nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

First you said you did not overwrite your files. Then you said the card was reformatted. There's a big difference there.

Delete files on the card and the data still exists on the card. Doing a "quick" format and the data is still on the card. Doing a "full" format is worse for trying to recover data.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Actually, I've only used it that one time as a test. The format was intentional to see if the images could be recovered. They could and that was all I needed to know. I'm very meticulous when it comes to file handling. However, I did want to be sure of a product before recommending it to anyone else to use.
--Bob

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Yes as has been suggested.
Remember to reformat your card IN Your Camera - not on the PC......

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yes. You need a file recovery software tool.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

1. use "quote reply" and everyone will know what you are responding to

2. I just took an SD out of my 80D that has been in it since I got the camera.
After each day's shooting I import the images and then format in camera.

3. I used Recuva - all up to date latest edition of the free version
A. Pointed Recuva at my card in the reader on the computer, clicked "scan"
B. It said no files found but asks if I want to do a "deep scan", clicked Yes, time 12:30PM - It indicated over 900 files found after about 3 minutes-scan continued
C. Aprx 12:45PM it finished the scan. 220 images in Excellent condition found, 916 other files ignored but counted (I used to have the "Pro" paid version of Recuva and it listed all images rated as to condition and if they were recoverable or not. Free version only lists the ones in Excellent condition and gives a count of the others.
The oldest image in Excellent condition was a humming bird at the feeder from May 2018.
D. I high lite that image and clicked "recover" and placed it on my desktop then opened a viewer - the image was fully recovered.

I suggest you try Recuva again.

drobvit Loc: Southern NV

RescuePro

cgondolf Loc: Eugene Oregon

Try "GetDataback". They have several versions, but I've used the NTFS version on many different drives. You can download a test to see what it will recover and then purchase a key to complete the recovery. It's never let me down in 15 years (as a System Admin for a large University), even on formatted drives. PM me with any questions.

Carl

amkras Loc: NY

Friends I appreciate all your suggestions but I find the directions for using these programs confusing since they are asking what drive the pictures are on. For some of them too confusing. I don’t want to risk messing up the computer. I did call Sandisk and got a link to try but in the end I brought the card to a local camera shop and pray they can recover the pictures.

11bravo

Try Recurva with the deep scan option (think it's deep, but could be called full or something similar). An initial scan just looks for a File Allocation Table. If it doesn't find one, you'll have to scan the full card.

SanDisk Pro cards do come with a small piece of paper with link to their recovery software. Just make sure you download the correct version - for SD cards, not SSD version.

But I think Recurva with a deep scan will work.

11bravo

I'm also a fan of the NTFS version of GetDataBack. Just used it last month to recover all files from an HDD with a damaged MFT.

ButchS Loc: Spokane, WA

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

The computer assigns a drive letter to each drive or card slot and usb that is plugged in. Just go to File Explorer to see what letter your card or card reader gets when you plug it in and tell the recovery program to look there.
My SD card slot on my internal multi card reader is "I" so that is where I told Recuva to look.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I don't think I've ever deleted or reformatted an SD card accidentally. But I do think once early on in my digital photography history (Ca 2006?) I may have deleted unintendedly some image files off my PC Hard Drive. This was because some time later I could not find a few images I thought I remember having taken. This would have been with my first ever Kodak 6.1MP "Bridge" Camera.

I don't keep loose SD cards laying around. I have a few older / smaller ones stored away as emergency back-ups. I keeps cards in my cameras and DL new image files to my PC usually right after a shoot the same day. I've never come close to filling up an SD card. I'll either reformat the card in-camera after checking to see that everything copied over OK. If particularly important I'll wait to reformat until after I process several with Ps to be sure they are really OK. A few times I've forgotten to reformat and shot more images on the card later and then later find both sets of differently dated duplicated images. Those dups get deleted of the HDD. For archiving I keep my older RAW and Processed images on duplicate External HDD.