Pentax PEF files: Icons don't display in Finder

enoxatnep · 11-09-2011, 09:26 PM

I like most of what OS X Lion has to offer except for some quirks and bugs with Finder, like how I can no longer view thumbnails of my photos while in Icon view in Finder. I was able to with Snow Leopard, but not now.

Do any of you fellow Mac-aholics have this problem? If so, do you know of a fix (besides submitting it as Apple feedback)? Or is the easiest solution to just start shooting DNG?

johnyates · 11-10-2011, 10:18 AM

This may or may not be helpful - I'm not using Lion yet. But, on Snow Leopard I did not have the pef icon until I installed the Pentax software. The icon then began showing up once I'd opened a pef using the Pentax utility.

enoxatnep · 11-11-2011, 10:38 PM

Your suggestion might work, but I don't want to use up valuable HD space by installing software I'll never use just for the sake of having PEF thumbnails appear. Makes me wonder if I should just start shooting DNG RAW files and no longer PEF. Any thoughts, i.e. would I be 'losing' or 'sacrificing' something by shooting DNG vs PEF?

mysticcowboy · 11-11-2011, 11:23 PM

I've shot both PEF and DNG and can't seen any difference in the images. However the DNG files that the K-20D, K-7 and K-5 produce are not compressed and are larger than PEFs. On my K-5 it's about 4-5 MB, which adds up quickly. Since I'm using an older version of Photoshop, and it won't read the K-5 PEFs, so I have Lightroom import the PEF files as DNG. Again, I can see no difference in the images, even compared at 100%. Since DNG is an Adobe file format, the imported DNGs are compressed and about the same size as the PEF files would be for the same image. If you don't use Lightroom or Bridge for import, you can download Adobe's free DNG converter.

enoxatnep · 11-12-2011, 10:43 AM

Actually, I use Lightroom now so I'll get that set up. Last night, I experimented by converting PEF to DNG on a couple of images that I already had in my Lightroom library. The converted images were smaller in size, but in Finder on my Mac, the dates taken and modified were changed to last night and not when they were originally taken, although the EXIF info was the same when viewed in LR. One of those Mac Finder quirks that REALLY annoys me. So yes, your suggestion of still shooting PEF but converting to DNG upon import is a very good one. Thanks!

**boriscleto** · 11-12-2011, 11:16 AM

Try trashing your Finder prefs.

Press cmnd-shft-g and type in /users/(username)/Library/Preferences

Make a copy of com.apple.finder.plist and com.apple.finder.plist.lockfile and put them on the desktop. Then trash the originals and reboot.

11-09-2011, 09:26 PM	#1
enoxatnep Closed Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The edge of nowhere, Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 467	Pentax PEF files: Icons don't display in Finder I like most of what OS X Lion has to offer except for some quirks and bugs with Finder, like how I can no longer view thumbnails of my photos while in Icon view in Finder. I was able to with Snow Leopard, but not now. Do any of you fellow Mac-aholics have this problem? If so, do you know of a fix (besides submitting it as Apple feedback)? Or is the easiest solution to just start shooting DNG?

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11-10-2011, 10:18 AM	#2
johnyates Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Saskatoon, SK Photos: Albums Posts: 1,345	This may or may not be helpful - I'm not using Lion yet. But, on Snow Leopard I did not have the pef icon until I installed the Pentax software. The icon then began showing up once I'd opened a pef using the Pentax utility.

11-11-2011, 10:38 PM	#3
enoxatnep Closed Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The edge of nowhere, Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 467 Original Poster	Your suggestion might work, but I don't want to use up valuable HD space by installing software I'll never use just for the sake of having PEF thumbnails appear. Makes me wonder if I should just start shooting DNG RAW files and no longer PEF. Any thoughts, i.e. would I be 'losing' or 'sacrificing' something by shooting DNG vs PEF?

11-11-2011, 11:23 PM	#4
mysticcowboy Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: port townsend, wa Photos: Albums Posts: 968	I've shot both PEF and DNG and can't seen any difference in the images. However the DNG files that the K-20D, K-7 and K-5 produce are not compressed and are larger than PEFs. On my K-5 it's about 4-5 MB, which adds up quickly. Since I'm using an older version of Photoshop, and it won't read the K-5 PEFs, so I have Lightroom import the PEF files as DNG. Again, I can see no difference in the images, even compared at 100%. Since DNG is an Adobe file format, the imported DNGs are compressed and about the same size as the PEF files would be for the same image. If you don't use Lightroom or Bridge for import, you can download Adobe's free DNG converter.

11-12-2011, 10:43 AM	#5
enoxatnep Closed Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: The edge of nowhere, Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 467 Original Poster	Actually, I use Lightroom now so I'll get that set up. Last night, I experimented by converting PEF to DNG on a couple of images that I already had in my Lightroom library. The converted images were smaller in size, but in Finder on my Mac, the dates taken and modified were changed to last night and not when they were originally taken, although the EXIF info was the same when viewed in LR. One of those Mac Finder quirks that REALLY annoys me. So yes, your suggestion of still shooting PEF but converting to DNG upon import is a very good one. Thanks!

11-12-2011, 11:16 AM	#6
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,477	Try trashing your Finder prefs. Press cmnd-shft-g and type in /users/(username)/Library/Preferences Make a copy of com.apple.finder.plist and com.apple.finder.plist.lockfile and put them on the desktop. Then trash the originals and reboot.