Recapturing Lost Digital Photos

[jimshin]

Saw lots who recommended shooting in RAW format so decided I would do so also. Took many photos on holiday around Sydney and flew to Darwin. Had 8 GB card but thought I would transfer to CD at local camera shop. Told all photos were on CD so reformatted card. Shot many more photos over next 3 weeks. On getting home, find CD does not have RAW photos from Sydney leg, Have tried a number of recovery programs but seem to have lost Sydney RAW photos.

Can anyone help please!?

[zona5101]

Originally Posted by jimshin

Saw lots who recommended shooting in RAW format so decided I would do so also. Took many photos on holiday around Sydney and flew to Darwin. Had 8 GB card but thought I would transfer to CD at local camera shop. Told all photos were on CD so reformatted card. Shot many more photos over next 3 weeks. On getting home, find CD does not have RAW photos from Sydney leg, Have tried a number of recovery programs but seem to have lost Sydney RAW photos.

Can anyone help please!?

oooh no. when you reformated and then recorded new images on top...i am afraid the old ones are toast.

[RustySterling]

Because you reformatted the card I don't think there is any way of recovering the images. A format cleanly wipes out everything from a card, as opposed to deleting images from the card, which really doesn't remove the image, it just makes the space available for other data.

[wulf]

Yep - if you've been using the card since (especially if you have almost filled it up), the chances of recovering anything usable are virtually nil. All that information will have been recycled to store the later batch of photos.

For future reference:

1. Make sure you are clear what you are asking to be transferred and insist on double checking it afterwards

2. A CD can only hold about 700MB of data or about 1/10 of the contents of a full 8GB card.

Did you get JPEG versions of the lost RAW files (if using RAW+JPEG mode) or is that a whole bunch of images lost entirely?

Wulf

[Jim Bryant]

try getting a copy of Rescue Wizard...it's one of the best photo rescue programs out on the market and might be able to pull some of them off the card.

[Benji]

Formatting a card doesn't actually permanantly remove the images from the card. They are removed only when another image is put "piled on top" of it. So if you shot 100 images, formatted the card, then shot 10 images, the last 90 images of the first session could still be recovered with a card recovery program even though you formatted the card. I discovered this the hard way, so I now own about 10 cards, and I don't format it until several weeks after the session when I am 100% sure I have the images safely on my computer in at least two different folders, one Raw and at least one Jpeg.

Benji

[WooD]

A few of my CF SanDisk cards actually came with a little micro size CD called Rescue Pro.

I've never used it, but have used other progs to save files off reformatted SD cards. It took a couple hours, but I was able to get back almost all of the lost images.

[digirebelva]

What is the quality of the jpegs, if they are high then I would open them and save them as tiffs, at least that way you have a lossless file type to work with...depending on how many images you saved on the formatted card, will determine how much data can be recoverd intact, since overwriting the old bits with new bits effectively corrupts all but partial recovery..
Its a hard lesson to learn sometimes , at least you didnt completely lose all of the images.

[Benji]

Tips from a professional photographer.

1. If you own a mega gig card (like your 8 gig) DON"T shoot all of anything on it. If the card is lost, stolen, or corrupted, you are screwed for the entire shoot. Instead use three or four cards. The chances that all three or four cards being lost or corrupted are virtually nil.

2. NEVER leave your cards in your camera bag. If a thief steals your bag, you are screwed. The camera body and the lenses can easily be replaced, not so with the images. After you use the card put them in their little plastic cases and then either put them in your pocket or in your card wallet. The card wallet should be attached to your belt. DON'T put the card wallet in your camera bag, and don't put a bare card in your pocket. One speck of lint in one of those little holes in the card and the card reader won't be able to read it.

3. NEVER trust some joker at the camera store with your images. Do you really think he cares you have no images? It is your reputation that is on the line not his.

Benji

[Nicole]

Just merged your two threads together jimshin. That way you'll get all your answers in one place.