EOS-1D X Mark II Image Corruption with Sandisk CFast Cards

Canon Rumors Guy

Canon EOS 40D
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Jul 20, 2010
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HTML:
<p class="bod">Thank you for using Canon products.</p>
<p class="bod">It has been confirmed that when shooting still images with the EOS-1D X Mark II digital SLR camera launched in April 2016 with SanDisk CFast cards, the following phenomenon will occur.</p>
<p class="bod">We would like to offer our sincere apologies to users who have been inconvenienced by this issue.</p>
<p class="bod"><strong>Phenomenon</strong></p>
<p class="bod">If a SanDisk CFast card is inserted into the camera or a card reader, the bottom part of still images recorded may be corrupted.</p>
<p class="bod">This phenomenon is confirmed in images recorded in both the RAW and JPEG formats.

In the RAW file, the image corruption may appear in the bottom right corner of the image.

In the JPEG file, the image corruption may appear in the lower third area of the image.</p>
<p class="bod">Please Note:

Movie recording is not affected by this phenomenon.

Still images or movies recorded to CF cards are not affected by this phenomenon.</p>
<p class="bod"><!--more--></p>
<p class="bod"><strong>Cause</strong></p>
<p class="bod">This phenomenon is caused by SanDisk CFast cards. The camera does not cause this phenomenon.</p>
<p class="bod"><strong>Affected Products</strong></p>
<p class="bod">SanDisk CFast cards.</p>
<p class="bod">Image corruption may be experienced with the cards listed below:</p>
<p class="bod">The “xxx” at the end of the product number varies depending on the sales region.

SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast2.0 64GB (SDCFSP-064G-xxx)

SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast2.0 128GB (SDCFSP-128G-xxx)

SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast2.0 64GB (SDCFSP-064G-xxxA)

SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast2.0 128GB (SDCFSP-128G-xxxA)

SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast2.0 64GB (SDCFSP-064G-xxxB)

SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast2.0 128GB (SDCFSP-128G-xxxB)</p>
<p class="bod"><strong>Market Support </strong></p>
<p class="bod">Although it has been confirmed that this phenomenon is caused by SanDisk CFast cards, to prevent the occurrence of this phenomenon, Canon will be releasing a camera firmware (Ver 1.0.2) on the Web for a download service in early July.</p>
<p class="bod">All new EOS-1D X Mark II cameras distributed by Canon Australia and Canon New Zealand after June 27th will have firmware Version 1.0.2.</p>
<p class="bod">We would like to apologize for the inconvenience, but we would like to ask our customers to refrain from using SanDisk CFast cards when shooting still images until the new camera firmware becomes available.</p>
<p class="bod"><strong>Workaround</strong></p>
<p class="bod">It is our understanding that image files of about 16MB or less recorded immediately before the camera’s power is turned off may become corrupted. Below are the methods available to help avoid image corruption when powering off the camera:</p>
<p class="bod">The Camera can be powered off in four ways:

1) When the power switch is set to OFF

2) When the card slot cover is opened

3) When the power is turned off due to the Auto Power Off setting

4) When the battery is removed</p>
<p class="bod"><strong>The phenomenon can be prevented by performing the procedure below:</strong></p>
<p class="bod">Before powering the camera off, please take extra shots*1 because the extra shots taken immediately before the camera is powered off may experience the corruption and not the images taken before the extra shots were taken.</p>
<p class="bod">*1 The table below shows the most popular file types used and how many extra shots are recommended.</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>File Size (Approx.) </strong></td>
<td><strong> How many extra shots do I need to

take in order to meet the 16MB or

larger requirement</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <RAW> 23.2MB</td>
<td>1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <JPEG> L: 6.2MB</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <JPEG> M1: 4.3MB</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <JPEG> M2: 3.4MB</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <JPEG> S: 2.2MB</td>
<td>8</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<span id="pty_trigger"></span>
 

Canon Rumors Guy

Canon EOS 40D
CR Pro
Jul 20, 2010
10,838
3,201
Canada
www.canonrumors.com
J.R. said:
Not sure how to read this ... if the camera is not causing the error, how is it that a firmware update to the camera, will resolve the problem?

BTW, I have been facing this error numerous times and arrived at the workaround of taking an extra shot.

Early adopters problem but ... there you are.

Like a lot of camera bugs (phenomenon), they seem to only affect a small number of cameras, which I've never fully understood either. The firmware will fix the ones affected and not bother with the ones that aren't.
 
