Recover lost photos and videos for Kodak Zi8

Do you want to recover lost photos or videos on Kodak Zi8 memory card? If you accidentally deleted your pictures or videos, this article will tell you exactly how to restore deleted photos. The first thing 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 tends to lose photos and videos that were saved on the memory card. This is a problem that can be solved, keep reading to find the quick solution.

The Zi8 file system

Let’s first take a look at the memory system of the Kodak Zi8. These are the memory cards it will accept:

• SD card
• SDHC card

Both cards are acceptable, but the newer SDHC is a bit more secure as it protects better from power surges. Since the Zi8 uses a native 1920 x 1080 video resolution and can shoot 5-megapixel stills, I’d think a large card would be the best choice for this camera. However, due to data retention issues, it is often a better idea to use multiple smaller memory cards and change them frequently. That way, if you lose data on one card, you won’t have lost everything.

Important: Replace the damaged card immediately

When you notice this happening to your video camera, it means that your camera and memory card have encountered some kind of transfer error. Often the pictures or videos you can’t find are still on the memory card, but you can’t access them, which makes this next step very important: You can recover lost photos, but you have to be disciplined and not use the card anymore. If you continue to write to the memory card, you risk writing over the missing images or videos.

The reason for this is that when you delete a file stored on an SD or SDHC card, it’s not actually “deleted” in the way you’d normally think. In fact, the file is just fragmented and hidden from view. With data recovery programs, you will be able to re-fragment the file, but only if it has not already been overwritten. So I can’t stress this enough: change the card and keep it in a safe place. That will help your chances of a full recovery.

Check physical damage

Next, inspect your Kodak Zi8 video camera and memory card. It is possible that the card or the video camera has some damage, and for that reason you will not be able to see the photos that you just took. You can clean your card with a microfiber cloth so that the cloth does 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 that’s fine. However, if you still can’t see it, consider getting a photo recovery software.

Scan your SD card

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

I recommend trying Photo Retrieval 1.70 for PC because the editor, Odbosso, is constantly updating its definitions to be compatible with newer file formats and camera manufacturers. However, you can also use Wondershare or Disk Doctors. These are available online and can be used for PC or MAC computers. Once you have downloaded and installed the software on your computer, you can easily scan the memory card and it will come out with what it found. You may be able to see the photos that you had previously lost. Be sure to keep the photos in a safe place.

One good 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, you will not be prompted to register the software. You only have to pay AFTER you recover your photos or videos. How good is that?

Still no luck?

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