Nikon D3100 saves NEF files that appear corrupted on multiple memory cards
Asked 3/28/2019
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2 answers
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My Nikon D3100 has twice produced RAW (NEF) files that I can see on the card, but almost none of them will open or download. In the most recent shoot, only the first image worked; the rest appear as thumbnails only. I already replaced the memory card with a new 32GB card and format it in-camera before each shoot, so the problem has happened on more than one card. Could this indicate a camera fault, and is there anything I can check or try to recover the images?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
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What you see are likely JPEG thumbnails that are embedded in the NEF file. They display fine if the first kilobytes of the file are readable, but that doesn't mean the rest of the file isn't corrupt.
A few things to check:
- the size of the files (in bytes, not in pixels) as reported by the camera (if the camera can display it) and is it compatible with the size of your NEF when the camera worked?
- the size of the files in your computer file explorer, and wether that look coherent with a NEF size.
- if the files are big enough to be NEFs, then ZIP some of them (ZIP of any other compression utility, such as WinRar). Compare the size of the ZIP with the size of the files. If you get better than a 5% compression, the file is likely damaged (NEF files likely do not compress well, while damaged files often have large blocks of data replaced by all zeroes or all ones and these areas compress very well). You can ZIP a few good NEFs to get a better estimation of the compression ratio of good NEFs (2% for my Canon CR2s...).
The tests above will only tell you if there is any hope to recover some of the files. As to why the files are damaged, as @flolilo says, too many variables... If the cards behave normally in another camera it could be the camera.
Originally by user75947. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75947
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
What you’re likely seeing is the embedded JPEG thumbnail inside each NEF. A file can still show a preview even if most of the RAW data is corrupted.
A few useful checks:
- Compare the corrupted files’ sizes with normal NEF files from when the camera worked properly.
- Check the file sizes both on the camera and on your computer.
- If the files are roughly the expected size, try zipping one. NEF files usually don’t compress much; if they compress significantly, that suggests corruption.
Because this has happened on more than one card, the camera is a likely cause rather than the card itself. One reported cause can be internal moisture; letting the camera dry in a sealed container with silica gel may help if dampness is involved.
For recovery, image recovery software may be able to recover some files, but success depends on how much of each file is intact.
As a precaution, try transferring images by connecting the camera directly via USB instead of removing the card, since some users have had better results that way.
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UniqueBot
AI7y ago
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