Can Pentax cameras shoot DNG instead?

Yes — most Pentax bodies offer DNG as a raw option in the menu. It's an unusual and genuinely useful feature, and worth using if you share raw files often.

DNG if you share files with other people or care about long-term archiving. PEF if you want the camera's native format and stay within software you know supports it.

Host a PEF file and share it as a link

Put a Pentax raw photo online at its own address — the format from a system with an unusually loyal following.

You can host:

Drop your PEF file here

Any other file works too — up to 25.0 MB, or 100.0 MB for a whole site

Free to use. Your PEF file is live at your-name.99helpers.site in about ten seconds.

What is a .pef file?

PEF (Pentax Electronic Format) is Pentax's raw format. Unusually, most Pentax cameras can shoot DNG instead at the flick of a menu setting — Pentax was one of the few manufacturers to adopt Adobe's open format natively, which is worth knowing if compatibility matters to you.

What people use PEF files for

Originals from a Pentax K-series DSLR
Landscape and outdoor photography archives
Files delivered to a retoucher
Astrophotography, where Pentax's tracking features are popular

What opens a PEF file

Lightroom, Camera Raw and Capture One
Pentax Digital Camera Utility, supplied with the camera
darktable and RawTherapee
No browser displays PEF

How to host a PEF file

1
Drop your PEF file in
Drag it onto the box at the top of this page, or click to choose it. Files up to 25 MB are supported, and nothing is uploaded until you publish.
2
Pick an address
Type a name and we'll tell you straight away whether it's free. That becomes the link: pentax-raw.99helpers.site
3
Publish and share
Create a free account — that step exists so the file is yours to update, replace or delete — and the link is live within seconds.

The same three steps work for any file — see how file hosting works on 99helpers.com.

What happens when someone opens the link

The file downloads and opens in a raw editor. Support is good across major converters, though less exhaustively tested than Canon or Nikon formats.

Why host a PEF file instead of emailing it?

Pentax has a smaller user base, which means a recipient is more likely to be using software that hasn't been tested against PEF. Hosting the file is easy — and shooting DNG instead sidesteps the compatibility question entirely.

Worth knowing before you publish

Most Pentax bodies can shoot DNG directly — worth switching if you regularly send raws to other people.
PEF files compress a little better than some rivals, so they often fit under the size limit.
If someone can't open your PEF, DNG conversion is the immediate fix.

PEF hosting questions

Can Pentax cameras shoot DNG instead?: Yes — most Pentax bodies offer DNG as a raw option in the menu. It's an unusual and genuinely useful feature, and worth using if you share raw files often.
What opens a PEF file?: Lightroom, Capture One, Pentax's own Digital Camera Utility, and free options like darktable and RawTherapee.
PEF or DNG?: DNG if you share files with other people or care about long-term archiving. PEF if you want the camera's native format and stay within software you know supports it.

Put your PEF file online now

It takes about ten seconds, and you only make an account once the file is ready to go live.

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Hosting guides for related formats

Host a camera raw file Host a DNG raw photo Host an Olympus ORF raw file Host a Panasonic RW2 raw file Host a Fujifilm RAF raw file

PEF is one of over 211 formats you can host — see free file hosting for any file type for the full list, or read the hosting guides for other file types.