.NEF files "no data" oh no!

[dmdigital]

Just had a look at ViewNX nothing just tells me that those files are "unsupported file type"

If ViewNX is saying that then I would conclude the internal structure is corrupt. As NEF is proprietary I don't think there's a publisied file structure like JPEG, TIFF etc. But I would assume it is the same logical structure that would start with a header encoding and the location of the JPEG (thumbnail).

I had a look over on Nikonians.org and theres a few posts but nothing like what you describe with the in camera red X.

I would suggest taking a disk image of the card on the Mac just in case you do something more to the card.

If you want to send me a file I can try it on my iMac too, I'll PM you my e-mail.

[mcdesign]

thanks will have a look
As mentioned, I'm a mac user so it does limit the progs available.

thanks for the links

I am a Mac user too Steamy so I was looking for Mac solutions.

[arthurking83]

The situation where you see a thumbnail with a red cross and the message that the file contains no image data is pretty much standard, if the file is corrupt to mishandled.

Things to note too:

if you've edited the images in any way the camera can not read the resultant NEF files.
If you can transfer them to the laptop and keep a copy of the images from the card to the PC, then it's safe to delete them off the card and format the card to help fix it up.

if the affected images have not been transferred or viewed by another program whilst on the card and then placed back into the camera, then the most likely situation is that the files are corrupted beyond recognition.. and almost certainly unrecoverable.

There is a possibility that some image viewing programs may, by default, affect the images with various touch up tweaks to make them look nicer.
if that's the case, then any data alteration done, is not going to be recognised by the camera at all.

ie. if I take two NEFs off my PC, where only one has been edited a little by CaptureNX or ViewNX and the other one is untouched as the camera created it, and put them back onto the card to view them on the camera, only the untouched NEF is viewable on the camera. The NEF editied in CaptureNX is a red cross, with the message the file contains no image data(which we know does, via CNX! )

So all of these affected NEFs that have no image data are not viewable with ViewNX? or are there only a few of those NEFs? You said that there were 150 or so images like that on the camera?

can you send me two files? I'd like to have a look at that seriously damaged file with the banding too.

I think the images are probably totally corrupted as you said... but there's no harm in keeping them till that fact has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt.

Also, I have no idea if Nikon offer any program that helps in the recovery of NEF file structure.

See if there's any way to send me two files and see what we can do.

[arthurking83]

AhA!!!

Ok so the file _DSC4350 that you sent is "alright" .. but with the caveat that I can't do anything to it.
if I just open the file and view it via ViewNX, it's perfectly viewable and I can zoom in to 100% view and scroll around the image.. no problems.
If I try any edits(as far as I can tell for now) the banding you got in your thumbnail image infects the image.

Give me few minutes and we'll see what we can do... (be right back)

[Wayne]

try converting to DNG on import to LR?

[arthurking83]

OK.. it seems I may have been wrong in my PM.

The other two files may well be totally corrupted then, as none of the programs I've tried so far are helping.

Recovering the data in the NEF file looks like it;s going to be impossible.

There is some 'good news' tho.

You need to understand how Nikon NEF files work first. NEF files are basically Nikon tiff files but in a more raw format. WHen you edit the NEF file using Nikon's CaptureNX software, it shows you a tiff file as you work/edit. Using ViewNX tho displays a jpg file.. basically the full size version of the embedded jpg file.

The file you sent me that works for both of us.. doesn't actually work! While the thumbnail in the NEF file displays in ViewNX, and I just found out LR3Beta2 as well.. al that means is that the jpg file is intact, and that LR3Beta2 uses a jpg image for display purposes, and hence a possible reason why it shows a slightly different image to what CaptureNX displays.

BUT!!! CNX will not display that DSC4350 image because it needs to display the actual raw data, which is a kind of tiff file, and that raw data(the tiff file) is actually corrupted.

So, I tried using LR3 as well, but the basic story is that even tho it displays the jpg, it still requires the raw data to be fully intact.. so there's no relief there either. exporting to jpg was a dead end.

The good news is that despite the corrupted RAW data, raw files have embedded jog files within them, so the reason you see the thumbnail in the programs that do display them correctly is because those programs(ViewNX, LR3, and any others) display the embedded jpg file, not as CaptureNX does, and displays the actual raw data.

