Recently, one of my SD cards failed on me when I trying to access it. After I inserted it into my Transcend card reader, I was able to access the card momentarily until the folders abruptly closed down, preventing any further access to the data. As you can imagine, this was quite concerning to me.
Fortunately, a company called Stellar Recovery reached out to me asking if I wanted to review their software. This was quite a strange yet very welcome coincidence, and in my latest video, I test the software on an actual failed SD card. In my career as a photographer, I've had approximately four storage devices fail on me. It's unfortunate, but it does happen, and the most recent failure was much harder for me to swallow. The images on the card were ones that I needed, and I was a little careless, as I had not previously backed up all of the files. In any case, I have now managed to recover all of the required files due to Stellar, and I'm very pleased to have those images back.
Since uploading the video, I have received some really helpful suggestions on how to ensure I can recover data more effectively in the future. For the most part, I've been told not to format the card before I perform any recoveries. This is because performing a quick format as I do in the video creates new directories on the storage device, and this could inadvertently overwrite existing data that you may want to recover.
I am by no means an expert when it comes to recovering data, so please check out the video and let me know if you have any of your own suggestions on how to recover data more effectively. Ultimately, I'm very pleased that I have been able to recover the images and files I needed, and I highly recommend Stella Recovery.
Something, something, two cards slots.
Or stop using garbage SD cards all together. Flimsy unreliable cards that no manufacture should still be using.
Agree. It's like buying an expensive luxury fast car but with cheap tires — not a good combination.
Do you seriously think people can just switch card types? SD Cards are more reliable than your snobbery purports. https://petapixel.com/2011/06/20/photos-recovered-from-camera-that-spent...
yarp. I've washed and dried a single memory card 3 times while it was in my pants pocket and it still works fine to this day.
As long as you're not using some cheap knock-off brand or a counterfeit there really are no garbage cards these days. The tech and the manufacturing process has basically been perfected.
The very real value of redundancy is something that a lot of people just cannot seem to accept. It is objectively better to duplicate everything where you can.
I agree two card slots are a must for me
If cameras you are using have the crappy SD format, then more than one card slot is a necessity. The issues that plague SD cards are very different from other types of cards. I rather use a single slot XQD camera then any with two SD slots. Two memory slots of a crappy design do not make it better.
That might be true about XQD cards but currently I don’t think we have enough information on their overall reliability. This is purely because of how few of them are being used relative to SD cards.
Chances are they might be better but I’m not sure we can be certain about it.
XQD is the most reliable and solid storage media compared to SD cards there is. The NAND storage and ultra redundant internal failure protocols the XQD cards use is vastly superior to cheap, poorly designed bad firmware SD cards. Sd cards were designed 1999 !! They were never designed to handle the volume and speed today's high MP cameras produce. Sd card architecture is designed for low data bandwidth for long durations (think HD camcorders) not 46MP DSLRs shoveling fast burst 90+Mb files onto it. SONY the owners of QXD format (like the old Betamax) days are numbered. It is being replaced by open source and higher sped and data volume capability CFexpress.
What are your thought son CFast please?
CFast is good but because the card is shaped identical to a regular CF card, users who have multiple cameras that use both can confuse them. They don't work in each others "slots". CFast 2.0 specs support SATA-III with bus speeds up to 600 Mb/sec, compared with the CompactFlash limit of 167 MB/sec. CFexpress will run a PCle interface with up to 8 lanes that can handle 1GB/s each. That’s 8GB/s transfer speed. All while being way cheaper than CFast or XQD. The future is CFexpress for at least 10 years or more.
And don't forget that card failure is just one risk that can be greatly mitigated with dual card redundancy. In today's digital world in which one can easily have thousands of images on a single card, and the ease in which a second card slot can be implemented into a design, having two card slots is a gigantic no-brainer.
I think there are some rumors that suggest the next X100 camera may have two card slots which would be brilliant. I've lost a fair few images with that series of camera, unfortunately.
"And don't forget that card failure is just one risk that can be greatly mitigated with dual card redundancy."
Examples of others? I mean, you can't put that out there and not explain what they are.
I've seen cards lost or physically damaged, or data mistakenly deleted. In other words human error, which I think is probably more likely card failure. Normally it wouldn't be such a big deal, but with cards able to contain literally thousands of files the consequences of human error can be quite large.
It's part of the human nature to occasionally drop the ball, as it were.
