Media Best Practices

This section describes best practices to ensure that your CFast cards continue to provide reliable storage and fast data rates. Following these best practices may prevent your CFast card from becoming fragmented, which can lead to data integrity errors.

  • The only files that should be saved from your computer to your CFast card are Preset files, Firmware Upgrade files, and LUTs. DO NOT save other files, folders, or applications to your media.
  • DO NOT back up your hard drive to the CFast card. If using a Mac, the system may ask if you want to back up your files to the CFast card using Time Machine; DO NOT use the CFast card as a backup disk.
  • DO NOT delete clips off of your CFast card using a computer. Delete clips only by formatting your CFast card in-camera. For more information about formatting your CFast card, refer to Secure Format.
  • DO NOT format your CFast card using a computer, unless the CFast card cannot mount to the camera. For more information, refer to Secure Format.
  • When ejecting the CFast card from a computer, ensure that the icon has completely disappeared from the Finder window (Mac) or from Windows Explorer (Windows) before removing the CFast card. Sometimes, the pop-up saying that the CFast card has ejected displays too early.
  • When the reader has a write-protect switch (such as the RED CFast 2.0 Reader), it is recommended that you set the card reader to write-protect when uploading clips to prevent connected devices from adding any unwanted data to your CFast 2.0 card.

Indexing on a Mac

NOTE: You can use the RED CFast 2.0 card reader with Write-Protect to prevent the Mac OS from indexing your CFast 2.0 card (refer to RED CFast 2.0 Reader).

Most newer versions of the Mac OS automatically index all external drives when you connect them. This includes when you connect CFast cards.

Indexing makes the connection process take longer. While the CFast card connects to the Mac, DO NOT remove the card. Indexing writes hidden files to the CFast card. When you insert an indexed CFast card in the camera, it can take the camera a while to recognize the hidden files and connect to the CFast card. While waiting for the CFast card to connect, DO NOT remove the CFast card or turn off the camera. After the camera successfully connects to the CFast card, perform a secure format to remove the hidden files. For more information, refer to Secure Format.