Nikon Coolpix L18 suddenly states that card is not formatted.

have you formated the card

Format the memory card. Make sure your format the card each time you finish uploading your pictures to your computer, instead of simply deleting pictures.
If you can't format the card, try another card.

Regardless of the size of the memory card, the largest video file you can create on the L18 is 2GB. You can stop recording one clip and then record another and another, and then combine them on a computer to create longer clips.
In a Hollywood movie, you seldom see individual scenes as long as five minutes in length. They're usually put together from much shorter clips, changing viewpoints and camera angles.

No, your camera cannot use SDHC cards. It's only a 4 megapixel camera so a 2GB SD card will hold hundreds of pics.

Ladz215,
You didnt really say if the card was in your camera when you took the pictures, so I will try and walk you through a couple scenarios....
If the same card WAS in the camera when you took the pictures, and it worked OK until you took it out and re-inserted it, you can try a couple of different things. First off, by no means format the card! Look at the card contacts. If they are dirty, try wiping them gently with a clean cotton cloth (make sure it is cotton so you do not "zap" the card with static!) and some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol- use it sparingly- put a little on the cloth- don't pour it on the card! Let it dry for a few minutes and try again. If you have some "canned air" you can blow out the camera slot also. With the card in your camera, also try connecting the USB cable to your PC and see if you can download them. If this does not work, look and see if you have a card slot in your PC or printer and see if you can read it that way. Another alternative is taking the card to the photo shop of your local Walgreens, CVS, Rite-Aid, or any other store with a photo shop....nearly all have card readers now.

If the card was not in your Nikon when you took the pictures, or if the card was not initially formatted, they will be in the cameras native memory. Connect the camera to your PC with the USB cable and you will be able to retrieve them. Normally without a card or if the card was not formatted before it is used, the camera is capable of holding about 35 pictures in its native memory.

When you are done, make sure to format your card so it will work in the future. Follow the menu instructions.

Good Luck! Thank You for using FixYa.

It can take a SD memory card or SDHC memory card, recommended brands: SanDisk, Toshiba and Panasonic from 128 MB to 4 GB capacities.

The manual and other information for the Coolpix L18 is available from Nikon: http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product-Archive/Digital-Camera/25596/COOLPIX-L18.html . The list of memory cards is on page 91.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

The P4 has about 23MB of internal memory, which might hold five pictures at the camera's best resolution. The camera also accepts SD cards up to 2GB in size, which should hold several hundred pictures. And, of course, you can use multiple cards.

Use a card reader to download your pics.

Are you getting "1.0" or "1.0k" on the display?

If you're getting "1.0k" that means more than 1000 but less than 1100 pictures. Try taking a hundred pics and see whether that drops the number down to nine-hundred-something.

From the Setup menu select the Format Card option.