Hero 5 Black sd error [ New ]

[Anonymous]

Hi, I just bought a new hero 5 black and struggling with 'sd card error' (I have a SanDisk Extreme plus). I can not record movies, take any pictures.. Previously,  with my hero 4 black I did not have any problems. I tried to format sd in the settings but all for nothing. Any ideas?

[Anonymous]

I am using the SanDisk Extreme Plus UHS-1 64GB (SDQXSG-064G-ANCMA).

Did you try formating the SD card on your PC? I initially had a problem getting mine to work as well. I formated it in the PC and then manually updated the camera firmware by placing the firmware update folder on the SD Card. I then put the SD Card in the camera, turned on the camera, and when the firmware update completed my issues were gone. Hope this helps......

This is a link of SD cards that GoPro recommends: https://gopro.com/help/articles/Block/microSD-Card-Considerations

[Anonymous]

I am having the same problems on a HERO5 Session. I have swapped cards, used the recomended cards... everything..

[danielr15]

Try reformating the card in your computer and running the manual update https://gopro.com/support/product-update/register-camera

[Anonymous]

I ran the manual update on my Hero 5 as advised but still facing the same issue with card error. 

I'm using the the SANDISK EXTREME® microSD™ 64GB (SDSDQXL-064G-A46A - 64GB) recommended for Gopro. It is the exact same model Gopro is selling on their online store.

I've tried all other means of reformatting (on Mac, in the Gopro, and through manual update). The funny thing is the card works with my Sony RX100 II when inserted in the card adaptor, but why can't it work with the Gopro? 

I've tried the last 3 hours googling, finding a solution and its getting frustrating. I'm also worried I might not be able to get any sort of refund as I've disposed the packaging and receipts that came along with the purchase. Any advice on this issue? Please help!!!

[Anonymous]

For what it is worth I've had issues with my SanDisk 32GB SD card in my Hero+ but the moment I put it in the new Hero 5 I've had no issues at all. Not sure if just some SD cards are finiky or what. 

I know that when I'd have my Hero+ give me fits if I turned it on then inserted the card, waited a bit for it to read it would stop giving me the NO SD warning. 

[Anonymous]

Tried both, didn't help.

[Anonymous]

Hey guys! If you were like me and were super excited to get your camera out of the box as soon as you got it then I have what was a fast and easy fix to this problem. As soon as I got my camera, I turned it on BEFORE I inserted my sd card. I kept getting the "sd card error" after about 15 seconds of video recording. I fixed the problem by formatting the sd card in the camera and then resetting the camera to factory defaults with the sd card INSIDE the camera. Once I did this, all my problems went away and I haven't had an issue since.

[Anonymous]

Any luck with this? I am having the same issue. It's so frustrating!

[Anonymous]

Hi, am also having trouble with this. Can't update via the apps or anything. GoPro = unusable atm

[Anonymous]

Me too - I am so frustrated.  If GoPro staff are reading this, we want a fix asap... I am seriously considering returning this and going for the Garmin...  

[Anonymous]

Also having the same SD Error on Gopro 5 but never experienced this with the previous model.  It looks like GOPRO Support don't care.  I'm returning mine.  All those frustrated should return theirs too and that's the only way for Gopro to get their attention. 

[Anonymous]

Hey guys! If you were like me and were super excited to get your camera out of the box as soon as you got it then I have what was a fast and easy fix to this problem. As soon as I got my camera, I turned it on BEFORE I inserted my sd card. I kept getting the "sd card error" after about 15 seconds of video recording. I fixed the problem by formatting the sd card in the camera and then resetting the camera to factory defaults with the sd card INSIDE the camera. Once I did this, all my problems went away and I haven't had an issue since.

[Anonymous]

I having the same SD Error on Gopro 5 but never having this SD ERRORS with the previous model. It looks like GOPRO Support can't reading this

[Anonymous]

corym66482,

  I did the steps that you suggested and the Gopro 5 is still giving me SD Card Error.  I replaced my SD card with another brand that works with my Gopro 4 and the SD Card error did not show so far but another problem came up,   some of the recorded videos are corrupted.

Another problem is my LCD screen at the back of Gopro 5 gets stucked inverted and i have to wait for a long time for it to rotate.  It is set to auto rotate but there is unacceptable lag that i it takes almost a minute for it to return.  There are too many problems with the Gopro 5 that i never encountered with the previous models. It seems that this new model is not yet refined and did not pass strict testing before releasing it to the market.  

