Best SD card habits for keeping photos and videos safe

[QuantumLeap]

The best SD card is still only temporary storage. Good habits matter more than brand loyalty, and they can save you from painful file loss. Use cards from reliable ranges such as SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC card, Samsung PRO Plus Full Size 128GB SDXC Memory Card, or Lexar Professional 1667x SD Card 128GB, then treat them properly. Format in the camera instead of deleting files one by one, stop using a card as soon as you see errors, keep cards dry and protected, and back up files before reusing the card. SD cards are cheap compared with the time and memories stored on them, so I would rather replace a suspicious card early than try to squeeze another year from it.

[Dom9]

The biggest mistake I see is people using SD cards like permanent storage. They are not archives.

[MondayMoan51]

I format in camera every time after backup. Since doing that I have had fewer random issues.

[Courier53]

A card case is underrated. Loose cards in pockets collect dust and get damaged quickly.

[QubitZero]

When a card gives one error, I stop trusting it. Storage is too cheap to gamble with important files.