Photos & RAW · Nikon exFAT card
Nikon NEF RAW: recover after an interrupted recording
What can I do with deleted Nikon NEF originals after a recording interruption?
Short answer
Usually the NEF files finished before the interruption survive, the last ones may not. Power loss or a card error while the buffer was writing can leave a truncated NEF whose preview still shows. Switch the camera off, remove the card, keep an untouched copy and develop the final frames at full resolution.
The situation
deleted Nikon NEF originals is missing, too short or unreadable after power loss, a card error or an unsafe stop.
The session usually splits at one point. Everything the camera finished writing before the failure is normally complete, while the frame in progress can hold its preview and stop short of the sensor data that should follow. That last file is the one to examine closely.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Nikon bodies buffer a burst and write the frames one by one. If power fails or the card reports an error mid-write, the current NEF lacks its closing structures or part of its compressed sensor data. Because the directory entry may already state the intended size, the frame looks complete in the folder and fails only when developed.
The payload may have been written before duration fields, indexes, directory entries or closing structures were committed. For Nikon NEF RAW, this matters because NEF uses TIFF-based directories with Nikon metadata, previews and compressed or uncompressed sensor data.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Switch the body off at the switch rather than pulling the battery, then remove the card once the write lamp is dark.
- 2
Note the frame number the display showed last and whether the card had already thrown errors before this shoot.
- 3
Copy the card into an uncompressed image and run the scan, and every repair attempt, against that image instead.
- 4
Export the frames to another drive and develop them in sequence to find the last one that is fully intact.
Do not keep shooting to test the card and do not let the camera format it after an error. A card that failed once can fail again, and every further write reduces what can still be read from the frames that were already finished.
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.
Sensor data that never arrived on the card cannot be restored, and a card with read errors needs laboratory work. File Recovery Hero reads stable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 media and uncompressed images read-only; repairing a truncated NEF is not among its functions.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Full development is the test, not the thumbnail. A complete NEF opens at sensor resolution, while a truncated one often shows its preview and then stops, and its size is noticeably smaller than the frames taken around it with identical settings.
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 Nikon exFAT card be recovered in this situation?+
The session usually splits at one point. Everything the camera finished writing before the failure is normally complete, while the frame in progress can hold its preview and stop short of the sensor data that should follow. That last file is the one to examine closely. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not keep shooting to test the card and do not let the camera format it after an error.
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?+
Full development is the test, not the thumbnail.