Format a Memory Card with a Nikon D700

Formatting your memory cards for your Nikon D700 DSLR camera is an inevitable and important procedure which can save your shots from corrupting or getting errors. Here's how to format your memory card using a Nikon D700.

Steps

  1. Insert the memory card you wish to format into the Nikon D700's body using the memory card slot on its' right side. Make sure the power is off before you insert the card and that you place the card in correctly. The D700 will only accept CF cards, so make sure you have this type available.
  2. Turn the camera on with the power switch. Only do this after you have inserted the memory card and closed the memory card slot.
  3. Press and hold both the Trash and MODE buttons down for about 2 seconds. Together, these are known as the 'Format' button. The Trash button is located on the back face of the D700 body next to the Preview button, and the MODE button is located on the top of the D700 body next to the shutter button and power switch. If done correctly, the letters 'For' should appear blinking in the shutter-speed sections of both the view finder and control panel.
  4. Press and hold both the Trash and MODE buttons again to format the memory card. This will delete all photographs on your memory card and format it. Do not turn off the camera or remove the memory card while the card is being formatted. If you do not want to format the memory card, simply do not press the Trash and MODE buttons the second time and wait for the blinking 'For' to disappear, which it will do after about 6 seconds.
  5. Wait until the blinking 'For' disappears. The display will now show the full amount of photographs that can now be taken on the formatted card.
  6. Alternatively, you can also format your memory card from the Setup Menu in the D700 LCD menus. You can access this by pressing the MENU button on the back of the D700 body, selecting the Setup Menu and pressing Format Memory Card, OK. This will format your memory card immediately.

Tips

  • The Trash and MODE buttons have a red 'Format' symbol beneath them on the D700 camera body to indicate their secondary use.
  • Before using a memory card for the first time in your D700, Nikon recommends formatting it. However, professional photographers format their memory cards frequently instead of simply 'erasing' images, as doing so may increase the chances of file corruption or errors in the image.

Warnings

  • Observe all the usual safety precautions when formatting, inserting and extracting your memory card from the D700.
  • Make sure you have safely saved and backed-up all images you wish to keep on your memory card before formatting it.

Things You'll Need

  • Nikon D700
  • CF memory card

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Sources and Citations