is possible, but not recommended! (Unless you are The Stig)

I reformat upon insertion, because otherwise I'd forget!

I reformat frequently because I read somewhere on the 'net that the computers and cameras handle files slightly differently and that there is a small risk that when a file is deleted from the card by a computer, it may not be correctly deleted and hence allow some data corruption to occur. It's just another of those things that some people claim to be "best practice"

Edit:-

[geek bit]
For the truly, madly, deeply, sad http://www.bluewatersys.com/design/technology/nand.php
[/geek bit]

IMHO Sandisk cards are about as good as they get, and with proper handling should last you many years.

However like most electronic items they can be susceptible to damage by electrostatic discharge, so avoid touching the contacts, make sure the camera is OFF before you insert or remove the card, and if you use a card reader with your PC, go through the "eject hardware" procedure before removing the card from the reader.

You can't legislate for random events like a cosmic ray interacting with your chip either!

I think that there is also a limit on the number of write/wipe cycles that the chips can sustain, but it is so high I think most of us are unlikely to encounter it. (I'm sure a true expert like Matt will have the numbers to hand)

I have a bunch of cards and try to ensure that I cycle through the lot, rather than using one card over and over again. I also try to remember to re-format the card each time I put it in the camera (not always easy if you are in a hurry to catch a shot!)

Howard, I'm sure your feather is permissible, as that was the angle that Dan was coming from. "Light" doesn't specify mass or optics!

Can the first person to post a picture in these competitions stop being so bloody good!!!!

Just to emphasise what Gartmore said

"Dont touch it with your fingers"

Well done Lilly, well done everyone, thanks MacB.

My shot was of a garden ornament backlit by the sun. I saw it whilst walking along the Thames towpath near Bourne End earlier in the year. Just a snapshot.

RGB




K10D & 75-300mm FAJ 1/400 @ F8 @ ISO100 @ 220mm