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Image MIME Reference
Nikon-NEF

Nikon Electronic Format

image/x-nikon-nef
VS

Olympus Raw Format

image/x-olympus-orf
Olympus-ORF

A complete technical comparison of Nikon Electronic Format and Olympus Raw Format — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

Equal browser support

Feature Support

Feature Nikon-NEF Olympus-ORF
Transparency (Alpha) ✕ No ✕ No
Animation Support ✕ No ✕ No
Progressive Loading ✕ No ✕ No
HDR Support Yes Yes
EXIF Metadata Yes Yes
ICC Color Profile Yes Yes
Nikon Electronic Format
image/x-nikon-nef
Extension
.nef
Container TIFF
Compression Uncompressed / Lossless Compressed / Lossy Compressed (High Efficiency)
Algorithm
NoneNikon Proprietary LosslessNikon High Efficiency Lossy
Color Depth 12-bit (Per Channel), 14-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by Nikon Corporation
Released 1999
Magic Bytes
49 49 2A 00 or 4D 4D 00 2A
Full Nikon-NEF reference →
Olympus Raw Format
image/x-olympus-orf
Extension
.orf
Container TIFF-based (with proprietary variants)
Compression Uncompressed / Proprietary Lossless
Algorithm
NoneOlympus Proprietary Lossless
Color Depth 12-bit (Per Channel)
Developed by Olympus Corporation (Now OM Digital Solutions)
Released 2000
Magic Bytes
49 49 52 4F (IIRO) or 4D 4D 4F 52 (MMOR) or 49 49 53 52 (IIRS)
Full Olympus-ORF reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser Nikon-NEF Olympus-ORF
Chrome Chrome
✕ ✕
Firefox Firefox
✕ ✕
Safari Safari
✕ ✕
Edge Edge
✕ ✕
IE IE (Legacy)
✕ ✕
Nikon-NEF

Nikon-NEF Strengths

  • Retains maximum sensor data, allowing extreme recovery of highlights and shadows that would be permanently lost in a JPEG
  • White balance, sharpening, and color profiling are saved as metadata instructions rather than 'baked in', meaning they can be completely altered in post-production without degrading the image
  • Embeds a high-quality JPEG preview inside the raw file for rapid culling and viewing
Limitations
  • Proprietary format means it requires constant updates to raw processing engines every time Nikon releases a new camera model
  • Produces very large file sizes (often 20MB to 50MB+ per image depending on sensor resolution and bit-depth)
  • Cannot be directly embedded into web pages or used in standard HTML/CSS contexts
Olympus-ORF

Olympus-ORF Strengths

  • Retains maximum sensor data, allowing extreme recovery of highlights and shadows that would be permanently lost in a JPEG
  • White balance, sharpening, and color profiling are saved as metadata instructions, meaning they can be completely altered in post-production
  • Unique magic byte signatures make programmatic file sniffing highly reliable compared to other camera manufacturers' TIFF-spoofing headers
Limitations
  • Proprietary format means it requires constant updates to raw processing engines every time a new camera model is released
  • Produces very large file sizes (often 15MB to 30MB+ per image depending on sensor resolution)
  • Cannot be directly embedded into web pages or used in standard HTML/CSS contexts

When to choose which format

Nikon-NEF
Use Nikon-NEF when…
  • Professional Digital Photography
  • Non-destructive Image Post-Processing
  • High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging Archival
Olympus-ORF
Use Olympus-ORF when…
  • Professional Digital Photography
  • Non-destructive Image Post-Processing
  • High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging Archival

More comparisons

Nikon-NEF vs ACES → Olympus-ORF vs ACES → Nikon-NEF vs APNG → Olympus-ORF vs APNG → Nikon-NEF vs AVCI → Olympus-ORF vs AVCI → Nikon-NEF vs AVCS → Olympus-ORF vs AVCS → Nikon-NEF vs AVIF → Olympus-ORF vs AVIF → All comparisons →
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