[Anonymous]

I'm in the same boat... purchased gopro 5... purchased micro sd (SanDisk Ultra Plus 32gb) and initially was getting the NO SD error. I've don't just about everything I can think of an currently the card doesn't work... but it did a couple of times. 

First... I put the card in my laptop and formatted it there. Initially it wasn't recognized by my computer, but showed up in Disk Utility. I thought this was a good sign. I erased and formatted the card using disk utility, and then ejected it. I then tried it in the camera... NO GO. 

Second... I put it back in my computer... again the card wasn't recognized (maybe I did something wrong the first time). Opened disk utility... erased, formatted, ejected. Then I put the card back in my computer and this time it was recognized. I then put the card into the Gopro 5... Still NO SD error. Then I formatted in the gopro... this time it worked. However, while recording it hung up and kicked me out. Got a message about repairing a file. Said yes. Seemed ok, but thought I should try formatting again just to be safe. Formatted in gopro... got NO SD error. 

Third... put the card in my EM-1 and formatted it there. Worked great. Put the card in the Gopro... worked. Formatted in gopro... NO SD error. 

At this point I'm feeling that there is an issue with the camera as the card works fine in both my computer and in my other camera without any kind of issues. 

Fourth... I tried another micro sd card... this one seems to work fine with no issues. I have run the formatting in gopro a number of times and so far so good. 

Fifth... I tried the sequence suggested by corym66482 on the card I've been having issues with... NO SD error. 

At this point I'm not sure what to think... It seems strange that a card would work fine in a couple of other devices, but not in the gopro. However, the second card I've been testing (for just a couple of hours... so not that long) seems to be working fine. I'd like it to be the card... That's an easy fix. However, I worry theres a bug in the camera and that it's going to resurface sometime in the future... most likely at an inopportune time. I just wish there was a way to be sure. Also, if I purchase a new micro SD card I wish there was a way for me to know whehter or not it's going to work, or whether it's going to give me similar issues. 

Also... I did update the firmware... so yeah. What to do?

[Anonymous]

So just an update, I've formatted the micro SD (I am using SanDisk - Extreme PLUS 64GB microSDXC UHS-I Class U-1 Memory Card - Red/Gold) via PC and Hero 5 and it still says SD Error. I have also updated to the lastest firmware, completed the steps and confirmed successful update but it's still saying so. Lastly, I tried another SD Card and photo option is fine and saving but whenever I'm on video mode it won't save as it has the same **bleep** problem which causes my camera to not recognize voice command, so I only have one option which is to turn it off and turn back on. The corrupted file will either be repaired successfully or not upon startup. SO I finally phoned Best Buy and the agent said to bring it back in store as this seems like a defective unit. WTF right.

[danielr15]

DO NOT USE SANDISK ULTRA!
The Sandisk Ultra is not in the recommended list of SD cards and has a long history of causing issues with GoPro cameras.

Also, this is a user forum. Sometimes GoPro moderators do come on and offer solutions, but this is not the place to post issues if you are looking to get GoPro customer support. If you want to get direct support from GoPro please contact their customer service.
https://gopro.com/help/PKBContactus
This support community has been provided by GoPro so that we the users can assist one another and offer support, tips, and experience. If you read through the forums you will generally find the solution. If not, contact GoPro customer support directly.

[Anonymous]

Same issue here. Card working in DSLR, and Hero4 but not in Hero5. This sounds very much like a camera fault, is this confirmed by others?

[danielr15]

@Anonymous

What SD card are you using?

[Anonymous]

San Disk Extreme 64GB

[Anonymous]

I have just carried out 2 formats of this San Disk Extreme 64GB microSDXC (for action cameras) using the PC, the card works for video recording in a Hero4 and a Sony DSLR (recorded for 15 mins each). I then used the same card to do a firmware update in the Hero5. That worked ! However after a minute or so of video recording the camera "losses connection" to the SD card and says "SD Card Error". This behaviour is weird and in my 15+ years of experience with cameras and cards this is a problem with the camera hardware not the card... and in the absence of a clear answer from GoPro I will be sending this camera back and will wait for a "second batch" of these cameras to surface becuase an unreliable camera is a worthless camera.

[Anonymous]

Same problem here.. i just bought the Gopro hero5 and i'm using the Sandisk Extreme 32 gb. After 10 secs filming or shooting some pictures the Gopro says: SD Card error, No SD... Can someone please help? It seems like this is an common problem for the new gopro's?!?!

