Cameras · formatted Pentax exFAT card
Recover Pentax DNG after formatting
Can Pentax DNG photos be recovered after a quick format?
Short answer
Often yes, if the card has stayed unused since: after a quick format, older TIFF-derived DNG data remains until new captures overwrite it. Check that the camera was set to DNG rather than PEF, then scan read-only for DNG. Export results to another drive and open each DNG fully in a RAW converter.
The situation
DNG originals disappeared after in-camera formatting.
An in-camera format on the Pentax replaces the exFAT records, not the picture data. The DNG frames are still lying in what the card now calls free space, so the question is not whether they exist but how many shots have landed on top of them since.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Pentax bodies can record either PEF or DNG, and the menu setting at the time of the shoot decides which signature a scan has to look for. Formatting through the camera menu writes a fresh directory and allocation bitmap; the TIFF-derived DNG extents underneath keep their content until the next capture claims those blocks. Nothing rewrites them on its own.
Older TIFF-derived extents can remain until new captures overwrite them.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Take the card out of the Pentax immediately and keep it out; a single test shot after the format can overwrite several DNG frames.
- 2
Check which format the body was set to for that shoot, PEF or DNG, so the scan looks for the right signature.
- 3
Read the card through a card reader and scan it read-only for DNG, without letting the operating system repair or reinitialise the volume.
- 4
Export everything found to an internal disk or an external drive, never back to the card, and sort the results by capture time.
Do not shoot a test frame to see whether the card still works, and do not let the camera write a new folder structure. Skip tools that offer to undo the format by rebuilding the file system; they write directly into the area that still carries the DNG data.
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.
How much survives depends on what was written after the format; a full format or a card reused for another shoot usually leaves nothing. File Recovery Hero reads exFAT sources without changing them and exports complete DNG files, but it cannot repair a truncated one.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Open each exported DNG in a RAW converter and develop it at full size. The frame should show the sensor dimensions of that Pentax model, keep its capture time and ISO value, and render evenly down to the bottom edge. A file that only produces its embedded preview is incomplete.
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 formatted Pentax exFAT card be recovered in this situation?+
An in-camera format on the Pentax replaces the exFAT records, not the picture data. The DNG frames are still lying in what the card now calls free space, so the question is not whether they exist but how many shots have landed on top of them since. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not shoot a test frame to see whether the card still works, and do not let the camera write a new folder structure.
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?+
Open each exported DNG in a RAW converter and develop it at full size.