Image MIME Reference
Canon-CR2
Canon Raw Version 2
image/x-canon-cr2
VS
DjVu Document
image/vnd.djvu
DjVu
A complete technical comparison of Canon Raw Version 2 and DjVu Document — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | Canon-CR2 | DjVu |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | ✕ No | Yes |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | Yes |
| HDR Support | Yes | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | Yes | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | Yes | ✕ No |
Canon Raw Version 2
image/x-canon-cr2
Extension
.cr2
Container
TIFF
Compression
Lossless JPEG (ITU-T81)
Algorithm
Lossless JPEG (ITU-T81)
Color Depth
12-bit (Per Channel), 14-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by
Canon Inc.
Released
2004
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00 10 00 00 00 43 52 02 00
DjVu Document
image/vnd.djvu
Extension
.djvu.djv
Container
Interchange File Format (IFF)
Compression
JB2 (Bi-tonal Text) / IW44 (Wavelet Background) / BZZ (General Data/Text)
Algorithm
JB2IW44BZZ
Color Depth
1-bit (Foreground Text), 24-bit (Background)
Developed by
AT&T Labs (Yann LeCun, Léon Bottou, Patrick Haffner, Paul G. Howard)
Released
1996
Magic Bytes
41 54 26 54 46 4F 52 4D
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | Canon-CR2 | DjVu |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
Canon-CR2
Canon-CR2 Strengths
- Retains maximum sensor data, allowing extreme recovery of highlights and shadows that would be permanently lost in a JPEG
- White balance and color profiling are not 'baked in', meaning they can be completely altered in post-production without degrading the image
- Lossless compression ensures perfect pixel accuracy while reducing file size compared to fully uncompressed formats
Limitations
- Proprietary format means it requires constant updates to raw processing engines (like Adobe Camera Raw) every time Canon releases a new camera model
- Produces very large file sizes (often 20MB to 40MB per image depending on sensor resolution)
- Cannot be directly embedded into web pages or used in standard HTML/CSS contexts
DjVu
DjVu Strengths
- Unmatched compression ratios for high-resolution scanned documents (often 5 to 10 times smaller than equivalent JPEG/TIFF-based PDFs)
- Separates text layers cleanly from backgrounds, allowing for highly legible text even at low file sizes
- Embedded OCR (Optical Character Recognition) text layers allow for fast searching
Limitations
- Lacks native support in modern operating systems and web browsers, requiring third-party software
- Largely superseded by PDF/A and modern PDF compression standards in standard corporate workflows
- Not suitable for vector graphics or born-digital documents (like Word exports), where standard PDF is far superior
When to choose which format
Canon-CR2
Use Canon-CR2 when…
- Professional Digital Photography
- Non-destructive Image Post-Processing
- High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging Archival
DjVu
Use DjVu when…
- Scanned Books and Manuals
- Digital Libraries (e.g., Internet Archive)
- Historical Document Archiving