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I bought the camera about a month ago but the card is quite old. I took a bunch of photos today and when I came home they were all gone... Tried to take new pictures, it works fine. The pictures I took yesterday are still there.

I didn't intentionally review the photos after taking them today but each time I take a picture I see it on the screen for several seconds.

Does anyone have any idea as to 1) what happened and 2)whether it is possible to retrieve the pictures? The only explanation that comes to my mind is that maybe I didn't insert the memory card properly. But that would be strange because normally if it isn't inserted properly it's really obvious. And if there's no card the camera says so.

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2 Answers 2

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The 'go-to' software for photo recovery is PhotoRec, freeware, available for many platforms.

However - I would consider how valuable your data is to you... I would invest in a brand-new card. Long-term, they're cheaper than lost data or memories.

There is a potential issue with flash media, that if an error is perceived at write, then the firmware will lock the card to read-only mode, from which there is to all intents & purposes no return.
Often the card will appear to write, but no data is actually saved to it.

A simple, if data-destructive test for this is to attempt to do a standard format on a computer, write new data to it, then remove & reinsert the card. See if it was actually correctly written.
If not, then the card is trash.

Wait until after you use PhotoRec before trying this test.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks a lot, Tetsujin! I tried Photorec. It did retrieve some of the photos, but they are tiny... Is that always the case with the program? \$\endgroup\$
    – Elizaveta Levina
    Commented Dec 17, 2017 at 21:12
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    \$\begingroup\$ upd: found bigger versions in another folder. Thank you so much, Tetsujin!! \$\endgroup\$
    – Elizaveta Levina
    Commented Dec 17, 2017 at 21:23
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Does anyone have any idea as to 1) what happened

Most Canon cameras will allow you to shoot without a card. The image will appear on the rear LCD for review. Once it is gone from the rear LCD it is gone. You can usually select a menu option for such Canon cameras that will [Disable] shooting when there is no memory card detected, but the default setting is [Enable]. That's one of the first default settings I change when setting up a new Canon camera.

I just did some experimentation with my Canon 7D. My other Canon cameras are similar. In many ways the G9X series act more like EOS cameras than not, so I wouldn't at all be surprised if they are not similar in this respect.

If 'Release shutter without card' is set to [Enable], there is a nondescript 'No Card' warning that shows up on the lCD when the camera is turned on without a card in the CF slot. However, there is no dialogue required to clear it. Pressing any operating button clears the warning from the LCD. If I press the menu button between the time I turn the power switch to 'on' and the time the LCD screen comes on a fraction of a second later, I never see the "No card" warning!

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  • \$\begingroup\$ This seems plausible, but the question does say "If there's no card, the camera says so".... \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Commented Dec 17, 2017 at 19:45
  • \$\begingroup\$ @mattdm With Canon cameras the warning can be fairly brief and easy to miss if one presses another button right after it appears. \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented Dec 17, 2017 at 20:46
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    \$\begingroup\$ In fact, I just experimented with my older 7D. If I press the menu button between the time I turn the power switch to 'on' and the time the LCD screen comes on a fraction of a second later, I never see the "No card" warning! \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented Dec 17, 2017 at 20:51

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