Recover Lost Photos and Videos for the Kodak Zi8

Do you want to recover lost photos or videos on the Kodak Zi8 memory card? If you have accidentally deleted your images or videos then this article will tell you exactly how to restore deleted photos. The first thing I need to say is that the Kodak Zi8 is an amazing camera. I am an owner, and I love the power it has. However, as you may have noticed, the Kodak Zi8 has the tendency to lose photos and videos that were saved into the memory card. This is a problem that can be solved, read on to find out the quick solution.

The Zi8 File System

First let's take a look at the memory system of the Kodak Zi8. Here are the memory cards it will accept:

SD Card
SDHC Card
Both of these cards are acceptable, but the newer SDHC is slightly safer as it protects from power surges better. Because the Zi8 uses a native video resolution of 1920 x 1080 and can take up 5mp still pictures you would think a large card is the best option for this camera. However, because of the data retention issues, it is often a better idea to use multiple smaller memory cards and switch them often. This way, if you lose the data on one card, you haven't lost everything.

Important: Switch out the damaged card immediately

When you notice this happening to your video camera, it means that either your camera and the memory card have encountered some type of transfer error. Often times, the pictures or videos that you can not find, are still actually on the memory card, but are inaccessible, which makes this next step very important: You will be able to recover the lost photos, but you have to be disciplined, and not use the card any longer. If you continue to write to the memory card, you risk writing over your missing images or videos.

The reason for this is because when a file stored on an SD or SDHC card gets deleted, it doesn't actually get "deleted" in the way that you normally think of it. In fact the file only gets fragmented and hidden from view. With data recovery programs you will be able to refragment the file, but only if it hasn't been written over yet. So I can't stress this enough -- switch out the card and put it in a safe place. That will help your chances of a full recovery.

Check for physical damage

Next, inspect your Kodak Zi8 video camera and the memory card. It may be possible that the card or the video camera has some damage, and that is why you will not be able to view the photos that you had just taken. You can clean your card with a microfiber cloth, so that the cloth will cause minimal damage to the card. Check the contents of your Kodak Zi8 memory card on the computer. If you can view the contents online, then you are good. However, if you still cannot see it, consider getting yourself a photo recovery software.

Scan your SD card

There are a few good photo recovery programs available to download for free. The way these programs work is by using an advanced "file carving" algorithm. This means that they can scan your SD card for photos and videos that have been fragmented and are missing the required meta data that a PC or Mac would normally need to view the files.

I recommend trying Photo Retrieval 1.70 for PC because the publisher, Odbosso, is constantly updating it's definitions to be compatible with the newest and file formats and camera manufacturers. However, you can also use Wondershare or Disk Doctors. These are available online and can be used for either PC or MAC computers. Once you have downloaded and installed the software to your computer, you can easily scan the memory card and it will come out with what it has found. You will likely be able to see the photos that you had previously lost. Make sure that you save the photos into a safe place.

One nice thing about these programs is that you can scan your SD card with the free trial version. If you do not recover your lost photos or videos, then you will not be asked to register the software. You only have to pay AFTER you get your pictures or videos back. How great is that?

Still no luck?

For a last resort, you can try a mail-in data recovery center. Do a search on google and you will find many reputable companies. However, trying to software approach is definitely the quickest, easiest, and cheapest. Good luck!



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Gadsden