For you Nikon users. A Heads up.
The other day I was looking for some images in my Lightroom catalog. I couldn't find them. I checked my backup drives. No where to be found. I then thought that I may have missed downloading them to my computer so I thought I would run my CFExpress B card through some image recovery software, even though I had previously reformatted my card, to see if I could find them there. I have done this in the past, always with success.
When I used the software to search the card it came up completely blank. What? Then it hit me. I had used the "full format" option in Nikon's menu system to reformat the memory card. I had no idea that using that option would completely and irretrievably erase the contents on my card. Typically, when you reformat your card, it only erases the directory so a computer could not find the files resulting in the card looking blank. Not so with the full format option in my Nikon camera.
I then used the same software to try retrieving the files on the my Z8's backup SD card. Worked perfectly. I could see all of my files even though I formatted it at the same time as the CFExpress B card. The difference being, there is no option for "full format."
So, a word to the wise. Either backup your images to the SD card or don't use this new, "full format" feature if you have any idea at all that you might need to retrieve your image files.
From the User Manual for my Nikon Z8:
"When formatting compatible CFExpress memory cards, instead of a seeing a simple [Yes] you will be presented with [Yes (full format)] and [Yes (quick format)] options after selecting the memory card slot. Select [Yes (full format)] to perform a full format, deleting data from all areas of the card. This option is recommended for users who wish to ensure that all data are deleted or who feel that the speed at which the camera reads from and writes to the card has slowed and wish to improve data transfer speeds. To format the card using the existing format method, select [Yes (quick format)].
D Caution: Full Format A full format takes longer than a quick format.
Tip: “Quick Format” Versus “Full Format” A quick format overwrites only the file system information, leaving the actual file data intact. In contrast, performing a full format on a CFexpress memory card deletes all data. We recommend fully-formatting CFexpress memory cards prior to disposal or transfer of ownership."
From Page 711 of the Nikon Z8 User's Manual
Just sayin'.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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