DSLR - Camera stuck in formatting mode

The D70 uses CF (compact flash) cards - I hope you are simply misnaming the CF card. But, if you did use an SD card, it would explain how you could have bent a pin.

I understand that Nikon is moving away from CF cards because of the 'bent pin issue' as well as the limited capacity of the CF card.

So, first I would try a CF card (any size) in the reader. If it still doesn't work, then I think you might check with a camera repair shop. If it is a bent pin, they can fix or replace the card reader. Note that the D70 body can be replaced with an EX rated used body for under $90 at https://www.keh.com/shop/nikon-d70-6-1-megapixel-digital-slr-camera-body-only-9782.html

Thus, I wouldn't pay $100 to have the reader fixed unless there are extenuating circumstances. Good luck.

Guide to recover deleted photos from Nikon D70?
Connect Nikon with PC
Using a USB cable or putting SD card into an SD card reader to connect Nikon with Computer.
Scan Nikon d70- Running the Nikon Photo Recovery,you can choose Nikon media drive and click "Start Scan" for scanning
Recover deleted photos
After scanning, you will see all recoverable media photos and videos with file type. At last, click "Recover" to recovering deleted Nikon D70 photos.
This Photo Recovery also can recover all photos files from Nikon D3100 like JPEG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, etc. Support all Nikon camera.
For full details please refer to Nikon D70 Manual.- https://guideusermanual.com/product-name-d70-manual&po=4425&lang=English

The D70 has known issues with certain cards / capacities. Nikon has identified the cards and capacities that are guaranteed to work with the D70 specifically, on their page dedicated to this info linked below:

http://support.nikontech.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9601

It seems that only Lexar and Microdrive cards that are 4Gb are supported (some with significant limitations) and no card greater than 4Gb is supported at all, regardless of manufacturer.

4GB requires FAT32. Camera firmware only supports FAT16. 4GB won't work because FAT16 has a 2GB maximum size limitation. 1GB CF card is Nikon's "approved" maximum for this camera.

Catch: 22 1GB -and lesser capacity- CF cards are no longer manufacturered or generally available in 2010. When the current CF card dies, the still working camera also becomes throwaway unless you can source a CF card 1GB or under. 2GB may work, but with 'issues' per caution below.

CAUTION: Anecdotal evidence suggests the final release -& current- firmware for cameras of this generation is also encumbered by with a maximum picture number limitation of 999, realistic at the time of original manufacture when 256MB was a the largest capacity CF card but completely nonsensical now.

Summary: This is my first NIkon Digital camera and also my last.

Apart from the noteriety of the ubiquitous broken Nikon plastic battery latch, a major design flaw Nikon refuse to acknowledge or accept liability to rectify -since self-repaired better than OEM, Nikon policy on firmware support is complete abandonment of product within an unacceptably short service window. ie: a deliberate poilicy of enforced obsolescence.

Suggested Problem Remedy: Do buy a new camera supporting SD Cards of current capacities. Don't buy anything branded Nikon.

Took it to Jessops by the process of elimination "Integral reader faulty."
What a waste of many hours !

This error indicates the following:
This card cannot be used (CHR) blinks.
Problem(s)
Error accessing memory card
Unable to create a new folder (on card)
Card has not been formatted for use on D70

Try another card
Format the card using your D70 (all images will be erased)
Check the card for visible damage or poor contacts.

You may have inserted a memory card that was been used in a different camera or the formatting process did not complete successfully.
I hope this helps.

Hi! I just had the same problem with my Sony A100, when I tried two different CF cards. I was getting the same error message as reported above: "Unable to use card" then "Format?" then that format fails. Thinking the camera is broken, I checked online camera repair sites and also called Sony directly. Sony's flat rate, and that of PrecisionCamera is $228 to fix CF card failure. Then my daughter said, "the CF card in my room works fine in the camera" - and lo and behold - it does. The CF card that works is brand PQI and is marked Hi-Speed 60 2Gb. The cards that do NOT work are marked SanDisk Ultra II 1.0Gb and SanDisk 128 Mb. So my advice is, before you give up on the camera as broken, try a number of different CF cards first.

The second cause of CF failure is if someone has pushed a CF card in the wrong way. That can bend one or more of the tiny metal contact pins in the CF socket in the camera. Look carefully to see that all the pins are straight up. [I don't know how one can straighten these pins, or if the whole socket would need to be replaced...but at least you can determine the cause of the CF failure.]

Best regards - Michael

u have card reader stick sd card in that formatt to fat 16 ok for cam if it had hd video use ntfc formatt ok

Hm, odd problem, I'd try reformatting the drive (Windows) My computer > Right click > Format. If the drive's corrupted, that could be causing your problem. But remember, formatting will erase ALL data on the drive, back it up before you try this.

Hi there, please check with the Nikon Dealer the 4G card compatibility issue, maybe the card is too big for your camera. Best regards, Arpi