How can I identify Pentax PEF RAW files for disk recovery on Linux?
Asked 11/27/2016
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I’m trying to recover deleted Pentax PEF RAW files and JPEGs from a lost or damaged disk on Linux. JPEG recovery worked with foremost, but to add PEF support I need a reliable file header signature. Is a TIFF-style header such as 4D 4D 00 2A enough for PEF detection, or do Pentax PEF files vary by camera model? Are there other recovery tools that can recover PEF files directly?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
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Photorec is a similar sort of program which can handle the recovery of PEF files according to their list of supported file formats
Originally by user46386. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user46386
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Pentax PEF files appear to use TIFF-style headers, but the byte order can vary by camera model. Community reports show some PEF files start with 4D 4D 00 2A (MM / big-endian TIFF), while others start with 49 49 2A 00 (II / little-endian TIFF). So 4D 4D 00 2A alone may miss valid PEF files from some cameras.
If you use header-based recovery, it’s safest to check sample PEF files from your specific Pentax model and use the matching 4-byte signature. Using both TIFF headers may help, though it can produce some false positives.
A better option is to try PhotoRec, which is reported to support recovery of PEF files directly.
After recovery, you can verify which files are genuine PEF RAW files with a metadata tool such as ExifTool and discard any false matches.
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