Although Panasonic is not the biggest name in the memory card market, their cards are still in demand. Panasonic SD cards are a popular storage solution used by photographers, videographers, and other users who require high-speed, high-capacity storage for their digital media. But like any other storage device, Panasonic cards are susceptible to data loss.
In today’s article, we’ll look at how to recover data from Panasonic memory cards.
Is it Possible to Perform Panasonic SD Card Recovery?
Yes, you can recover data from Panasonic memory cards. But as with any matter, the successful outcome of this task has many variables, which we will talk about in this section.
But first, let’s get one important question out of the way. If you are here and reading this article, it is unlikely that you have backed up your data from your Panasonic SD card, and it is also doubtful that you haven’t already checked the Recycle Bin on your PC (or on the device in which you are using your Panasonic memory card) more than a dozen times, hoping to find your files there.
With this in mind, below we’ll look at the main data loss scenarios from Panasonic memory cards and try to outline the chances of successful data recovery for each of them.
- Accidental deletion: This type of data loss occurs when a user accidentally deletes one or more files from the Panasonic memory card. It doesn’t matter if it happened on the card connected to the PC or while it was inside the device. In most cases, deleted files can be recovered using specialized software.
- Formatting: Formatting a Panasonic SD card erases all of the data on it and prepares it for use with a specific file system. Data recovery from a formatted memory card is possible, but it depends on what type of formatting you used. While a memory card formatted with a quick format is often easy to recover, a full format makes the chances of successful data recovery almost nil.
- Hardware failure: This type of data loss can occur due to a malfunctioning memory card reader, a damaged SD card, or other hardware issues. Data recovery from a hardware-failed memory card may be possible with specialized equipment, but it can be costly and time-consuming since you will not be able to do it at home and will have to contact a memory card specialized service.
- Logical Corruption: When the file system or the partition table of the Panasonic SD card is corrupted, the files on the card may become inaccessible. In this case, some data recovery tools can often restore access to the files on your card and recover them, while others can repair the file system of your SD card itself.
- Physical Corruption: This type of data loss occurs when the physical structure of the Panasonic memory card is damaged, such as from water damage, fire, or impact. In this case, data recovery may be impossible or require specialized equipment and expertise.
- File Overwriting: When new data is written to a Panasonic memory card, it may overwrite the existing data, making it impossible to recover. This is particularly common when you keep using the SD card after you deleted data on it or formatted the card. But don’t panic! It doesn’t mean that the smallest use of the card after deletion or formatting will overwrite all the data on it. You should scan your card with data recovery software and see what data can still be saved.
So let’s leave the scenarios of data loss from your memory card behind and get straight to the recovery section.
How to Recover Data from Panasonic SD Card
If you’ve wiped out your memory card, formatted it, or have been unable to access the data on your card, Panasonic SD card recovery tools can be a lifesaver.
But how do you choose the proper software tool for restoring data from Panasonic memory cards? In our opinion, it should meet the following criteria:
- Compatibility: The software must be compatible with your Panasonic card and able to read the file system in which it is formatted.
- Ease of use: The software should have a simple and intuitive interface, allowing you to scan your card in a few easy steps.
- High recovery rate: The software you choose must have a proven high recovery rate and positive feedback across the web.
- File types: The software you choose should be able to recover the types of files that have been deleted or lost from your Panasonic memory card, whether they are simple JPG or PNG images or RAW photos such as RW2.
- Ability to work with corrupted memory cards: If the file system on your Panasonic SD card is corrupted or even becomes RAW, you need software that can read files from such a file system.
Today, we’re going to look at a few examples of software that, in our editorial opinion, best meets the above criteria and will help you recover files and photos from your Panasonic card with ease.
Note: The solutions we provide below will work for any type of memory card from Panasonic, whether they are consumer or industrial memory cards of all types, including microSD, SD, SDHC, SDXC, eMMC, or even P2 and MicroP2 camera memory cards.
Option A: Disk Drill
Disk Drill is a user-friendly data recovery software that can help you retrieve lost or deleted files from your Panasonic SD card quickly and easily. With its intuitive interface and powerful scanning algorithms, Disk Drill can recover a wide range of file types, including photos, videos, documents, and more.