Good news is that for any image where you can see a thumbnail, you can extract the jpg image.

_DSC4350_IJFR.JPG

it's only a jpg, but at least it's a full sized jpg, and not a whimpy 300x200 pixel preview image.

Good programs to use to extract the embedded jpg images from any NEF files still partially intact.

Exiftool is a great program. This is one of the programs that basically confirms the fact that any of the images that don't work in this program are corrupted beyond help(maybe?) This program really only reads the exif data, which should stil be intact, even in a corrupted file(as with DSC4350). Use Exiftool on that image and even though the raw data is corrupted, the exif data(as wel as the embedded jpg) is not, and you can read it all.
Exiftool is for geeks tho.. it's damned command line But that's not a bad thing, it's a good thing, and help may be available with that too.

I'm not too sure how it works on Mac, but on Windows you can do one of two things. You can use the executable exiftool binary named exiftool(-k) and drag an image file onto that binary file and exiftool automagically opens a command line box and displays all the exif data.
How it all works on a Mac is polymorphic rocket science to me(with no Mac to play with).
Good program ... get Exiftool Here.

Exiftool is commandline but there's a GUI addon program(called ExiftoolGUI) available for Windows, but not for Mac on that site.. if you want a GUI for it, you'll need Google for that.
Exiftool has the ability to extract the embedded jpg file.

ALSO! I used another program that's even easier to use than exiftool but only for extracting embedded jpgs. The bonus was that it also maintained some of the exif data(very basic tho) and the beauty of this program is that it;s not a program as such, but a shell extension(I have no idea in what they['re called in mac terminology??) where you rightclick a file and extract the embedded jpg image.
no need to open anything. just use your file browser program, rightclick(Windows) and extract. easy!
That program is called... Instant Jpeg From Raw(IFJR) and when you try to extract the jpg file it gives you a few options on where to save, how to name the file.. etc, etc.
The image I uploaded is one extracted from IFJR(a little over exposed in the sky, but an image none the less.
IFJR is available for Mac too.... but not for Snow Leopard(whatever that is??)
Works perfectly(I have the 64bit version on my 64bit PC).
if you have Snow Leopard, then you may have to google "extract jpeg image from raw file", and see how you go.

remember if the thumbnail displays in your file/image viewing program, then the jpg can be extracted. But the raw data may not necessarily be recoverable.

Finally.. as I searched a few pages on corrupted NEF data here and there, I did come across a site that claims they can recover NEF data

data recovery people website.
No experience with them, I expect they'll charge like wounded bulls too tho, but if you really want those images back, they may have some knowledge.

ps. on that image I've uploaded, the overexposed sky does recover pretty well if you edit the NEF file! I tried doing that with the jpg file using LR3, but it only really darkened it, and didn't recover much blown highlight detail. even tho the NEF was corrupted and had the banding in the image, there is just enough of the image visible up in the sky area to show that the NEF file does recover a lot more of the actual detail in the blown highlights than a jpg file can. I added -1.3 exposure compensation using ViewNX. But of course the resultant image is useless as its now a corrupted tiff file.

anyhow... hope that helps... actually, I hope some of it makes any sense

I'll still try to recover something of those two dead files you sent.. and see how I go(not expecting any luck tho!)

[steamy]

Jeez thanks for the effort.
Sad to say that all the files except that one I sent you with the banding do not have any thumbnail previews!

Converting to DNG whilst importing into LR didn't work either.
message was...
"the files appear to be unsupported or damaged"

[arthurking83]

yep! converting the image implies converting the raw data into another format.

you can't convert corrupted data!

and me thinks it's a card error/problem too.

have you formatted the card and possibly checked for any corrupted data areas and so forth?

just to be sure that it wont happen again.

[steamy]

No I have not formatted the card since but have done a few times before.
It is something I do frequently.
One of the data recovery progs, I think it was Photorescue checked the card and it had no bad blocks
or sectors. I also verified it using a disk utility on the Mac.

When I have exhausted my avenues I'll format the card again and start fresh.