Deleted photos Somehow all the pictures got deleted on my camera before I had a chance to use the "protect" function. This would have prevented them from being deleted. Is there any way to restore deleted photos?

The protect function allows a user to protect a picture from accidental deletion. To unprotect a picture on your camera, scroll to the protected picture that you want to delete, then press the Menu button (the button to the right of the Play button.) Scroll down the menu and you should come to an option that allows you to Protect/Unprotect the picture. Since your picture is currently protected, deselect that option. You should then be able to delete the picture normally.

Alternatively, you could also format the memory card, however this deletes ALL photos and data you have on the memory card. If you are trying to completely clear the memory, this is the best way. After turning on your camera, simply press the Menu button, scroll to Setup, then scroll down to Format. Select Format, it will ask you if you want to format the memory card, or the camera's built-in memory. Format whichever one you want to clear, if you are using a memory card then your pictures are stored on the memory card. It will take a few seconds to format.

Hope this helps.

You have to select each protected photo and and unprotect it.
Of course the 'protect' function is there to protect photos from (accidental) deletion.

Take no more pics until you've recovered your photos, take the card out of the camera. This is to reduce the chance of you overwriting some of your "lost" photos. There are many good freeware photo recovery software options that may help you recover your photos. This article reviews and outlines several of the better ones. Now after you've recovered your photos, consider formatting the card in the camera to prevent this from happening again.

Take no more pics until you've recovered your photos, take the card out of the camera. This is to reduce the chance of you overwriting some of your "lost" photos. There are many good freeware photo recovery software options that may help you recover your photos. This article reviews and outlines several of the better ones:

I had the same problem before, then I had success with asoftech photo recovery software. here's the step by step information
http://www.asoftech.com/support/apr_step.html

Judging by your explanation, the photos are on your sd digital memory card rather than the internal memory.
Since you are unable to delete just those 15, it sounds like you might have accidentally enabled the "protect" function.

Get out your manual (or download a new one) and read about how to protect/unprotect photos, and also read about how to format your card in camera - something you should do on a VERY regular basis for the health of your memory card.

While you have the book out, read ALL of it - twice! You'll be amazed how much you'll learn.

You have somehow "protected" the images. You need your owner's manual to find how to unprotect them.

To delete all or just one of the pics on the memory card -- go to the play mode and use the Q Menu on the very bottom right -- you can select your choice from there.

In play you can also go to Menu and Protection and select if you want all or one photo protected.

Hope that helps!
Took me a while to figure it out!

If it is an SD memory card, check for a little white tab on the left side. Chances are that somehow it got pushed down to the 'write protect' mode. Move it back up and you should be good to go! Good luck.

format the card through the camera menus... always make sure you safely remove camera before disconnecting (Safely Remove Hardware)