Image format
Pentax native raw images; compatible cameras may offer PEF or DNG recording.
Explore the format
Choose a target format for your Pentax PEF images.
Marked paths may need steps such as flattening, rasterization, tone mapping or animation loss.
Choose a source format to convert to Pentax PEF.
Pentax Electronic File
PEF is Pentax’s native raw image format for compatible cameras. It keeps image data for later development with camera capture information. Some Pentax models also offer DNG as an alternative recording format. These are choices for raw storage, not the same distinction as choosing a finished JPEG for immediate sharing.
The K-5 II manual documents PEF/DNG selection. Precision, compression and vendor metadata need the specific camera documentation; do not generalise a single model’s settings to every PEF. A native file may retain manufacturer information that another processing workflow interprets differently.
Use the raw original for repeated photographic development when exposure interpretation and colour decisions need to remain flexible. Export JPEG for an opaque delivery image or a suitable high-precision raster for further editing. Those exports bake in processing choices and cannot recreate the original sensor data, calibration or all vendor metadata.
Raw development interprets capture values using colour calibration, white balance and a tone curve; mosaiced data also needs demosaicing. A built-in preview is already rendered and can look different from a fresh raw development. More bit depth does not recover clipped exposure or establish a ready-to-display HDR image.
The K-5 II manual documents PEF/DNG selection. Precision, compression and vendor metadata need the specific camera documentation; do not generalise a single model’s settings to every PEF. A native file may retain manufacturer information that another processing workflow interprets differently.
Raw formats evolve alongside camera sensors, recording modes and development software. These milestones connect this format family to the camera and processing workflows that use it.
Different formats, different trade-offs. Choose for the image and the workflow.
DNG provides a published container for camera raw data and calibration information. It can simplify supported raw interchange, but conversion does not guarantee that every proprietary maker note or processing feature will remain usable.
JPEG makes a compact photographic delivery file, but ordinary JPEG discards detail and has no alpha. Keep the richer source for editing and use JPEG when the receiving workflow expects an opaque photo.
TIFF provides tagged raster storage with multiple images and several sample types and compression schemes. It is a useful interchange choice for scanning and high-precision editing, but the receiving tool must support the particular TIFF variant.
PNG preserves decoded pixels losslessly and can carry alpha. It is useful for transparent graphics and screenshots; it does not preserve editable document layers or camera sensor data, and photographic files can be large.
PEF is Pentax’s native raw image format for compatible cameras. It keeps image data for later development with camera capture information. Some Pentax models also offer DNG as an alternative recording format. These are choices for raw storage, not the same distinction as choosing a finished JPEG for immediate sharing.
The K-5 II manual documents PEF/DNG selection. Precision, compression and vendor metadata need the specific camera documentation; do not generalise a single model’s settings to every PEF. A native file may retain manufacturer information that another processing workflow interprets differently.
Check which choice your model offers and your processor supports. PEF is the native Pentax representation; DNG follows Adobe’s published structure. Test metadata and development before changing an established archive workflow.
Check the exact camera model and recording mode in the processor’s support list. Raw support is model-specific, even when the extension is recognised. Viewing an embedded JPEG preview does not prove the sensor data has been decoded.
Raw-to-image export develops the data: white balance, colour mapping and tone become part of the pixels. Grayscale, palette and SDR targets can discard additional information. Keep the original; converting a rendered image back into a raw container cannot reconstruct the capture.
Use the raw original for repeated photographic development when exposure interpretation and colour decisions need to remain flexible. Export JPEG for an opaque delivery image or a suitable high-precision raster for further editing. Those exports bake in processing choices and cannot recreate the original sensor data, calibration or all vendor metadata.