Cameras · Canon video card with proxies
Canon proxies remain but original video is missing
Can Canon originals be recovered when proxy clips still exist?
Short answer
Not from the proxies themselves: they are low-resolution copies and cannot restore original quality. Their names and timestamps do tell you which full-resolution MP4 or MXF clips to look for. Scan the original card read-only for those containers and accept a clip only after it opens at full resolution and plays to the end.
The situation
Small proxy files are present while full-resolution MP4 or MXF files are absent.
The proxies you can still see are evidence, not a backup. Canon writes them alongside the full-resolution takes, so their names and recording times tell you precisely which originals are gone, how long each one ran, and which part of the card those originals filled.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Proxy clips are separate, much smaller files, usually filed in their own folder. A deletion pass or an ingest routine that targets the large files can therefore remove every original and leave the lightweight copies standing. The full-resolution data may still lie in the card's free space, but nothing inside a proxy points at it; the only link is the shared clip name and the timecode.
Proxy media cannot recreate original quality, but names and timestamps can identify the missing asset range.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Copy the surviving proxy files to a computer first, so the list of clip names and recording times outlives whatever happens to the card.
- 2
Compare that list against your project folders and backup drives; an original that was merely filed in the wrong place needs no recovery at all.
- 3
Leave the card in a reader without writing to it and scan the whole volume read-only for the container the camera actually recorded.
- 4
Export each candidate to a separate drive, then play it end to end against its proxy before you rebuild the timeline.
Do not delete the proxies to free up space, and do not let ingest software retry onto the same card. Those small files are your only index of what is missing, and any further write to the volume can land on the clusters the full-resolution takes still occupy.
03 / Choose the method
Match the tool to the source
For stable, readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 or uncompressed IMG, DD, RAW and BIN images.
Unconfirmed exports are marked .UNVERIFIED.
A proxy can never be turned back into an original, and recovery reaches only data still on the card. File Recovery Hero scans exFAT, NTFS and FAT volumes for its supported container types; a Canon recording format outside that list, or a card that drops out mid-read, is beyond it.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
An original is back when it opens at the recorded frame size and bitrate, runs the full duration the matching proxy reports, and carries the same audio tracks. Compare the closing seconds of both files: a take that matches its proxy at the start but diverges midway is truncated.
Keep the source until two verified copies exist. One working preview is not enough.
Sources and technical references
FAQ
Questions about this recovery case
Can Canon video card with proxies be recovered in this situation?+
The proxies you can still see are evidence, not a backup. Canon writes them alongside the full-resolution takes, so their names and recording times tell you precisely which originals are gone, how long each one ran, and which part of the card those originals filled. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not delete the proxies to free up space, and do not let ingest software retry onto the same card.
Does scanning write to my memory card?+
Your memory card is only read. Nothing is saved to it.
How do I know whether the result is complete?+
An original is back when it opens at the recorded frame size and bitrate, runs the full duration the matching proxy reports, and carries the same audio tracks.