Cameras · two Fujifilm camera cards
Fujifilm dual-slot card has a filename gap
Why does one Fujifilm card contain fewer files?
Short answer
Usually the slot setting explains it: sequential fills the second card only after the first is full, backup mirrors both, and RAW/JPEG separation puts each format on its own card. Movies may also be assigned to one slot. Compare both card inventories against that setting before scanning the card that really has a gap.
The situation
One slot lacks part of the shoot or contains only one format.
Before treating this as data loss, read the slot configuration. Sequential, backup and RAW/JPEG separation each produce a different distribution across the two cards, and movies can be pinned to one slot. A card holding less than you expected may be behaving exactly as configured.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
In sequential mode the second card only starts filling when the first is full, so it legitimately holds the tail of a shoot. In backup mode both cards should match, and a difference means one card stopped accepting writes mid-shoot. With RAW/JPEG separation each card carries one format, so a slot with no RAF is normal rather than damaged.
Backup, sequential, and RAW/JPEG separation modes create different expected contents.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Read the current slot setting in the camera menu and write it down before you touch either card, because it explains most gaps outright.
- 2
Copy the full file listing of both cards to a computer and compare frame numbers and timestamps side by side to locate the true gap.
- 3
Set the card that is genuinely short aside, keep it out of the camera and scan it read-only for the formats that slot should have received.
- 4
Export anything found to a computer drive and merge it into the shoot by capture time rather than by filename.
Do not format the card that looks emptier, and do not change the slot setting before you have compared both inventories. Shooting a test series to see where the files land is the worst option, because it writes over the very range you are missing.
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.
No scan can retrieve pictures that were never written to a card, which is what a sequential or separation setting produces. If one card stopped mid-shoot because it is failing, further reading risks it; a card that drops off the reader belongs with a recovery lab.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The result is sound when the combined inventory of both cards, plus anything recovered, covers every frame number in the session without holes and the formats match the slot setting. Files from a backup slot should be byte-identical in size to the ones on the partner card.
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 two Fujifilm camera cards be recovered in this situation?+
Before treating this as data loss, read the slot configuration. Sequential, backup and RAW/JPEG separation each produce a different distribution across the two cards, and movies can be pinned to one slot. A card holding less than you expected may be behaving exactly as configured. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not format the card that looks emptier, and do not change the slot setting before you have compared both inventories.
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?+
The result is sound when the combined inventory of both cards, plus anything recovered, covers every frame number in the session without holes and the formats match the slot setting.