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WoodyWindy

On the road again!
Jul 20, 2010
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It looks like the actual "bug" is with the SanDisk CFast cards. I conjecture that they experience a write cache-commit delay of the last block (of apparently 16MB) sent to the card. There is also probably an API call in the CFast standard that can force a cache commit. My guess is that Canon will now force, rather than assume, the commit during the power-down sequence.
 
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J.R. said:
Not sure how to read this ... if the camera is not causing the error, how is it that a firmware update to the camera, will resolve the problem?

It's actually quite normal to do this. Once you have determined that you have a hardware problem and what is causing it, it is sometimes possible to device a software (or firmware, if you like) change that simply avoids the hardware problem.

If it's a 'low-level hardware problem' (e.g. setup/hold time violations in the transmission of signals) you can't fix it in software, but some of the 'high-level problems' can be fixed (e.g. incorrect protocol interpretation or timer based things like power-on/power-off time) can be fixed by simply making the software more flexible or picking out the known-bug situations and have FW "Do The Right ThingTM".

In this case, it might simply be that the software simply keeps the CFast card powered for a longer time than usually necessary. The FW could implement this fix on a general basis (for all cards) or only for affected SanDisk CFast cards.
 
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Jan 13, 2013
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Canon Rumors said:
I do wonder if this workaround will work for people that have reported issues with Lexar cards, I have a Lexar CFast card that I won't use. I may try it out today with non critical subjects.... here kitty kitty.

People with Lexar cards are reportedly suffering from this "phenomenon", much more than the Sandisk users.
 
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Sep 29, 2012
301
2
my 64g sandisk cfast came as a kit...
with 1dx2

is it ... failing to be
"... suitable for its intended purpose..."
which implies a warranty..issue

i.e. defective?...
and should I get a replacement?....

for example iff this not a camera issue, should I contact sandisk or my camera shop for a substitute?...

I MAY NOT want to update the firmware JUST for this 'defective' card..
but it sorta sounds like lose application of some timing standard...as discussed above...


I dont like doing firmwares...unless really necessary...
I proceed slowly usually...
and if it is the CARD...
then....? they sold me a defective one?

I am mostly curious about options here.. if anyone has an opinion..


I wonder if anyone tried to return the card?....

Tom
 
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There have been firmware updates for other manufacturers in the past that actually will throw a warning on the screen when a non-approved card is inserted (and door closed). This was fairly common in the video space years ago before/during the Class 4 or 6 vs Class 10 with SD cards. Really hope that is not the "fix" they are planning on implementing...

Maybe Canon will end up having to go the GoPro route and only certify specific cards for use with their cameras?

It seems with any electronics purchase these days, early adopters are the final beta testers. However, at this price point, this type of error should not be acceptable.
 
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RGF

How you relate to the issue, is the issue.
Jul 13, 2012
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bsbeamer said:
There have been firmware updates for other manufacturers in the past that actually will throw a warning on the screen when a non-approved card is inserted (and door closed). This was fairly common in the video space years ago before/during the Class 4 or 6 vs Class 10 with SD cards. Really hope that is not the "fix" they are planning on implementing...

Maybe Canon will end up having to go the GoPro route and only certify specific cards for use with their cameras?

It seems with any electronics purchase these days, early adopters are the final beta testers. However, at this price point, this type of error should not be acceptable.

I wish that the camera (or some other method) could readily identify fake cards. I've been burnt by buying on eBay - never again. Good deal was a rip off.

Just checked my shoot with my 2 1Dx M2 (at least 3 Sandisk Cfast cards) and no thing went wrong. I probably turned the camera on and off half dozen or more times during the 2 day shoot.
 
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Canon Rumors said:
I do wonder if this workaround will work for people that have reported issues with Lexar cards, I have a Lexar CFast card that I won't use. I may try it out today with non critical subjects.... here kitty kitty.

I am not having any issues with my 256gb lexar 3500x. About 4000 shots with no corruption.
 
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Canon Rumors said:
I do wonder if this workaround will work for people that have reported issues with Lexar cards, I have a Lexar CFast card that I won't use. I may try it out today with non critical subjects.... here kitty kitty.

J.R. said:
People with Lexar cards are reportedly suffering from this "phenomenon", much more than the Sandisk users.

By all means, check and if you do find issues with Lexar card(s), please report it to Canon.
 