[Anonymous]

Hello just an update... I had my Go Pro changed to a new unit and tried the same SD Card, same error occured. So I had my SD card replaced to a new one and this time, it worked wonders. I am still using the same Sandisk Micro SD model that came free with the bundle from Best Buy (SanDisk - Extreme PLUS 64GB microSDXC UHS-I Class U-1 Memory Card - Red/Gold)  and it was ok this time around. 

[Anonymous]

so a couple of days back, I went back to the store, the staff tested my 'faulty' memory card in the store's gorpo and the same error issue occured.  We tested it out on a Hero 4 and surprisingly, it worked fine. I had the card changed with the sandisk distributor in my lcoation and the new card worked fine. I suspect its the problem only occurs within tha specific batch of cards . Nothing to do with the Gorpo Hero 5. 

[Anonymous]

Have the same exact problem.
Bought the sandisk 64gb extreme from gopro.com.
Contacted gopro support 4 buisness days ago, still with no answer.
Taking matters into my own hands right now.
Ordered from amazon the lexar 1000x 64gb card, about to recieve it today. Will update if it solves the problem.
Lack of support and assistance is realy frustrating and disappointing, as a first time go pro customer...

[Anonymous]

Keep us updated... I suspect that GoPro is well aware of the hardware issue.

[Anonymous]

Same here... No solution to make the hero 5 black work with a SanDisk extreme 64... Tried with another card... Worked for a while... Than Sd card error again !!! What's the problem GoPro ?

[jefft]

If you're seeing an SD Error code, please try to reformat the card. If that doesn't work, try reformatting the card using your computer. 

Info on how to reformat the cards: Windows  Mac

[Anonymous]

same here. I think it is with a few gopros, mine micro sd card was working perfectly with my session4 

[Anonymous]

Jefft,
The sandisk card was formatted already in a number of ways with no success.

I recieved today the lexar card as described above.
After half a day of taking video no sd card error so far.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

[danielr15]

I have no personal axe to grind with SanDisk other than to say that for whatever reason, their cards are very unreliable with GoPro cameras.  I know that there are some who swear by them, and they are on the recommended list, but my experience, beginning with the original Hero and every Hero camera since, has led me to believe that they just aren't very good with GoPro cameras.  

I film just about every day whether it be surfing, hiking, Judo, or just grabbing shots of my family. I use Samsung Pro and Pro+ and have yet to have an issue. I have also used Lexar 633x and Lexar 1000x.  I had pretty good results with the Lexar 633x but after several months of daily use I had one fail.  The Lexar 1000x has not failed me but since the Samsung has a higher write speed I use it more often.  

Another thing that I recommend is formatting the card before each shoot.  The frustrating thing about SD cards is they will work in some devices and not in others.  I have cards that work in my Samsung Galaxy S7 that don't work well in my LG v10 and vice versa.  I have no idea why this is but it appears to be the same with GoPro cameras.  What is most perplexing though, is that sometimes the issue seems totally unrelated to the card.  After helping out on this forum and others I have had countless experiences where after trying every possible solution the user finally changes his SD card and suddenly the issue goes away.

Whatever you do, DO NOT USE SanDisk Ultra!

I hope that you get your issue resolved.  If not, be sure to email GoPro directly. https://gopro.com/help/PKBContactus

While the users here are great and will do everything we can to help, sometimes you just need to reach out to GoPro customer service.  Sometimes it takes a little while for them to respond but I know from experience that they will do everything they can to get you up and running.  GoPro takes your, "Stoke" seriously and wants everyone to get the most out of their cameras as possible.

Regards,

Daniel

[Anonymous]

That's nice but these microSD cards work flawlessly on every other devices I own : phones, wacom tablets, cameras... They have been formatted correctly.

Anyway, it's the first time I encounter a device that would work only with a specific card and not another one (even with degraded performances). My 7D takes any CompactFlash whatever its specs, and with microSDs so does my RX100, so do my Samsung phones, so does my Wacom Companion and so on... I've had other GoPros with no problems (and an old Hero 2 that is bricked also... but that's another story...), and paying that amount of money for a bugged product when it's new is really annoying...

What bothers me more is that with the second card I tried, it worked for a while before an error appeared again, so I'm really thinking the problem might be on the 5 Black's side. Didn't you ever got that problem at GoPro ?

[danielr15]

Found a write up on some SD cards for Hero5.

https://havecamerawilltravel.com/photographer/gopro-hero5-black-recommended-memory-cards

[Anonymous]

OMG, this is so helpful!

