Help! Possible lost photos from CF card - panic over!!!!

[leahp26]

Ugh - this is my second "help" email in the last week - everything seems to be going wrong at once.

I took some photos today on a SanDisk Extreme III 4GB card. Looked at the photos in the LCD screen afterwards, deleted one or two. Looked again. All seemed fine.

Just put the card into my card reader to transfer images to Mac and all of todays shots are gone!!!

Everything else from last week still on card. Card not full (400 plus shots left)

What should I do?? Buy one of those recovery programs for $30???

Help!!!

UPDATE: tried all of the great advice given (try USB cord, check all sub files etc and just couldn't figure it out) so downloaded a free trial rescue program and it worked so paid for the full package to get my images back - it worked!!! Will post image below - THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO REPLIED!!!!

 

[Palouse]

SanDisk should have come with its own recovery program--It's on a mini-CD.

Have you tried to see if the shots were in a different sub-directory on the CF card?

 

[leahp26]

Hi Nick

I've tried to install the CD that came and it won't install on my Mac.

How would I find different subdirectory? Thanks

 

[hotrod4x5]

Leah, I know this doesn't help this time, but I wouldn't delete photos in camera like that. Just delete them after downloading. Too much chance for errors IMO.

 

[leahp26]

Good point!

Just finding it REALLY weird that all the photos are there except the ones I took today when I could see them an hour or so earlier

Thanks Rodney

 

[aos111]

It might be your reader. Have you tried to download from your camera to your Mac?

Andy

 

[Palouse]

With your CF card in your mac you should be able to see the whole directory structure of the card. Its just like your file manager--click on any (+) you see to expand the directory---Mac people chime in--I'm Mac-Challenged!

 

[hotrod4x5]

It also sounds like you are keeping images on the card? I would format the card everytime after you download the images-in camera. Don't keep images on the card. the file structure is going to get fragmented.

 

[leahp26]

I download every week or so - hadn't done so this week. Usually try to be good at downloading and reformatting...

 

[nu2scene]

Sometimes the card can get corrupted. Not sure how that happens.

Just something simple to try, if you haven't already, maybe take the card out of the reader, and then re-boot the computer. Stick the card back into the camera and see if the pics can be seen still on the LCD.

If they are still on the LCD, try the card back into the reader after the computer has re-booted. Sometimes things just fix themselves for no reason.

If that doesn't work, maybe give the USB cable a try.

Hope you get to salvage the pics.

 

[leahp26]

Right - still can't see them on the LCD screen or any expanded file.

Downloaded a "demo" recovery program and I can see them in there so I guess I'll have to pay for the program to save them - at least they're still there somewhere!

 

[Cope]

I download every week or so - hadn't done so this week. Usually try to be good at downloading and reformatting...

I recommend downloading after every shoot. the data is safer on your PC than on a CF card.

You should contact Sandisk.

 

[leahp26]

I have learnt my lesson - will be downloading more often, not deleting in camera etc etc. Very frightening moment!

I was taking pictures of the interns at work for our monthly newsletter. I was inspired by Mike's "Fishing at the Wedding Post" https://www.nikoncafe.com/vforums/showthread.php?t=175147
so was really excited to come home and check out my images and freaked out when I somehow lost all the photos.

Not the greatest image in the world (I totally blew out the sky!) but I'm very glad to have it back!!! And it should liven up our newsletter (usually P&S blurry images)

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[hotrod4x5]

Leah, that is awesome image! How did you light that?

 

[leahp26]

Thanks Rodney - I love your work so great to hear that!!!

Total credit to Mike (link in my post above) for the idea/lighting advice.

In the end I lay on my back with the SB800 in the hot shoe of the D300 with a diffuser on. Set the flash to TTL and dialed it down a couple as they first few came out a bit too flashed.

I probably should have looked for some trees overhead as they sky is totally blown but I don't mind hugely.

One "issue" I had was that the fisheye massively distorts the thighs/bottom halves of the subjects. In Mike's image the subjects were guys in tuxedos and I don't think it matters/is noticeable. My subjects were mostly female in different colored pants and I had to crop because it looked they they were all Size 20 plus on the bottom and I think they would have been upset!