Memory card error after airport security

[Greg23]

Toshiba M25 w/Smart Media

Put camera in suitcase. Flew to Vegas and back. Never took camera out of suitcase. Upon returning home camera doesn't work. Have travelled nationally & internationally with this camera in suitcase before and never had a problem.

In 'view picture' & 'automatic' modes it says

Unformatted Card

Format Card? yes/no - I say yes

Card Error

In the 'manual' mode (only) it starts with 'card full'.

The card and camera were working properly before they were put in the suitcase. I have tried other known good cards and get the same error.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[Michael Fanelli]

Toshiba M25 w/Smart Media

Put camera in suitcase. Flew to Vegas and back. Never took camera out of suitcase. Upon returning home camera doesn't work. Have travelled nationally & internationally with this camera in suitcase before and never had a problem.

In 'view picture' & 'automatic' modes it says

Unformatted Card

Format Card? yes/no - I say yes

Card Error

In the 'manual' mode (only) it starts with 'card full'.

The card and camera were working properly before they were put in the suitcase. I have tried other known good cards and get the same error..

The link to the airport is probably a coincidence. Just a few months ago, Lexar and SanDisk did extensive testing of airport carry-on scans and memory cards. They found no errors even after lots of repeated runs.

SmartMedia cards are notorious for being very flaky and unreliable. I bet the card just died of natural causes.

[Chunk]

It's not a card problem if known good cards do not work in the camera. Can the firmware be re installed in that camera?
Are cargo holds heated/pressurized now? It use to be recommended to take cameras with you in the cabin to keep them from the elements at 30000 feet.

[Arctirus]

Was the card in your checked baggage or carry-on? If I remember correctly I think the tests Michael is reffering to were only conducted on carry-on.

[Peter_AUS]

Seeing the person said in the Suitcase, there and back, didn't take it out, I am assuming that it ended up in the Cargo Hold of the Airplane and has been subjected to a bit of pressure on the camera. I think the camera needs to be looked at by a Technician.

This is a golden example on why not to put cameras in the Cargo Hold of Airplanes.

[Michael Fanelli]

Are cargo holds heated/pressurized now? It use to be recommended to take cameras with you in the cabin to keep them from the elements at 30000 feet.

What elements are at 30,000 feet? At that height, you are almost in the stratosphere, all the elements are below you. That's one of the reasons why jets like to fly that high: no weather as you find in the troposphere below. Does cold extremely dry air affect cameras in suitcases? I don't think reduced air pressure makes a difference. What am I forgetting?

[Peter_AUS]

So the changes that we as humans feel when flying like in our ears, pressure wise, isn't soemthing to maybe consider with this Michael.

Point being, something is wong they should get service technicians to look at it.

[Erik Stiegler]

What am I forgetting?

Damage from careless luggage handlers. I think the gorilla from the old Samsonite commercials is far more likely to be the culprit than security screening machines, or the environment in the hold.

[Chunk]

What elements are at 30,000 feet? At that height, you are almost in the stratosphere, all the elements are below you. That's one of the reasons why jets like to fly that high: no weather as you find in the troposphere below. Does cold extremely dry air affect cameras in suitcases? I don't think reduced air pressure makes a difference. What am I forgetting?

The cold's not enough to avoid? I guess I should have used the word 'conditions' instead of 'elements'. I don't know what effect reduced pressure has on camera equipment, I would think it would be of some concern with lenses, which of course would have nothing to do with this problem. I could imagine differential expansion of parts due to temperature changes and consequent joint damage contributing to this kind of problem. Again, I don't know what the actual conditions are in modern aircraft cargo sections.

[Greg23]

Original poster.

I found this very odd since I have ALWAYS travelled with the camera in my suitcase (cargo hold). We're talking more than a dozen flights, including U.S. to Oz and back. Also I keep the camera in a fairly safe, padded area of the suitcase. Having said that, it is starting to look like I have either a) been very fortunate up until now or b) had a one in a 100 event that nailed the camera. Might have to look at sending it in for repair.

Thanks.

[Michael Fanelli]

So the changes that we as humans feel when flying like in our ears, pressure wise, isn't soemthing to maybe consider with this Michael.

Point being, something is wong they should get service technicians to look at it.

The changes we feel in out ears is the result of a pressure differential, not an absolute air pressure measurement. Your ears pop just heading into the Colorado foothills along I-70!

Cameras don't have sinus canals. Every camera leaks air more than enough so there is no pressure differential. At 30,000 feet the temperature is cold, about -48 degrees F if left in the open. But that isn't cold enough to affect a non-operating camera. Also, the hold of an airplane doesn't even get that cold thanks to the bits of warmth from the surrounding structure. People actually stow away in places such as wheel wells and come out alive. A piece of plastic or metal should survive. The fact that millions of people safely put cameras in checked baggage strongly suggests that there is no problem.

Yes, if it doesn't cost more than the camera is worth, a checkup makes sense. If the camera uses SmartMedia,an old technology, that cost may be more expensive than buying a new one.

[SmartWombat]

-48F? I don't think that commercial (vs mil-spec) electronics is guaranteed to survive temperatures that low.
But I'd say the "fragile? - throw underhand!" school of baggage handling might contribute.
Or if it's not a rigid case, then being on the bottom of the pile wouldn't help.
Is there any sign of physical damage at all on the camera body?
Things like unusually large gaps around the seams in the plastic.

[Greg23]

Camera looks fine. Everything seems to be operational. LCD display works in manual mode. In the other modes I just get the card message. In the manual mode the card message is overlaid on the view display.