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Sony camera turned off while recording: is the video lost?

The battery died, the camera overheated or the card filled up halfway through a take. It’s a horrible moment, but in most cases the footage is still there.

What happened to the recording

Sony cameras save picture and sound to the card continuously while you film. What they do only at the very end, when you press stop, is write the file’s index and give it its final .MP4 name. When the camera shuts off suddenly, that last step never happens, so the clip is left as an unfinished .RSV file.

That’s why the clip seems to be missing in the camera’s playback and on your computer: it isn’t a normal video file yet. But the footage inside it, often the whole take, is usually intact.

Common causes

Flat or pulled battery: the most common cause, especially on long event takes.
Full card: recording stops abruptly when there’s no space left.
Overheating: long 4K or high-frame-rate takes, sun, or a closed-up screen.
Card removed, camera dropped or crashed while the access light was on.

What to do now

Stop shooting on that card. Swap to a fresh card if you’re still filming. New recordings can overwrite the space the unfinished clip is using.
Don’t format the card, even if the camera suggests it.
Copy the whole card to your computer with a card reader. The unfinished clip is in PRIVATE/M4ROOT/CLIP/ and ends in .RSV.
Check its size. A normal size means the footage is inside. If it shows 0 bytes, see RSV file is 0 bytes.
Rebuild it. Drop the .RSV from your copy on rsvrescue.com. You’ll see a free 15-second preview with sound, then you can save the full video, with the original quality and picture and sound in sync.

Can the camera fix it itself?

Sometimes. Some Sony cameras try to finish an interrupted clip when the same card goes back in with a charged battery and the camera is switched on. It’s worth one try after you’ve copied the card. If the .RSV is still there afterwards, rebuild it as above.

Stop it happening again

A full battery or external power for long takes, fast cards with plenty of space, and keeping the camera cool prevent most of these. See how to avoid .RSV files.

Frequently asked questions

Is my video lost if my Sony camera turned off while recording?

Usually not. The picture and sound were saved to the card as you filmed. The camera just didn’t get to finish the file, so it’s left as a .RSV that can be rebuilt.

Where is the unfinished clip on the card?

In PRIVATE/M4ROOT/CLIP/ on the memory card, named like C0042.RSV instead of C0042.MP4.

What should I do first?

Stop recording on that card, take it out, and copy everything on it to your computer. Then work only on the copy.

Try the free preview → Drop your .RSV and watch the first 15 seconds of your recovered clip before you pay anything.