- Memory cards are generally reasonably robust and resilient in normal use, but they are also very small and complex precision devices which contain millions of electronic elements. Treat them with respect. Do not drop them, allow them to become damp or wet, or subject them to any form of rough treatment.
- Some memory cards survive immersion in water. Should a card become wet, allow it to dry very thoroughly over a period of days before trying the recover images.
- Store cards in a custom-made wallet to provide a good level of protection when they are not in use.
- Format cards in the camera in which they will be used. This ensures that the formatting is compatible with the camera's electronics. This may not always be the case for cards formatted on other devices - such as a PC.
- Run the relevant manufacturer's rescue software to recover any "lost" images. Even deleted images may be recovered in this way.
- Should any sort of error or formatting problem occur while a card is in use, change the card immediately. The chances of recovering at least most of the stored images are good. Do not write any further images on to a suspect card until all recovery work has been completed.
- Keep track of the remaining capacity available on a memory card. Do not try to write more images on to a full card as this may cause corruption in some cases.
- When shooting fast sequences of images, remember that they are stored in the camera's buffer and there may be a delay of several seconds before the memory card catches up. Do not remove the memory card or turn off the camera during this writing process. Always allow at least five seconds after the last shot before removing the card ofr turning off the camera.
- Put in place a system for identifying full and empty cards. Use two wallets marked "used" and "empty", turn used cards upside down, or simply put used cards in a different pocket.
- Backup images. There is no excuse for not doing this! Transfer all images on a card to a computer or other storage device, and then make a backup of all of them in another location before deleting those on the memory card
