Purchase the fastest card you can afford from a reputable maker. Cards in the neighborhood of 300x are now readily available and the price keeps dropping! Fast cards mean you are less likely to miss action shots while the buffer is being filled. Faster cards also translate into faster download times.
Test out your new cards before leaving for your photo trip. If a card is going to fail, chances are it will fail early in its life. So format your cards in your camera and take some images.
Buy high quality cards from a reputable dealer. A friend of mine bought a counterfeit card on eBay. I'm certain it looked like an original but it sure didn't perform like one!
Format your cards after each download. Some folks insist on leaving favorite images on cards forever. Cards work best when reformatted, as reformatting cleans up the file structure. Almost every card failure I have seen has come when images are individually erased while in the camera. I never erase an image in-camera. Rather, I wait until I have downloaded images from the card, then after making a backup, I reformat the card. I have seen too many photographers accidently erase all their images by pressing the wrong button!
Do not open the memory card door and remove it while images are being written to it. This would most commonly happen after shooting a burst of images. In the heat of the moment, it is easy to want to change your cards quickly. Every camera has some sort of warning you should heed. By disconnecting a card from its power source, you can cause file structure failure.
Never push your camera's batteries to their maximum. It increases the possibility that the battery will run out of power just as you are taking an image. You risk losing images due to this power failure or worse, file structure damage to the whole card.
Be careful when loading cards into the camera. I have seen folks jam cards into the camera upside down and backwards. This generally results in damage to camera contacts rather than to the card. It is usually more expensive sending the camera in for repairs than buying a new card. Memory cards are, for the most part, very durable and I have heard stories of cards being run over or washed with clothing and still working.
Before using a new card, make sure that your camera has the most recent firmware updates. This is most important if you are using older camera models. Some older models may not be compatible with newer cards, so be sure to check your camera's compatibility.
Good memory card readers can mean the difference between a quick, easy and reliable download and a slow, difficult one. Spend a little more and get a decent memory card reader. Cheaper readers may wear out earlier than those with quality made components.
Have a system in place so you do not reuse a full card before you download images from it! Most photographers I know use some sort of digital memory card wallet. After I have filled a card with images I turn the card over in my wallet so the back is facing up, that way, I know not to use this card again until I have downloaded and reformatted it. Something this simple can keep you from copying over a full card!
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