Card Formatting
Erasing a memory card in the camera to restore a clean file structure before reuse.
In depth
Formatting in camera rather than deleting on a computer rebuilds the file system the camera expects, which prevents fragmentation and directory errors that cause write failures mid-shoot. It should only ever follow verified backup, since recovery software cannot always retrieve what a format has removed.
Examples in practice
Formatting every card in camera at the start of a job removes leftover directories that could cause a write error later.