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RGF

How you relate to the issue, is the issue.
Jul 13, 2012
2,820
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Canon Rumors said:
I do wonder if this workaround will work for people that have reported issues with Lexar cards, I have a Lexar CFast card that I won't use. I may try it out today with non critical subjects.... here kitty kitty.

Why won't you use the Lexar card? Almost bought some - is there a problem?
 
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unfocused

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Jul 20, 2010
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J.R. said:
Canon Rumors said:
I do wonder if this workaround will work for people that have reported issues with Lexar cards, I have a Lexar CFast card that I won't use. I may try it out today with non critical subjects.... here kitty kitty.

People with Lexar cards are reportedly suffering from this "phenomenon", much more than the Sandisk users.

Please provide some documentation about the Lexar cards. That isn't what Canon's advisory says and I can't find any examples on the internet were people with Lexar cards are having this problem. Also, the Lexar website does not have a product advisory that I can find, while the SanDisk website does.

Perhaps I'm not looking in the right places.
 
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unfocused

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TommyLee said:
for example iff this not a camera issue, should I contact sandisk or my camera shop for a substitute?...

Here is the SanDisk product advisory:

http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/19576/~/important-notice-for-sandisk-cfast-card-compatibility-with-canon-eos-1d-x-mark

Important Notice for SanDisk CFast card compatibility with Canon EOS-1D X Mark II camera

It has been confirmed that some users experience a still image issue when using a SanDisk CFast card with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II camera due to SanDisk card problem. In some cases, a portion (at the bottom) of the still image recorded on a SanDisk CFast card is incomplete. Canon and SanDisk have worked together to develop a new camera firmware release that resolves the card issue, which will be available shortly.

We would like to apologize for the inconvenience that this issue has caused. If you are affected by this issue, we kindly request that customers contact SanDisk customer support team at [email protected] or call our customer support call center at any of the numbers provided on this page https://www.sandisk.com/about/contact/customer-care. Please let the customer support team know that you purchased the SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast card and are using it with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II product.
 
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Jan 13, 2013
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unfocused said:
J.R. said:
Canon Rumors said:
I do wonder if this workaround will work for people that have reported issues with Lexar cards, I have a Lexar CFast card that I won't use. I may try it out today with non critical subjects.... here kitty kitty.

People with Lexar cards are reportedly suffering from this "phenomenon", much more than the Sandisk users.

Please provide some documentation about the Lexar cards. That isn't what Canon's advisory says and I can't find any examples on the internet were people with Lexar cards are having this problem. Also, the Lexar website does not have a product advisory that I can find, while the SanDisk website does.

Perhaps I'm not looking in the right places.

Source: Internet chatter - I don't personally have the Lexar CFast cards so can't comment.

BTW, I said" reportedly" because I'm not one of the gang - I read it on the internet so it must be true. Not a native English speaker so my intent and the actual interpretation may differ.
 
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Jun 25, 2012
807
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Canada
I am using the 64 GB Sandisk card from the promotion and have just over 2100 shots on my new camera with no corruption.

I checked the card's serial number and it's in line with one of listed serials... I find this interesting how it's affecting some users but not others.

Very strange, and in my opinion, unacceptable for there to be a product launch of this caliber with such an issue.
 
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RGF

How you relate to the issue, is the issue.
Jul 13, 2012
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unfocused said:
TommyLee said:
for example iff this not a camera issue, should I contact sandisk or my camera shop for a substitute?...

Here is the SanDisk product advisory:

http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/19576/~/important-notice-for-sandisk-cfast-card-compatibility-with-canon-eos-1d-x-mark

Important Notice for SanDisk CFast card compatibility with Canon EOS-1D X Mark II camera

It has been confirmed that some users experience a still image issue when using a SanDisk CFast card with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II camera due to SanDisk card problem. In some cases, a portion (at the bottom) of the still image recorded on a SanDisk CFast card is incomplete. Canon and SanDisk have worked together to develop a new camera firmware release that resolves the card issue, which will be available shortly.

We would like to apologize for the inconvenience that this issue has caused. If you are affected by this issue, we kindly request that customers contact SanDisk customer support team at [email protected] or call our customer support call center at any of the numbers provided on this page https://www.sandisk.com/about/contact/customer-care. Please let the customer support team know that you purchased the SanDisk Extreme PRO CFast card and are using it with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II product.

I just contact Sandisk and explained that I have 5 of the CFast 64GB cards and asked what they plan on doing.

I'll post details of their reply.

Rich
 
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