PEF vs TIFF
A detailed comparison of Pentax RAW and TIFF Image — file size, quality, compatibility, and which format to choose for your workflow.
Pentax RAW
Raster & Vector ImagesPEF is the RAW image format used by Pentax DSLR cameras, containing full sensor data.
About PEF filesTIFF Image
Raster & Vector ImagesTIFF is a flexible, high-quality image format widely used in publishing, printing, and professional photography. It supports multiple compression methods and color spaces including CMYK.
About TIFF filesStrengths Comparison
PEF Strengths
- Full Pentax sensor data with 14-bit or 12-bit depth.
- Rich Pentax makernotes for lens and filter metadata.
- DNG alternative available on body — user choice of archival openness.
- Every major raw processor supports PEF.
TIFF Strengths
- Lossless by default — no generation loss on successive edits and saves.
- Supports any bit depth (1 to 32 bits per channel), any color model, any number of channels.
- Extensible tag system means vendor-specific data survives alongside standard tags.
- Multi-page containers are perfect for scanned documents, faxes, and DICOM-like stacks.
- Industry-standard for archival, museums, scientific imaging, and high-end print prepress.
Limitations
PEF Limitations
- Proprietary with no public spec.
- Niche market share — Pentax DSLR sales are a fraction of Canon/Nikon/Sony.
- Lightroom profile coverage trails the Big Three.
- Smaller third-party ecosystem.
TIFF Limitations
- File sizes are huge compared to JPEG/WebP/AVIF — often 10-30× larger.
- Not a web format — no browser displays TIFF natively.
- Ambiguous spec areas mean some TIFFs only open correctly in the tool that created them.
- Weak animation support — designed for still imagery.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | PEF | TIFF |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/x-pentax-pef | image/tiff |
| Extension | .pef | — |
| Container | TIFF/EP with Pentax MakerNote | — |
| Bit depth | 12 or 14-bit | — |
| Alternative | DNG (selectable in-camera on K-series) | — |
| Extensions | — | .tif, .tiff |
| Standard | — | TIFF 6.0 (1992); BigTIFF extension for 64-bit offsets |
| Max file size | — | 4 GB (TIFF); 2^64 bytes (BigTIFF) |
| Compression options | — | None, LZW, Deflate, JPEG, CCITT G3/G4, PackBits, JBIG |
Typical File Sizes
PEF
- 24 MP PEF (K-3 Mark III) 30-40 MB
- 36 MP PEF (K-1 Mark II) 45-60 MB
TIFF
- Scanned A4 page (300 dpi, B&W) 100-300 KB
- Scanned A4 page (600 dpi, color) 15-40 MB
- Print-quality magazine photo 30-150 MB
- Satellite GeoTIFF tile 50 MB - 5 GB
Ready to convert?
Convert between PEF and TIFF online, free, and without installing anything. Encrypted upload, automatic deletion after 60 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
PEF (Pentax RAW) is an image format used to store raster graphics — a two-dimensional grid of pixels describing a picture. It is part of the raster & vector images family and designed around a specific trade-off between file size, visual fidelity, and feature support (transparency, colour depth, compression type). Photographers, web designers, and content creators choose PEF when its particular strengths match the publishing target.
PEF (Pentax RAW) is an image formato used to store raster graphics — a two-dimensional grid of pixels describing a picture. It is part of the raster & vector images family e designed around a specific trade-off between tamanho do arquivo, visual fidelity, e feature support (transparency, colour depth, compressão type). Photographers, web designers, e content creators choose PEF when its particular strengths match the publishing target.
Most desktop photo viewers (Windows Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, Affinity Photo) open PEF natively. On mobile, iOS Photos and Google Photos display PEF in the gallery when supported by the OS. If the format is rare or new, convert to JPG or PNG first — both are universally readable — using our PEF to JPG or PEF to PNG converter.
Most desktop photo viewers (Windows Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, Affinity Photo) abrir PEF natively. On mobile, iOS Photos e Google Photos display PEF no gallery when suportado por the OS. If the formato is rare ou new, converter to JPG ou PNG first — both are universally readable — usando our PEF to JPG ou PEF to PNG converter.
Upload the PEF to KaijuConverter and pick a target format (JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, SVG, PDF). The conversion runs in the browser via ImageMagick and returns a download in seconds. No account or installation required; both input and output delete automatically within two hours.
It depends on the task. JPG is the smallest file size for photographs; PNG is lossless with transparency; PEF has its own niche that may favour colour depth, animation, or encoding efficiency over one or both of those. For the final web publish, test all three and measure file size plus visible quality on real content.