Good points, but these are easily minimized by smart tactics. Instead of putting thousands of photos on one card, swap cards periodically to minimize the number of images at risk. Use multiple bodies (a requirement in event/wedding photography and other non-repeatable work regardless of the number of slots). Keep your cards in a sturdy waterproof wallet. I've been working digitally for 18 years. Made over 200,000 images. Haven't lost a single image to card failure, loss or damage. I did lose a CF card (after I'd downloaded the photos) to bent pins in a card reader. I regard CF as a fatally flawed design for this reason.
True, but non of them are as easy as simply having two card slots. It's the most basic of basics in redundancy. It's why we have backup drives on computers. It's why any enterprise worth its salt will have simple redundancy as a precaution against data loss whatever may cause the data loss.
In today's digital world, it's absurd to not have simple built in redundancy; especially when it can be implemented so easily and inexpensively.
I've driven many thousands of miles over the last several years. I've never had a flat tire. I purchase the best tires I can get. I maintain them well. I still maintain the simple and inexpensive redundancy of a a spare tire in my car.
"non of them are as easy as simply having two card slots"
That's only true if the camera you want has them. Otherwise, it's a bitch to retrofit them.
Well, I suppose. But I'm talking, as I think most people would be, about camera manufacturers releasing cameras without two slots. It just doesn't make sense; from a design and manufacturing POV, it's not difficult. Also, a camera without two slots is a camera that I, personally, don't wan't.
I use a Panasonic GX9 as my third camera in event work. It has one slot. I don't want a larger camera on a neck strap when I'm already carrying two larger cameras on a double sling. And, besides, the odds of failure are vanishingly small, and, because I'm shooting with three cameras, the odds that such a failure would prevent me from delivering the job are nil.
Okay?
You don't need to spend money on recovery software if you just use Nikon Z. Nikon ambassador Gherry Jhionis stated he has not lo lost ONE SINGLE photo in 27,000 weddings and the Z6/7 is continuing that streak even with one slot.
Gherry, save some weddings for the rest of us. Maybe just do two or three per day from now on, bro.
The SD card format is a horrible design. It is prone to failure on so many different levels. The pins are exposed which means the electronics are constantly being zapped and will fail eventually. The plastic housing offers no mechanical rigidity so the board and pins are constantly being flexed and will fail over time. It is just a bad format
"the electronics are constantly being zapped"
Say what?
My SD cards have been more reliable than my CF cards. Some of the latter got "zapped" by bent pins in readers. Now that's a lousy design.
"I have photographed well over 1,000 weddings (and more than two-thirds of them on a digital camera) and I only ever had a problem with two memory cards in my career – both were compact flash cards and the images were ultimately recovered. I have been shooting digitally since 2001 and it was only until a few years ago that some pros started using the 2nd card slot as a back-up (rather than for overflow). We have all become used to that luxury and now feel like it is a “must have,” which I completely understand. That said, I have more confidence because the camera will reject an XQD card that is suspect. The XQD (and pending CFexpress) form factor is also stronger, faster and far more reliable than anything else on the market. I personally have never experienced a problem with an XQD card nor have I heard of anyone else having an issue." - Ghenny Ghionis
Re: " I personally have never experienced a problem with an XQD card nor have I heard of anyone else having an issue."
I will never forget election night 2016 when it comes to wild claims about the infallibility of xqd. I bought several new Lexar XQD cards from BH Photo before the big day. I was testing a remote camera with the new XQD card and got a card fail error. I could not format the card and it kept on displaying the ERR message. Luckily was able to go back to BH Photo nearby and return it. On that night I had to shoot CF as main card because I did not trust XQD.
"A bit like crossing the road with your eyes shut and saying it is safe because you haven't ever been hit by a car... YET."
If you've been crossing that same road every day for the past 18 years...
27,000 weddings = 3 weddings a day, 365 days a year, without a single day off, for 25 years.
Sniff, sniff, I smell something.....
Unless he is some sort of vegas wedding photographer shooting 5-minute weddings, I call BULLSHIT.
Also, I don't know why your personal campaign is to try and prove cards cannot be corrupted as if it never happens when there is tons of evidence of it happening.
But your standard of truth needs to be raised a bit. Be careful who you listen to, as I believe your bullshit-o-meter is completely broken, or at the minimum, needs to be calibrated.
I think he's being sarcastic lol. Also, I think he probably meant to say 27000 images, which is probably about 20 weddings.
He may have been being sarcastic, but I didn't pick up on it although I do now. However, others did not pick up on it either which only spreads more disinformation. I will leave this here for the other dense people among us like myself
Logan, I guess you didn't pick up that I was being sarcastic after watching Jherry's dubious claims on how he has never lost one image. What I don't get is how you are claiming I am spreading "more disinformation' when you posted the exact quote I posted that is above your reply!
