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Image MIME Reference
HTJ2K-(JPH)

High-Throughput JPEG 2000 Image

image/jph
VS

Sigma X3F RAW Image

image/x-sigma-x3f
Sigma-X3F

A complete technical comparison of High-Throughput JPEG 2000 Image and Sigma X3F RAW Image — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

Equal browser support

Feature Support

Feature HTJ2K-(JPH) Sigma-X3F
Transparency (Alpha) Yes ✕ No
Animation Support ✕ No ✕ No
Progressive Loading Yes ✕ No
HDR Support Yes Yes
EXIF Metadata Yes Yes
ICC Color Profile Yes Yes
High-Throughput JPEG 2000 Image
image/jph
Extension
.jph
Container JPH (ISO/IEC 15444-15)
Compression Lossy / Lossless
Algorithm
High-Throughput JPEG 2000 (HTJ2K)
Color Depth 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, 38-bit
Developed by Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
Released 2019
Magic Bytes
00 00 00 0C 6A 50 20 20 0D 0A 87 0A ... 66 74 79 70 6A 70 68 20
Full HTJ2K-(JPH) reference →
Sigma X3F RAW Image
image/x-sigma-x3f
Extension
.x3f
Container Foveon Proprietary Header
Compression Uncompressed / Proprietary Lossless
Algorithm
NoneFoveon Proprietary Huffman-based
Color Depth 12-bit (Per Channel), 14-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by Foveon, Inc. / Sigma Corporation
Released 2002
Magic Bytes
46 4F 56 62
Full Sigma-X3F reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser HTJ2K-(JPH) Sigma-X3F
Chrome Chrome
✕ ✕
Firefox Firefox
✕ ✕
Safari Safari
✕ ✕
Edge Edge
✕ ✕
IE IE (Legacy)
✕ ✕
HTJ2K-(JPH)

HTJ2K-(JPH) Strengths

  • Delivers orders of magnitude faster encoding and decoding than standard JPEG 2000 by utilizing a new, parallelizable block coder
  • Supports mathematically lossless and lossy compression within the same codestream architecture
  • Allows for resolution scalability, progressive decoding, and region-of-interest extraction without needing to decode the entire image
Limitations
  • Zero native web browser support, requiring specialized libraries, API conversions, or WebAssembly (like OpenJPH.js) for web deployment
  • Lack of broad consumer awareness, keeping it confined to professional, medical, and scientific workflows
  • Requires more advanced software ecosystems to decode than ubiquitous formats like JPEG or WebP
Sigma-X3F

Sigma-X3F Strengths

  • Provides absolute per-pixel color accuracy without the interpolation artifacts or moiré patterns typical of Bayer-sensor RAW files
  • Unique 'FOVb' magic byte signature prevents accidental misidentification by standard file sniffers, unlike many TIFF-based raw formats
  • Incredible sharpness and detail resolution at the raw sensor level
Limitations
  • Decoding is extremely computationally expensive and completely proprietary, meaning third-party software often struggles to match the color science of Sigma's own (famously slow) Photo Pro application
  • Massive file sizes because it records three complete RGB channels for every single spatial pixel coordinate
  • Zero support in web browsers or standard OS image viewers

When to choose which format

HTJ2K-(JPH)
Use HTJ2K-(JPH) when…
  • Medical Imaging (DICOM)
  • Geospatial Data
  • Digital Cinema
  • Professional Archiving
Sigma-X3F
Use Sigma-X3F when…
  • Professional Digital Photography
  • Sigma / Foveon High-Acuity Imaging
  • Non-destructive RAW Post-Processing

More comparisons

HTJ2K-(JPH) vs ACES → Sigma-X3F vs ACES → HTJ2K-(JPH) vs APNG → Sigma-X3F vs APNG → HTJ2K-(JPH) vs AVCI → Sigma-X3F vs AVCI → HTJ2K-(JPH) vs AVCS → Sigma-X3F vs AVCS → HTJ2K-(JPH) vs AVIF → Sigma-X3F vs AVIF → All comparisons →
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