Transferring RAWs from DSLR to laptop via USB converted them to JPG - help!!

harpistic

harpistic

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Name
Chantal
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Hi all - I accidentally left behind a bag last night which had my XQD card reader, and I didn’t want to wait till tomorrow for it to be found, or for a replacement to arrive, and as I’ve used USBs in the past with my D800, I figured I’d do the same with my D6 and D5.

I always shoot in RAW. Always. My shoot prep usually involves just dusting off my lenses with my lens pen, definitely no accidental faffing with camera settings - unless it’s to clean the sensor, or format the card.

I plugged the camera into my laptop, and all of the images displayed as JPGs instead of NEFs. I quickly turned off the camera and unplugged it, checked the images on it, and they’re now all JPGs. Some of the images on it were from Saturday and yesterday, which I’ve already transferred to my laptop as NEFs.

I don’t understand what happened, and is there any way at all to reverse this? It was my final Edinburgh Fringe show, and I’m really gutted and despairing about this - there were some low light images I was looking forward to working with. I’ve also got images from my other memory card to transfer, too.

Help!!!
 
Hi Chantal

Firstly, I am not Nikon user but what I say IMO would apply, potentially/likely, to any make and sorry if I state or ask the obvious.

  1. You mentioned that you usually use a card reader.
    so, apart from this time using a USB connection to transfer the files are there any other differences in the protocol i.e. what is your transfer method using the card reader and did using the USB connected camera use the 100% same method on the laptop (Mac or PC?)?

  2. What do you mean when you say "all of the images displayed as JPGs instead of NEF" displayed on the laptop using the same viewing software as using the card reader?
    plus where you say "I quickly turned off the camera and unplugged it, checked the images on it, and they’re now all JPGs" are you saying checked on the camera of the laptop?

  3. I have never heard of any automatic action that will change raw to jpg without a user intervention!

  4. However, the one thing I am aware of that the likes of Windows explorer will display the embedded jpgs in the raw files by using a codec to 'see' them.

  5. AFAIK is real terms and for whatever reason (accidently changed setting from raw to jpg or a mistaken setting in the software to transfer the files?
    Once a raw is converted to a jpg there is no reverse procedure to go to the raw.

  6. When you look at the images using the review on the camera just what does it tell i.e. raw of jpeg and of the early raws are they still shown as raw when checking the info on the camera?

I have asked the questions to get as clear a picture, as non Nikon user, as possible....................and others who know Nikon hopefully will chip in :)
 
Your camera may be set up to shoot jpeg and raw and record to separate cards. In Nikon cameras you can choose which card is used for playback and/or USB transfer. There's an option in the menu you can set to determine which is used. There's a chance the USB is pointing to slot 2 for read / write etc which is the jpeg card instead of slot 1 where the raws are stored.
 
It sounds like you're panicking a little, so probably best to re-investigate your situation after a nights sleep.

A quick google using 'nikon camera accidental nef to jpg' as the search term throws up the following link: https://nikonites.com/forum/threads...om-nef-raw-jpeg-fine-to-just-jpeg-fine.27906/ Where other Nikon users have found themselves accidentally hitting the wrong button and ended up changing image storage settings instead of ISO. It sounded like it was not too unusual.

Looking at the controls here for the D800 https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d800/D3S_8019-top-1200.jpg I can see the ISO and QUAL buttons are close together. It seems much more likely that there's been an acccidental change of camera setting. TBH it's hard to see how and why connecting your camera via USB would cause conversion of your NEF files to jpg format, because converting file formats requires some processing, and it's hard to see why the original NEF files would then be deleted (assuming they are not still there on the card) because deletion would require a separate action.

I also came across a D500 user who appears to have done a similar thing: https://bcgforums.com/threads/d500-spookily-changed-itself-from-raw-to-jpeg-fine.6989/ This is a danger when key fiunctions like this are assigned to buttons as well as menu coontrols.

HTH and you can still get the pictures you need.
 
toohuge said:
Your camera may be set up to shoot jpeg and raw and record to separate cards. In Nikon cameras you can choose which card is used for playback and/or USB transfer. There's an option in the menu you can set to determine which is used. There's a chance the USB is pointing to slot 2 for read / write etc which is the jpeg card instead of slot 1 where the raws are stored.
Click to expand...
This would be my guess especially given you mention this.
harpistic said:
Some of the images on it were from Saturday and yesterday, which I’ve already transferred to my laptop as NEFs.
Click to expand...
 
Many thanks for the responses, but I did not accidentally change the shooting from RAW to JPG - as evidenced by the weekend’s photos which are RAWs on my laptop but now JPG on the card; I didn’t know who to ask about this.
 
harpistic said:
Many thanks for the responses, but I did not accidentally change the shooting from RAW to JPG - as evidenced by the weekend’s photos which are RAWs on my laptop but now JPG on the card; I didn’t know who to ask about this.
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droj said:
Post #3 ...?
Click to expand...
As @droj points you.....

Are you shooting in raw & jpeg?
Also are you using Dual cards in the camera?
Plus as I asked in my reply (especially relevant to raw & jpeg shooting) what if anything is different re: what software or onboard function are you using to view the files using the card reader vs using the USB connection to the camera.

NB reading your post above the primary factor that is different is the card reader vs USB method. If you can answer that there just maybe some more clarity.......because I stick with what I said in my post#2 if you have been shooting in raw the raws will be on the card.....linking the camera via USB will not suddenly and on & of itself change those images on the card to jpeg. You are either just seeing the embedded jpegs or as per post #3 seeing the JPEGs of shooting both raw & jpeg.
 
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harpistic said:
Many thanks for the responses, but I did not accidentally change the shooting from RAW to JPG - as evidenced by the weekend’s photos which are RAWs on my laptop but now JPG on the card; I didn’t know who to ask about this.
Click to expand...

Try Nikon customer services.

I was suggesting that the setting was changed part way through shooting by accident, which would explain the mix of NEF and JPG, but if you know that you made no adjustments to the camera during that time then it must be something else.
 
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What are you using to view the photos
Are you by any chance using LR to import and view the photos?
I ask because there has been an LR upgrade recently and I wonder if in the import option the "treat .jpg next to RAW files as separate photos" has become unticked
 
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