Canon G9 X showed photos on screen, but they weren't saved to the memory card
Asked 12/17/2017
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2 answers
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My Canon G9 X displayed each photo on the LCD after I took it, but when I got home all of the images from today were missing. Photos from yesterday are still on the card, and the camera now seems to take new pictures normally.
The SD card is fairly old. Could this happen if the card was failing or became read-only, or if the camera was set to allow shooting without a card? Is there any chance of recovering the missing photos, and how can I test whether the card is still reliable?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
9
The 'go-to' software for photo recovery is PhotoRec, freeware, available for many platforms.
However - I would consider how valuable your data is to you... I would invest in a brand-new card. Long-term, they're cheaper than lost data or memories.
There is a potential issue with flash media, that if an error is perceived at write, then the firmware will lock the card to read-only mode, from which there is to all intents & purposes no return.
Often the card will appear to write, but no data is actually saved to it.
A simple, if data-destructive test for this is to attempt to do a standard format on a computer, write new data to it, then remove & reinsert the card. See if it was actually correctly written.
If not, then the card is trash.
Wait until after you use PhotoRec before trying this test.
Originally by user57929. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user57929
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Two likely causes were mentioned:
- The camera may have been shooting without a usable card. Many Canon cameras can be set to release the shutter even when no card is detected. In that case, the image still appears briefly on the LCD, but it is never saved.
- The SD card may be failing. Flash cards can sometimes go effectively read-only after write errors, so the camera appears to work but new files are not actually stored.
For recovery, the main suggestion was to try PhotoRec as soon as possible.
To check the card, after attempting recovery, do a destructive test: format it on a computer, copy new files onto it, eject/reinsert it, and confirm the files really remain. If they do not, the card is unreliable and should be replaced.
Practical advice:
- Stop using that card until you've tried recovery.
- Replace old or suspect cards; they are cheaper than lost photos.
- In the camera menu, look for the option that disables shooting without a card and turn it on.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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