Photos & RAW · Fujifilm exFAT card
Recover deleted Fujifilm RAF files
How do I recover deleted RAF photos?
Short answer
First scan the unused card read-only for both RAF and JPEG, since the pairs often go missing together. The Fujifilm header makes candidates easy to spot, but a file counts only if its complete extent holds all sensor data. Export to another drive and check each RAF beyond the embedded preview in a RAW converter.
The situation
RAF originals or paired JPEGs are missing from a shoot.
Fujifilm bodies often record RAF and JPEG together, so a missing shoot usually means both formats went at once. The RAF header makes candidates easy to identify, but finding a start point says nothing about whether the rest of the file is still on the card.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A deletion, or a card cleared between two shoots, releases the directory entries for every frame at the same moment. The RAF body holds the sensor data and is considerably larger than its JPEG partner, so it spans more blocks and is statistically the first to be hit when new pictures are taken. The paired JPEG can therefore survive while the RAF is already damaged.
RAF has a recognizable Fujifilm header, yet usable recovery still requires the complete file extent.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Put the Fujifilm card into a reader and leave the camera out of the process entirely until the recovery has finished.
- 2
Scan read-only for RAF and JPEG in the same pass, since both halves of each pair went missing together.
- 3
Export both sets to another drive and group them by file number, so that gaps in the sequence become visible at once.
- 4
Develop one RAF from each part of the shoot before you decide that the recovery covers everything you need.
Do not put the card back into the camera to check whether the images reappear, and do not copy the recovered JPEGs onto it as a backup. Both are writes to the source. Editing programs that build previews on the card count as writes too.
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.
File Recovery Hero exports whole RAF and JPEG files from a readable exFAT card in a read-only pass; it repairs neither format and cannot recover a frame whose blocks were reused. If the reader does not detect the card reliably, software is the wrong tool.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
A RAF is recovered when a converter that supports Fujifilm files develops it at the sensor dimensions of the body and reads its film simulation and exposure settings. Compare file sizes as well: RAF frames from one camera and setting stay close in size, and a much smaller one 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 Fujifilm exFAT card be recovered in this situation?+
Fujifilm bodies often record RAF and JPEG together, so a missing shoot usually means both formats went at once. The RAF header makes candidates easy to identify, but finding a start point says nothing about whether the rest of the file is still on the card. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not put the card back into the camera to check whether the images reappear, and do not copy the recovered JPEGs onto it as a backup.
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?+
A RAF is recovered when a converter that supports Fujifilm files develops it at the sensor dimensions of the body and reads its film simulation and exposure settings.