Thank You @danielr15

[Anonymous]

I exactly have the SanDisk Extreme in the V30 version (last version) as stated in this "recommendation"... And it absolutely won't work ! Seems like the camera starts filming, and once it's internal buffer is full (10 sec in 1080, 1 min in 720) I get an SD error...

It's strange because reading the card seems OK (update done to 01.20) but writing seems erratic.

[Anonymous]

I have the exact same problem after 10 sec filming.. Also troubles with pictures. Seems like an GoPro issue.

[danielr15]

@Anonymous

It's certainly possible that you have a defect in your camera so it might be necessary for you to exchange it. It's not often that it is a hardware issue. The basic steps to trouble shoot are the following (only move to the next step if SD Err happens).

With a fully charged battery,

• Use a recommended SD card
• Update your camera to the latest firmware
• Format your card in the camera
• Manually update your camera (even though it's already at the recent firmware)
• Format your card in your computer (Full, not quick. FAT for 32GB and lower, exFAT >32GB)
• Remove the battery and SD card. Hold down shutter button for one minute. Replace battery only. Hold down Shutter button until camera resets (I don't know if this works on Hero5 Black)
  • Put the SD card back in the camera and format in the camera
  • Restart Camera
• Run manual update again
• Try a different SD card (Samsung Pro/Pro+, Lexar 1000x or 633x, or SanDisk Extreme) and follow the steps again.

If none of the above works, exchange the camera where you bought it.  If you bought it from GoPro, contact customer service directly

https://gopro.com/help/PKBContactus (Just know they are a little delayed with the new product releases, cameras, mounts, apparel, software).

 I hope this helps,

Daniel

[Anonymous]

I'll try what you're proposing Daniel, but after already 2 cards, I have few hopes as other persons seem to have the same issues. I'm not gonna buy every card on the market just to be sure.

A friend will get his 5 Black this evening, he'll test with the same type of card, maybe his cam will work with it.

The update has already been done manually also...

[Anonymous]

You were telling : "No Sandisk Ultra"... Why ? May they damage the camera ?

[drdimento]

Personally I've had lots of issues with SD Cards and GoPros period.  Problem solved when I moved to SanDisk Class 10 and Higher, especially the models that have a name nomenclature, like Ultra.  Since following those specs, and not going with the plain blue ones with a plain label or below Class 10 transfer speeds, all problems went away.  :-)

[Anonymous]

I'm having the same problem that started after I upgraded to 1.20. What I did find is that after the upgrade, I have to reformat the SD card after every power cycle of the camera in order for it to work. See the video here that shows that behavior: https://vimeo.com/187266860/dd3d1a0f23

Sadly after calling support several times, the answer they have is "you must buy a new card on our list for us to continue troubleshooting" and they just stop there. The card and camera worked fine until I upgraded, but the support staff can't seem to get past me buying a new card and just won’t help unless I do. I guess they aren't reading their own support forums that show people using cards on their approved list and still having problems. Forcing a customer to spend additional money on a specific model SD card to beta test their product when there's many recurrances of the problem is really bad product support. I'm really dissapointed with the 5 so far and gopro in general.

[danielr15]

Trouble shooting requires you to start with the most common and simplest answer and work forward from there. If you aren't using a recommended card, how can you expect trouble shooting to move past this point. Having been a member of this support community as well as on others such as reddit.com/r/gopro I can tell you that 99% of the time the issue is with the SD card. I'm not saying it's 100% of the time but without ruling out the card, it's hard to get to the other 1% of possible reasons. It's easy to read support forums and think that there are a majority of people having issues, but when you consider the millions of GoPro cameras sold, even the total number of post to this community is actually quite small.

I want your camera to work for you. GoPro certainly wants your camera to work for you. I have six GoPro cameras and have no issues, but I also exclusively use Samsung Pro/Pro+ and Lexar 633x and 1000x SD cards.  I have had issues in the past.  Those issues all were reolved either through firmware updates or switching to Samsung and Lexar from Kingston, PNY, and SanDisk (yes I know SanDisk Extreme is recommended). But, this is only my experience. Yours may be different. However, you can't expect that I, or GoPro, wont consider this your issue until your at least try a recommended card.