In this section, we will guide you through the steps of recovering data from your Panasonic SD card using Disk Drill, including how to download and install the software, how to scan your SD card for lost or deleted files, and how to recover the files you need.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to recover files from a Panasonic memory card using Disk Drill:
- Download and install Disk Drill on your computer. Do not install Disk Drill to a memory card you are trying to recover data from.
- Insert the Panasonic memory card into your computer’s card reader or adapter. If you don’t have any, you have to borrow it from a friend or buy it from any offline or online store you can find.
- Launch Disk Drill and select the Panasonic memory card from the list of available drives.
- Click on the “Search for lost data” button to start the scanning process. The results of the scan will be displayed in real-time, but we advise you to wait until the end of the scan.
- Wait for Disk Drill to scan the Panasonic memory card for lost files. This process may take some time depending on the size of the memory card and the amount of data it contains.
- Once the scanning process is complete, Disk Drill will display a list of recoverable files. You can use the filter options to narrow down the results by file type, size, date modified, and even by recoverability chance. You can also search for your file using the search bar located at the top right.
- Select the files and photos you want to recover by checking the boxes next to their names. Remember that you can use the preview options to ensure you are recovering the correct files and assure it is recoverable.
- Click on the “Recover” button to start the recovery process.
- Choose a location on your computer to save the recovered files to. It is recommended that you choose a different drive than the one you are recovering files from to prevent overwriting any remaining data on the Panasonic memory card.
- Wait for Disk Drill to complete the file recovery process. Once it’s done, you can access the recovered files from the location you saved them to.
That’s it! Follow these steps carefully, and you should be able to recover your lost files from your Panasonic memory card using Disk Drill.
Option B: DiskDigger
DiskDigger for PC is another SD card data recovery software option that can help you retrieve lost or deleted files from your Panasonic SD card. This software offers a range of advanced features, including the ability to recover files from formatted or corrupted SD cards, as well as the option to preview files before recovery.
As in the previous block about the Disk Drill, this section will walk you through the process of retrieving data from your Panasonic SD card using DiskDigger for PC. You will learn how to download and install the software, scan your SD card for missing or erased files, and retrieve the necessary files.
So, here’s how you can recover data from your Panasonic memory card using DiskDigger for PC:
- Download and install DiskDigger for PC from the official website.
- Insert the Panasonic memory card into your computer’s card reader or adapter. Most modern laptops and PC cases have built-in memory card readers.
- Open DiskDigger and select the Panasonic memory card from the list of available drives.
- Choose the types of files you want to recover by checking the boxes next to their names or select “All Files” to recover all types.
- Click “Next” to start the scanning process.
- Choose the scanning method you want to use (either “Dig Deep” or “Dig Deeper“). You cannot initiate a scan with both scanning methods simultaneously.
- Click “Next” to start the scanning process.
- Wait while DiskDigger scans your Panasonic memory card for lost or deleted files.
- Once the scanning process is complete, DiskDigger will display a list of recoverable files. The recoverable files are categorized into separate tabs depending on their file types for ease of access. However, this can make the recovery process cumbersome as you cannot select all files at once for recovery. You will need to navigate to each tab and recover the files based on their file type.
- Select the files you want to recover by checking the boxes next to their names.
- Click “Recover” to start the recovery process.
- Select a folder on your computer to save the recovered files to. It’s best to not choose a Panasonic SD card you’re recovering files from to avoid overwriting.
- Wait while DiskDigger completes the file recovery process. After completion, the specified output location will automatically open in File Explorer, where you can access the recovered files.
By following these steps carefully, you should be able to recover your lost files from your Panasonic memory card using DiskDigger for PC.
Verdict
In this article, we looked in detail at the main scenarios of data loss from Panasonic cards and analyzed two solutions for recovering your deleted or lost files and photos. We liked Disk Drill better, primarily for its more modern interface and smoother recovery process. But DiskDigger proved to be quite capable software as well. In any case, the choice is yours.
We hope you will be able to recover data from your memory card using the instructions provided in this article.