Uploaded February 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
This video describes a workaround for eliminating "Writing to memory card - Unable to Operate" errors on Sony mirrorless cameras when reviewing images after shooting.
One-time setup:
Set your image "Auto Review" time to a setting other than 'off'. I use 5 seconds.
Shooting behavior change:
After taking a photo, do not half-press the shutter. If you do the camera will immediately return to shooting mode, which will cause the "Writing to memory card" message if you then attempt a playback before the image(s) have finished writing to the card. Instead, press the playback button, which will take you out of "auto review" and into playback mode. There may be a pause/delay after pressing the playback button while the camera writes the most recent photos to your SD card, but you will no longer get the error message. The only scenario in which you'll still get the error message for playback is if you exceed the shooting buffer capacity of the camera.
This video describes a workaround for eliminating "Writing to memory card - Unable to Operate" errors on Sony mirrorless cameras when reviewing images after shooting.
One-time setup:
Set your image "Auto Review" time to a setting other than 'off'. I use 5 seconds.
Shooting behavior change:
After taking a photo, do not half-press the shutter. If you do the camera will immediately return to shooting mode, which will cause the "Writing to memory card" message if you then attempt a playback before the image(s) have finished writing to the card. Instead, press the playback button, which will take you out of "auto review" and into playback mode. There may be a pause/delay after pressing the playback button while the camera writes the most recent photos to your SD card, but you will no longer get the error message. The only scenario in which you'll still get the error message for playback is if you exceed the shooting buffer capacity of the camera.
