Able to see video on camera but file is not on SD card

Yesterday, I recorded a concert and I can see the movies on the LCD screen of my Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7. However, when I put the SD card into the SD slot on my MacBook Pro, they don't show up and the folder size is zero. I did unthinkingly upload some RAW files and then erase them from the card. I can still see the videos though. 14 GB are used on the card but nowhere to be found in the Finder. I looked for something like show hidden files but I couldn't find any command like that for a folder. Someone with a similar problem, but stills, wrote that the files were in the clipboard on the camera. I don't know anything about a clipboard on the G7 and 14GB sounds huge. Unfortunately, it takes a proprietary USB cable from the camera, which I didn't bring with me on the is sojourn to CA so I cannot immediately try from the camera.

So the question is how can I get my videos into my computer if they don't show up on the SD card?

edurbrow wrote:

Yesterday, I recorded a concert and I can see the movies on the LCD screen of my Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7. However, when I put the SD card into the SD slot on my MacBook Pro, they don't show up and the folder size is zero. I did unthinkingly upload some RAW files and then erase them from the card. I can still see the videos though. 14 GB are used on the card but nowhere to be found in the Finder. I looked for something like show hidden files but I couldn't find any command like that for a folder. Someone with a similar problem, but stills, wrote that the files were in the clipboard on the camera. I don't know anything about a clipboard on the G7 and 14GB sounds huge. Unfortunately, it takes a proprietary USB cable from the camera, which I didn't bring with me on the is sojourn to CA so I cannot immediately try from the camera.

So the question is how can I get my videos into my computer if they don't show up on the SD card?

Look in PRIVATE/AVCHD/BDMV/STREAM directory. Not in DCIM, where photos live.

FaFik wrote:

edurbrow wrote:

Yesterday, I recorded a concert and I can see the movies on the LCD screen of my Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7. However, when I put the SD card into the SD slot on my MacBook Pro, they don't show up and the folder size is zero. I did unthinkingly upload some RAW files and then erase them from the card. I can still see the videos though. 14 GB are used on the card but nowhere to be found in the Finder. I looked for something like show hidden files but I couldn't find any command like that for a folder. Someone with a similar problem, but stills, wrote that the files were in the clipboard on the camera. I don't know anything about a clipboard on the G7 and 14GB sounds huge. Unfortunately, it takes a proprietary USB cable from the camera, which I didn't bring with me on the is sojourn to CA so I cannot immediately try from the camera.

So the question is how can I get my videos into my computer if they don't show up on the SD card?

Look in PRIVATE/AVCHD/BDMV/STREAM directory. Not in DCIM, where photos live.

Agreed.

To OP: if you shot in MP4, it should be stored under DCIM/XXX and has a name of PXXXXXX.MP4 in the sequence of other photos.

If you shot in AVCHD, it should be stored under FaFik suggested and has a file name of XXXXX.MTS.

tt321 wrote:

Insert card back into the Mac, then look in the trashbin.

Whatever you do, don't empty the trashbin while the card is in the Mac. Nor should you delete the video and any photos in the camera.

Recover files as per the normal procedure.

When I do what you suggest, what I see in the trash are heaps of RW2 files, none of which are larger than 14.5 MB, but no mp4 or AVHD files.

OMG, Thank You!

In Private, there was an AVHD file that was 12.8 GB. Inside Premiere Pro, I could import MTS files which were buried a few folders deep. So the footage is there. No audio, but I recorded audio with two other devices, so I'm okay there. I certainly don't know how they ended up there, as I always record MP4. Phew!

Thanks so much.

Ed Durbrow
Saitama, Japan
http://www.youtube.com/user/edurbrow?feature=watch
https://soundcloud.com/ed-durbrow
http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/

1. edurbrow wrote:

tt321 wrote:

Insert card back into the Mac, then look in the trashbin.

Whatever you do, don't empty the trashbin while the card is in the Mac. Nor should you delete the video and any photos in the camera.

Recover files as per the normal procedure.

When I do what you suggest, what I see in the trash are heaps of RW2 files, none of which are larger than 14.5 MB, but no mp4 or AVHD files.

Have you tried looking in other folders, as Albert summarized at the bottom of his post here?: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/59156223

Look in PRIVATE/AVCHD/BDMV/STREAM directory. Not in DCIM, where photos live.

Agreed.

To OP: if you shot in MP4, it should be stored under DCIM/XXX and has a name of PXXXXXX.MP4 in the sequence of other photos.

If you shot in AVCHD, it should be stored under FaFik suggested and has a file name of XXXXX.MTS.

My friend was operating the camera, so maybe he changed it.

I only see DCIM, MISC and PRIVATE at the top level of the card. Nothing at all inside MISC. Inside PRIVATE there is AVCHD and PANA_GRP. Inside PANA_GRP there is PAVC which only contains LUMIX, which appears to be empty. This is all alphabet soup to me.

Ed Durbrow
Saitama, Japan
http://www.youtube.com/user/edurbrow?feature=watch
https://soundcloud.com/ed-durbrow
http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/

john isaacs wrote:

Did you try connecting to the camera over wifi?

That is another great idea I never thought of. I have never experimented with wifi. It is probably easy if you know how.

Ed Durbrow
Saitama, Japan
http://www.youtube.com/user/edurbrow?feature=watch
https://soundcloud.com/ed-durbrow
http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/

Have you tried looking in other folders, as Albert summarized at the bottom of his post here?: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/59156223

Yes. I got the AVCHD file. Much relieved.

dazecutr wrote:

I have the same problem only i use a PC. Nothing in the trash bin

Why you are looking for the Trash Bin (the Recycle Bin actually, on the card?)?

Have your tried to use a card reader, and launch Windows Explorer (the native file manager if Windows) to go through your SD card?

Or do you have FastStone etc free image viewer software installed on your PC. Again these software can also navigate through the SD card to look for image files (RAW, Jpg, video files) etc.

Look for the DCIM folder, everything created by G7 will be stored inside sub folders inside it.

Usually, this means that your OS does not have the CODEC for the particular video type that you are shooting.

The camera installation on your computer (for your computer to talk to the camera, and vice versa) should have done this for you.

Henry

Guy Parsons wrote:

Basically on my Sony compact, if I go looking for the video files I get lost, so....

I always use FastStone Viewer for downloads from cards and if I point to the DCIM folder I get stills and no video, if I point it to the root of the card then it manages to find all stills plus videos, wherever Sony has hidden the darn things. No problems.

When I look at a card from Sony I see this mess.....

The videos are in there somewhere. Lotsa luck!

There are two hurdles.

First you have to know to look in the correct folder, per Guy's diagram above, also this post

Second, I have seen that Windows Exporer in Windows 10 doesn't show media files for which you have no codec.