How do I transfer photos from a Sony a6000 without confusing the camera's image database?
Asked 12/23/2015
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2 answers
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When I move photos from my Sony a6000's SD card to my computer, the files are gone from the card, but the camera still shows black thumbnails or says the file cannot be found. This happens whether I connect the camera directly or use a card reader. What is the correct way to transfer photos, and how should I clear the card afterward?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
3
The problem seems to be that your camera apparently uses a non-standard way of listing the contents of the memory card. So when you move (as opposed to copy) a photo file from your memory card the record of the file is removed from the card's file directory by your computer's OS, but apparently not from a separate "Table of contents" that the camera uses to list the photos stored on the card. When you then browse that "ToC" on your camera the image will still be on the list. But when you select it for viewing the camera will be unable to find the address for it in the card's file directory, because the record of it there has been deleted when the file was moved.
It's always best practice to copy all images from a card and reformat the card with the camera before shooting with it again. This reduces the chance that the file structure might become corrupted (which is what appears to be happening to you) and could also cause you to lose the newly shot images you are storing on the card, or at best require you to use a less than ideal form of data recovery to access them on the card. The reason for this is that different cameras have different versions of storing image files to the memory card. Most, if not all, are DCIM compliant but there is enough variation between them that using a card formatted in another camera or on your computer may lead to corrupted images or file directories.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Use copy, not move. The a6000 keeps its own image database on the card, so if you remove files on a computer, the camera’s index can still point to files that no longer exist. That’s why you see blank entries or “file cannot be found.”
Best practice:
- Turn the camera off and remove the SD card, or connect the camera normally.
- Copy the image files to a folder on your computer.
- Confirm the copies are safe.
- Then either delete images using the camera, or better, reformat the card in the camera before shooting again.
If the card already shows missing-file entries, use the camera’s Setup menu option “Recover Image DB” to rebuild the database and sync it with what’s actually on the card.
In short: copy files to your computer, don’t drag-move them off the card, and reformat the card in-camera after backup for the cleanest workflow.
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