[PDL]

If you look through the threads on this list site you will discover several pertaining to the inability of various Windows versions being able to view PEF files in File Explorer. This trend continues to tis day:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/190-pentax-k-1/331107-windows-10-image-dr...pef-files.html
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/58-troubleshooting-beginner-help/310854-c...dows-10-a.html

I admit that I have been downplaying this issue for a long time, but all of that changed when I purchased a K3-II last week. I am running the latest version of Windows 10 on three separate systems and I can not natively view the K3-II PEF's in file explorer. Currently I also own a K10D and my old workhorse a K20D and I can view the PEF's without issue including the ones from my *ist Ds I have given away to my son.

As a photographer and a 30+ year IT support person I know when a vendor is just not supporting their community. With the introduction of Winnows Vista, Microsoft introduced WIC (Windows Image Components) into their OS where THE VENDOR was responsible for providing Microsoft with codex's for their proprietary file format. Pentax took YEARS to respond to the communities requests to provide such a codex. With the introduction of Windows 10, these codec's were rolled up into cumulative updates provided by Windows Update.

Now I assume that you have been providing code to other SW vendors (Adobe, Phase One, dcraw -people, ON1, Apple, Google etc etc.) that allows PEF files to be natively viewed in their software products. Why the hate for Microsoft? Why can't Ricoh provide a codec for PEF files in the current generation of Ricoh/Pentax models. The following response (from the bottom thread listed above) is just plain wrong , if Ricoh/Pentax has competent coders they should be able to provide a codec for Microsoft to use. While I am not absolutely positive, Windows 10 can view Phase One 100MP files, Canon 50MP files, Sony 45MP files using the current implementation of WIC. Are you seriously saying that Ricoh/Pentax can't support 24MP or 34MP files? The Redmond Ricoh office is less than seven (7) miles from the Microsoft campus - couldn't you guys do lunch and work something out?

Dear Mr/Mrs XXXXX,
Thank you for contacting Ricoh Imaging
A file with the PEF file extension is a Pentax Raw Image file.
These can only be opened by programs designed by Pentax.They are not supported by Windows.
I would suggest using the .DNG file type for RAW files.
If you are in need of further assistance, please respond to this email or call our technical support center.

Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXX

Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/58-troubleshooting-beginner-help/310854-c...#ixzz4Rp5PVaMz

[Adam]

I'm sure Ricoh will appreciate the feedback. As I have no knowledge of the politics related to these codecs, so I won't comment on that, but there are some solutions I found that might help you for the time being:

1. This software claims to include PEF codecs along with windows 10 compatibility
FastPictureViewer Codec Pack: PSD, CR2, NEF, DNG RAW codecs (and more) for Windows 8.x Desktop, Windows 7, Windows Vista and XP

2. If you shoot in DNG instead of PEF, you can use the adobe codec. File contents are the same between the two formats.
Adobe - DNG Codec : For Windows

It should still work despite being released a few years ago.

[photolady95]

Another free software to view and edit PEF files is FastStone Image Viewer. It's an editor also. I've used it for years as have many others who now have Windows 10.

FastStone Image Viewer - Powerful and Intuitive Photo Viewer, Editor and Batch Converter

[PDL]

Neither of you seem to "get it".
Pentax (Hoya I believe) created the codex which is on their site. It is not that they can't do it or they can't document the internal structure of the newer model PEF files so "other" companies can process PEF files. Adobe has it, Capture One has it, SilkyPix has it and that comes with the cameras. You mean to tell me that to use Ricoh's logic (paraphrasing from the above) "These can only be opened by programs designed by Pentax.They are not supported by Windows."?
Really?

Pentax wrote LR and Photoshop, SilkyPix, Capture One, FastStone and FastPictureViewer? --- I think not.
If Hoya can write and deliver a codec (http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/support/digital/rawcodec_win.html) - why can't Ricoh? That is my question.

As for your proposed solution's of FastStone and FastPictureViewr Codec Pack - well no - that I do not want. I do not want to be reliant on an additional third party to just take a quick look at images, I have a tool to manage the file system - it's name is File Explorer - just allow me to view the proprietary format. I use other tools also, ExiftoolGui and GeoSetter to pull composite:LensID into exif:LensModel fields and adding additional Metadata. (On my earlier ist Ds, K10D and K20D, I use these tools to for geotagging) and without the Pentax K3-ii codec these commonly used tools can not display the images, so I have to "guess" which image it is.

For DNG files (what I am forced to shoot now) I have the codec from Adobe and it works "good enough". If Pentax is going to abandon the PEF format for DNG, then they should come out and just do it. And when they do, they will become tied at the hip to the whims of Adobe, we may have to "rent" the codec for all I know.

I want native Windows support using the protocol as outlined for the last 9 years. WIC was released with Windows Vista in 2007. The codex on the Pentax site is for Windows 8.1 is that Ricoh bad at writing this stuff that they can't produce a codec for their own format? The ball is in Ricoh's court, telling your customers to use a third parties format is a first step to giving away control of your product. (Just remember what Capture One does to Pentax 645Z DNG's - i.e. nothing

Yeah - I am ticked off. If Ricoh can stop supporting their own format - what else are they going to abandon?

For the guys at Ricoh:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ee719883(v=vs.85).aspx

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Last edited by PDL; 12-05-2016 at 02:00 AM.

[BigRed]

Thank you very much for your post. Adam is correct we appreciate your passion and your feedback. I will send your comments directly to the highest levels of the Ricoh Imaging Management Team. Thank you for being a valued Pentax customer.

[PDL]

Any response from Ricoh?

To be honest, I expect them to ignore this issue.

[PDL]

I had a surreal experience over the last few days. I loaded the Pentax Camera Utility 5 on my primary machine and had to undergo major account rights mashing up to get it to work. I removed loaded and removed the program three or four times, but now it is working although painfully slow. So I went and opened file explorer and it would not display the files for .PEF files from my *ist Ds, K10D or K20D. I looked into purchasing a codec pack, but why should I have to pay a third party for the Pentax codec for obsolete equipment? While I could not see the thumbnails I could double click on them and the Photos app would display the images - except for the K-3ii. Just to be sure that the codec was not removed by a Microsoft update, I started up my Asus Tablet format PC (HB121) which does not have any photography applications, office apps, or anything other than a few lameoid apps from the MS store, and was still able to see PEF's from my old equipment. (They are all copied to my NAS just in case).

Anyway I went out to the Ricoh/Pentax site and downloaded the 32bit codec from HOYA, loaded it and -- Behold, PEF's for my older cameras works just fine. The bottom line is:

COME ON RICOH - CAN'T YOU PROVIDE THE SAME LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR YOUR OWN PROPRIETARY FORMAT THAT HOYA DID?