A PEF file viewer for Pentax shooters on Windows
PEF, the Pentax Electronic File, is the raw format Pentax K-mount bodies record when set to PEF rather than DNG. Windows does not decode it unaided, so a card of PEF files can show up as plain icons in Explorer and fail to open in the default photo app.
This PEF file viewer opens them on a double-click once it is the default for .pef. Dragging a file in or pressing Ctrl+O works as well, and the shot appears without any import or catalog step.
Pentax files usually include a large JPEG rendered by the camera. When it covers at least 90% of the sensor, it is shown right away. Otherwise the sensor data is developed with LibRaw, so even a file with only a tiny preview opens at full resolution.
How to check a Pentax shutter count from a PEF
Buying or selling a used K-1 or K-3 Mark III comes down to one number. With the optional Professional Pack, Shutter count reads how many times the camera has fired from any PEF it shot, when the body records a count that ExifTool can read.
For the K-1, K-1 Mark II and K-3 Mark III, the app also shows that figure as a share of the 300,000-shot rating Pentax publishes for those bodies. Take one fresh frame, open it, and you have the answer without sending the camera anywhere.
Turn PEF raws into JPG or TIFF
Open a photo, pick Convert image from the More menu, then choose This image or Whole folder. JPG suits sharing and the web; TIFF and PNG suit editing and print. The Quality slider covers 50 to 100.
If a file with the same name already exists in the destination, Existing files decides whether to Skip it, Keep both or Replace it. Conversion develops the raw data first and uses the camera's JPEG only if that fails, and the folder's subfolders are not touched.
Reviewing a Pentax shoot
T shows a thumbnail ribbon of the folder and the arrow keys step through it. Zoom with the plus and minus keys, drag to pan, and press F to fit again. Settings choose whether the arrow keys go round at the end of the folder, and whether Delete asks before sending a file to the Recycle Bin.
The Professional Pack's Focus & Keep groups frames shot close together, scores them for sharpness and lets you keep or reject with K and X. Compare shows up to four frames zoomed in step.