[danielr15]

@Anonymous

I don't think SanDisk Ultra will damage the camera but it will cause havoc eventually.  I was using the SanDisk Ultra in my Hero3 Silver and suddenly the camera started acting really strange (random shut down, unresponsive, over heating, battery drain, missing or corrupt video files). I switched to a recommended card and had to run the manual update three times (The first time the update didn't complete, the second time I got NO SD, and the third time it worked). I reset the camera before each update.  After the third try my camera has worked flawlessly since (around 3-4 years now).

I also only use one group of cards per camera. In other words, I don't put a SD card used in my Hero5 Session in my Hero3+ Black. I really don't know if that has any impact but it's a habit I have and since I don't have issues I figured I'd share it.

[Anonymous]

So to be clear, the camera and card worked perfectly fine until I performed the firmware upgrade. Am I to expect that every firmware upgrade is going to have a different SD card matrix that I'll have to purchase to make sure I can still get support. To add to that, there are people on this thread with the same problems AND a supported card on their list. While I don't discount that it may be the card itself, forgetting it works perfectly fine everywhere else and meets all of their listed requirements, it's highly suspect that it worked fine before the firmware update and remains working as long as I don't power cycle the camera. If those 2 conditions were not true, I would agree that the SD card is probably suspect - but given this camera with this card works under 2 different use cases but not after a power cycle doesn't sound like storage hardware to me. 

I ordered the Samsung Pro card anyways, I'm just dissappointed that I now have a defunt camera for the weekend and fully expect to be having issues even after I receive the new card given the current symptoms. Working in development myself, had the answer have been "we have a known bug and are working on it" or "we suspect there is a bug given your issue and the many other similar reports, we'll file a bug report" I would be 100% satisfied and understand that mistakes happen. Refusing to work with the customer unless they purchase something not stated in the original agreement is not good customer service.

On the topic of cards that can and can't be used, if they are that sensitive to SD cards and are going to refuse service based on that - the manual (and website for that matter) should explicitly state that requirement and not just list "Use brand name memory cards that meet the following requirements". My card does meet every requirement as listed. I would be equally dissapointed if an auto vendor listed to use a specific size tire, load rating, etc - then refuse to troubleshoot my A/C because I was not using a specific model number of Goodyears.

[danielr15]

@Anonymous

I agree with you 100% on GoPro recommended cards. I'm sure there is a legal reason for this, but even the term "recommended" is not used but rather "consideration".  I hope the SD card you ordered works for you.  If not, at least GoPro will have no reason to not exchange your camera.

[Anonymous]

Actually my 5 Black works with a 32 ultra... Don't expect 4k with it but it has been recording for 30 min without problems in 1080... My friend has no problem with a 64 extreme and mine won't work with it (this card works with other devices I have home...). I'm gonna try a Lexar and if it doesn't work then ciao gopro...

Like @Anonymous said it's abnormal GoPro just doesn't use basic requirements for the sd cards... I design MX goggles for a living, we make sure they fit all helmets on the market and are not gonna say the customers that he has to buy a specific helmet to be able to use them : "hey dump your 600$ Troy Lee, he won't fit our goggles".

I also think way to much electronics manufacturer sell unfinished products without going through enough testing, relying on the fact that they will patch them later if ever the customers are unhappy : "try and if it doesn't work, maybe we'll develop a patch..." That's a bit of a shame...

[Anonymous]

Hi. I work for a well known camera company. Rhymes with yessops. The issue with the sandisk cards is because they are U3. Other micro SD cards are fine just not U3. We are waiting for a GoPro firmware update to sort the issue.
They brought the camera out the same time as sandisk did the U3 cards so they don't exist on the GoPro firmware. Hope this helps

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous

My card is a U1, not a U3.

What I've been able to eliminate the problem down to is that everything works fine, even with the 1.20 firmware, as long as you 1) reformat the card, 2) pull the battery, and 3) put the battery back in, start the camera from the mode button, and use it however you want. As long as the camera doesn't shut itself down, or you don't power it down - everything works just fine and I can take short videos, long vidoes, time lapse, photos, etc. The moment I either shut down the camera from holding down the mode button or the timer shuts it down, the SD card errors start coming up on the next startup of the camera. Is this the same behavior everyone else is seeing by chance?

[drdimento]

SanDisk Extreme PLUS 64GB @90mb/s with zero problems at all.  When I used slower cards on Hero 4 I had nothing but issues over and over but zero problems with faster cards.  In my regualar Canon XA series Pro Cams any Class 10 worked fine, but in the GoPro Hero's I am finding that faster speed cards seem to be required.  When I buy a brand new card, I format it in the camera straight up.