D5100 keeps saying I have no SD card inserted?

[bridgesro]

I just recently bought my first DSLR camera; a Nikon D5100. Let the battery charge while I was at work, and I just got home and started messing around with it.

I've never used a DSLR before, so maybe I'm doing something wrong, but the camera keeps saying there's no SD card inserted. I have an 8GB SD card in it, and if I pop it out and back in, it'll recognize it. But after I take one or two pictures, it stops and says that I have no SD card again.

Is this a common problem? Am I doing something wrong, or is my camera messed up?

[OsmosisStudios]

Send it to NIkon: the memory card slot unit needs to be replaced. This will be covered under warranty.

It's a rare but still occasional issue with any camera.

[bridgesro]

Ah, solved it. It was (thankfully) the SD card, not the camera. I switched to my backup 2GB, and it worked fine with no problems. Not sure what's wrong with the 8GB, since it works fine in my S8100, but I ordered a 32GB to replace it and hold more photos.

[Madog]

Did you try formatting the card in your new camera?
Also what brands of cards are you using?

[DelCan]

Did you get it off of ebay? You really gotta be careful on there. I speak from experience....

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by bridgesro

Ah, solved it. It was (thankfully) the SD card, not the camera. I switched to my backup 2GB, and it worked fine with no problems. Not sure what's wrong with the 8GB, since it works fine in my S8100, but I ordered a 32GB to replace it and hold more photos.

I'd assumed you'd done that already. Silly me.

DON'T get a 32GB card. That's a LOT of eggs in one basket. I vastly prefer 4GB cards.

[High_Speed]

I bought a brand new sandisk 16gb about a year ago, it lasted maybe two weeks and about 400 photos before it died. It wouldn't recognize in the camera, or in a pc even after numerous attempts to format. Tossed it in the trash and moved on with life.

[bridgesro]

Yeah, I had formatted the 8GB card in the camera when I first put it in. It was a Sandisk 8GB SDHC, which Nikon's website said is compatible. I only had the darn thing for about a month too (I had originally bought it for my S8100, which works fine with it, and I bought the card from Wal-Mart). I was planning on getting a bigger SD card later on and using the 8GB as a backup, but I'll probably buy a new card sooner since the 2GB can only take a little over 200 pictures before filling up, and I take far more than that when I go out to shoot, lol.

I know it may not be the smartest to put all my photos on one card, and I don't intend on doing that. I usually swap the photos over to my computer as soon as I get back from shooting, and then back them up on an external drive. I just want plenty of space for my longer shoots where I tend to take anywhere between 500-1000 pictures

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by bridgesro

I know it may not be the smartest to put all my photos on one card, and I don't intend on doing that. I usually swap the photos over to my computer as soon as I get back from shooting, and then back them up on an external drive. I just want plenty of space for my longer shoots where I tend to take anywhere between 500-1000 pictures

And what happens if the card cuts out half way through a shoot?

[High_Speed]

Originally Posted by bridgesro

Yeah, I had formatted the 8GB card in the camera when I first put it in. It was a Sandisk 8GB SDHC, which Nikon's website said is compatible. I only had the darn thing for about a month too (I had originally bought it for my S8100, which works fine with it, and I bought the card from Wal-Mart). I was planning on getting a bigger SD card later on and using the 8GB as a backup, but I'll probably buy a new card sooner since the 2GB can only take a little over 200 pictures before filling up, and I take far more than that when I go out to shoot, lol.

I know it may not be the smartest to put all my photos on one card, and I don't intend on doing that. I usually swap the photos over to my computer as soon as I get back from shooting, and then back them up on an external drive. I just want plenty of space for my longer shoots where I tend to take anywhere between 500-1000 pictures

Yeah, I've not had much luck with Sandisk lately. Don't think I'll spend my money on their product anymore in the near future.

As for card size, I like to have a 16gb on hand for shooting video, but other than that...8gb cards seem to give me plenty of shots on each card.