Recovering Sony XAVC-S Videos After Formatting: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’ve recently found yourself in the unfortunate situation of accidentally formatting your memory card, you’re not alone. It happened to me this morning while using my Sony FX 30. I thought I had successfully backed up my footage, only to realize that the card had been formatted, leaving me in a panic. Thankfully, I was able to explore various recovery options, and I’d like to share my experience and methods that may help others facing the same predicament.

Understanding the Challenge

When a memory card is formatted, the data is not completely erased, but the file structure is cleared. This means that recovering specific files can be tricky. The first recovery tool I attempted was Photorec, a widely recommended program. Unfortunately, while it was able to pull some data, I ended up with fragmented pieces that were unreadable. This led me to explore other options.

Exploring Recovery Tools

My next step was DMDE, another data recovery Software known for its capabilities. However, much like with Photorec, the results were less than satisfactory, and I still couldn’t recover whole files. As a further attempt, I tried Untrunc, which is designed to repair and recover partially corrupted video files. Regrettably, this too did not result in usable footage.

With time running out and my project being quite urgent, I decided to use a recovery tool specifically developed by Sony for their memory cards, which promised XAVC-S file recovery. While I had some minor successes, the outcome still consisted of fragments rather than complete files.

Options for Recovery

Given the challenges I faced, here are a few options you might consider if you find yourself in a similar situation:

Stop Using the Card: Cease any further writing to the affected card immediately. This is crucial as it can prevent further data loss.
Professional Recovery Services: If the footage is particularly important, it might be worth considering professional Data Recovery services. These experts have specialized tools that may Recover Data that typical Software cannot.
Advanced Recovery Software: Look for advanced recovery Software that specializes in video file retrieval. Some tools are specifically designed for different camera formats and can be more effective in retrieving files than general recovery programs.
Backup Strategies: Once (and if) you recover your files, consider implementing a consistent backup strategy going forward. Regularly copying files to