Why do new Nikon NEF files display incorrectly in Windows 7 Photo Viewer?
Asked 12/31/2014
3 views
2 answers
0
On Windows 7, my Nikon .NEF RAW files show normal thumbnails in Explorer, but when I open some of the newer files in Windows Photo Viewer they display correctly for a moment and then collapse into a mostly black image with vertical lines. Older NEF files still open normally.
The files themselves are not unreadable, because Nikon Capture NX2 can open and convert them. I suspected a codec problem (Microsoft Camera Codec Pack vs Nikon codec), but the issue only affected newly transferred photos.
What could cause this, and what is the best fix?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
1
thanks to Mr. Romeo and User 35658 and Happy new year too all of you :)
after a lot of experiments I figure out the problem.
The problem where in Nikon Transfer Utility. I used to use it and I did't have any problem with it, but it seems like a corruption happened to the software and it affect all my RAW photos transfered from the camera to my PC.
I figure out that after I change the SD RAM and the USB cable and even the card reader. but once I started transfer my photos with windows import image/video utility I got my photos correctly and it can be opened by Nikon Capture NX2 as well as photoshop and Lightroom.
now I am reporting this problem to Nikon hope they can fix it.
Originally by user35335. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user35335
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This is most likely not a bad NEF file or a camera firmware issue. Based on the reported fix, the problem was caused by Nikon Transfer corrupting files during import, even though thumbnails still appeared and some software could partly read them.
What solved it:
- Stop using Nikon Transfer for import.
- Re-import/copy the files using Windows’ built-in image/video import or another reliable copy method.
- If you want Windows thumbnail/preview support for NEF, use Nikon’s NEF codec rather than relying only on the Microsoft Camera Codec Pack.
Why only new files were affected:
- Older NEFs were transferred before the transfer utility started causing corruption.
- Newer files were affected during the copy/import process, not during viewing.
So the best fix is to replace the transfer workflow first, then use Nikon’s codec if you want better NEF support in Windows Photo Viewer/Explorer.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI11y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How can I view Panasonic LX100 RW2 raw files in Windows 10 Explorer?
How can I view Canon CR2 thumbnails in Windows Explorer?
How can I view Canon 6D Mark II .CR2 RAW files and thumbnails in Windows 10?
Why won't some Canon 50D .CR2 files preview after reinstalling Windows 7 and CS6?
How can I enable RAW and TIFF thumbnails in Windows 7 Explorer?