Why SD cards recover well
Two things work in your favour. First, SD cards generally don't receive TRIM commands the way an internal SSD does, so deleted data physically lingers. Second, camera files are highly structured — JPEG, RAW and MP4 all start with recognisable signatures, which makes raw-sector carving unusually reliable even when the filesystem is gone.
Step 1 — Stop shooting
Eject the card and set it aside. A single extra burst can overwrite hundreds of megabytes of recoverable frames. If the camera warns that the card needs formatting, don't let it.
Step 2 — Connect with a card reader
A direct card reader exposes the card as a block device, which is what deep scanning needs. Some cameras in USB mode present a restricted view instead, and that limits what any recovery tool can see.
Step 3 — Deep Scan and filter by type
Run a Deep Scan, then filter results to photos and video. Cinder groups by file type and shows inline previews, so you can confirm the shots you actually care about before recovering anything.
Step 4 — Recover to your computer
Save the recovered files to your internal disk or another external drive. Writing them back to the card would overwrite the very sectors still holding other photos.
What about a card that won't mount?
A card the operating system can't mount may still be readable at the sector level, and deep scans often work anyway. If the card isn't detected at all electrically, that's a physical fault — no software can help, and a lab is the only option.