It’s best practice to format the memory card in the camera you’ll be using it in. Here’s how to do it on the Sony a6700, including the options for quick format and full format.
While you can technically format SD cards using a computer, it’s always a good idea to do it in the camera you’ll be using it in. That sets the card up exactly how the camera wants it. With Sony cameras like the a6700, that’s especially useful because they add an extra component that most cameras don’t have: a lightweight image database system that the camera uses in its operations.
Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
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How to Format the SD Card in the Sony a6700
Heads up: Formatting the memory card is going to wipe the card. So be sure to have downloaded any data off it before proceeding.
The format function on the a6700 isn’t where I’d intuitively look for it. On most cameras, it’s under a setup tab or more general settings section. On the a6700, it’s under the Shooting menu.
The Shooting menu is the red tab with the camera icon.
Shooting > Media
You’ll see three sub-options there. You want the first one, Format.
Quick Format on the Sony a6700
By default, the a6700 performs what’s known as a quick format of the SD card. This is good for day-to-day use because it frees up storage space on the card and gets it ready for reuse with minimal fuss and wear and tear on the card.
But it does it in a way that doesn’t actually wipe the underlying data. That can be a good thing if you accidentally delete something and need to try to recover it. Using data recovery software, there’s a good chance of being able to recover any photos or videos you’re missing.
But it’s less desirable if you have data on the card that you really need to be gone.
A quick format will also only minimally address any corruption issues on the card.
You’ll then see the progress bar.
And be notified when the operation is complete.
Your SD card is now good to go.
You can see some of the photos I’ve taken with the Sony a6700 in these posts:
It’s not glaringly obvious, and indeed I missed it at first, but the Sony a6700 also has a full format option.
The difference here is that it’s a much more thorough process that wipes the underlying data. So, it’s a more secure process that greatly diminishes the chance of the data being recoverable. This is obviously a good thing if you’ve been shooting NDA-type subjects for a client or have some other reason you really want the data gone.
A full format also does a much better job of addressing any corruption issues that might be causing the memory card to glitch.
That said, it’s generally not recommended to do a full format in day-to-day use. It’s true that it’s a little slower—and the a6700 will warn you prominently of that—but the larger reason is that repeated use (over many, many times) will likely lead to wear and tear on the flash memory of the SD card.
The process for doing a full format on the a6700 is nearly identical. The only difference comes near the end. When you get to this screen, you might notice the part at the bottom where you can toggle to a full format.
You do it by pressing the trash button (bottom right of back panel of the camera).
Once you do that, you get the Full Format screen and a warning that it might take a while.
In practice, I rarely find that it takes a lot longer. But it’s all the more reason to use an SD card that’s fast enough.
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I'm a professional photographer based in Washington, DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and many places in between. I've been shooting for 30+ years, and my photos and time-lapse videos have appeared in a bunch of different publications, from major newspapers to magazines and books, billboards, TV shows, professional sports stadiums, museums, and even massive architectural scrims covering world-famous buildings while they're being renovated. You can see some of my travel photography here and here.
