The Canon PowerShot S95 is a great camera for those who want an upgrade from the regular point-and-shoot cameras, and have more control with the settings and output. However, many users have reported accidental data loss - i.e. lost or deleted pictures on the S95. This is often caused by a transmission error in the data stream to the camera's SD card. The good news is that when photos are deleted on the Canon PowerShot S95 (either through human or mechanical error), they can easily be recovered, and with not much trouble at all.
For Best Results Do Not Continue to Take Pictures
If you have missing photos on your S95 SD card, it really is best to act immediately. In fact if you continue to take pictures on a damaged memory card, it will severely lower your chances of a full recovery. This is because each time the camera accesses the memory card (either to write a new picture, or view an old one) it "fragments" the disk by moving the data round. Again, you can recover photos from Canon Powershot line of cameras easily, but do yourself a big favor and stop using the memory card right away.
Check for Damage on the SD Card
Turn the camera off and take out the SD card where your photos are saved. The SD card slot in the camera may have collected dust or particles, which caused the transfer error. Clean both the card and card slot with a soft microfiber cloth (I use an eyeglass lens cleaner). Try the card in your computer again; many times simply cleaning the card can bring back your lost photos. However, If you still cannot find the lost photos, don't worry, you can refer to good photo recovery software that will help you get back the photos that you lost.
Download a few Demos
Now is a good time to check out some different photo recovery programs. I recommend Photo Retrieval 1.70 for Windows, but there are other good recovery programs out there, such as Stellar Photo Recovery which is compatible with both Mac and PC computers. Both of the programs I just mentioned can be easily downloaded and installed on your computer in a few minutes. I'm recommending these two programs because they both offer the ability to scan your memory card for free. That means that if the program does not work as advertised, you don't have to pay a dime. Only when the software has successfully recovered your pictures will you be asked to pay a modest registrations fee (about ).
Install the Software
Next, connect your SD card to the computer. It may be better to use a SD card reader and connect that via USB to your computer, rather than using the camera to connect the card, as there can sometimes be compatibility issues with the camera's usb connection. The software will scan the SD card and will show you what you can retrieve from your card. They also have the capability of recovering video and music files as well. The process is easy, and you just have to follow a few steps to complete the entire process.
Prevent Future Data Loss
In the future always carry multiple memory cards with you at all times, and swap them often. This way if one of your memory cards does get corrupted, you won't lost all of your photos. I call this the "don't keep all of your eggs in one basket" rule. Good luck!