I have seen interviews where he has stated he has NOT lost any images. Now it's Ihe only lost images on CF cards! Which is convenient when discussing the Nikon Z single card slot issue.
So if you missed my original post here in case you missed it:
"I have photographed well over 1,000 weddings (and more than two-thirds of them on a digital camera) and I only ever had a problem with two memory cards in my career – both were compact flash cards and the images were ultimately recovered. I have been shooting digitally since 2001 and it was only until a few years ago that some pros started using the 2nd card slot as a back-up (rather than for overflow). We have all become used to that luxury and now feel like it is a “must have,” which I completely understand. That said, I have more confidence because the camera will reject an XQD card that is suspect. The XQD (and pending CFexpress) form factor is also stronger, faster and far more reliable than anything else on the market. I personally have never experienced a problem with an XQD card nor have I heard of anyone else having an issue." - Ghenny Ghionis
FYI this software is $49(discounted) for an annual subscription. I was looking at Prograde recovery software and that is also an annual subscription. Anyone know software that is not subscription? I probably use this once a year or less.
Stellar does offer an option to buy a lifetime license which is not a subscription.
Ok I looked but only seems to offer 1 to 2 year sub.
https://www.stellarinfo.com/disk-recovery/photo-recovery-win/buy-now.php
I used to use Photorescue ($29) and Lexar but they are both discontinued. I guess it is best to pay for a subscription as that ensures they keep updating it.
Have a look at this link, please. I can select a lifetime license for the premium version.
Personally, I think the $29.00 option might be better value for money but whichever you prefer really.
https://www.stellarinfo.com/disk-recovery/data-recovery-premium/buy-now....
Great, thanks.
Glad you got your data back - the only thing I heard that scared me was that you could go back to using that card now it was repaired. Me personally, I would take it to the end of a long pier and teach it to swim... Just the coward in me, but once bitten on those things...
Yep, that card would be dead to me...
You're right, a couple of people pointed that out to me so I won't be using that card again. Thank you, much appreciated :).
agreed for most people.
for not most people, if you know what you're doing you can determine if it was simply a formatting/write error or a hardware error. the latter means the card is dead and should be disposed of. the former could've been one of any number of things, from a software bug, static electricity, contact error, incomplete formatting, etc. the recovery process, success, and testing the pins of the card would reveal where the fault truly lies. of course, with the low cost of SD cards, i wouldn't put too much effort into troubleshooting once a recovery has been successfully made and would just toss the card. if it's an XQD, CFast or CFExpress, it'd be a different story.
i also highly recommend buying only solid SD cards, like the Sony Tough series, ProGrade, or the new Lexar Pro series. the shell is solid molded, single piece units or dual piece but resin filled. this prevents the card from flexing and possibly creating open circuits within. just my observation.
i mention the latter bit only because i have one of the cards in the video, gifted when i'd purchased something else. honestly, it's trash. simply putting it side by side with one of my lexar or sony cards, then very lightly trying to bend it reveals just how fragile it is. if you don't want to bend it, pinch it, and you'll discover it's hollow with a very, very thin shell. that flex can easily cause issues with the soldered and very fragile pinouts.
"Many photographers also are in the habit of using their memory cards until they fail. As with any consumable piece of equipment that we use, we should be replacing them regularly to prevent failures from happening. Shooting with smaller cards, sending your JPEGs to a portable device wirelessly, and taking care when inserting your card into a card reader, etc. are also good habits to develop." - Ghenny "1k" Jhionis
Here is a great video. The photographer experienced a power surge while the card was downloading and it all went to hell. He managed to download it from his second card.
I don't really do events anymore, regardless, I will never work with one card. I lost three cards (and everything in them naturally) in the last three years.
https://youtu.be/PueGyNVCGpY
Yeah, I'm always in the habit of not using battery back-ups or surge protectors on my expensive computers.
If you saw the video, before your thumb down :-), you would see that he has back-ups and surge protector. The lightning fried everything. It was not enough. He installed a special high voltage global protector that I bet most never even thought of using.
He needs better surge protectors then. Probably using POS Target low grade Tripp-Lites or APCs. Quality reliable SP are $500+ just like NAS servers.
And how many really have that kind of surge protection? I don't. I have SyberPower 1500 and so far so good. My computer is connected to a surge protector and then to the SyberPower. However, if I get a direct lightning hit I doubt it would help.
The point is (after all that), it is better to have two cards recording in the camera, you just never know.
I wonder if the Windows format differs from the in-camera format.