Image MIME Reference
Olympus-ORF
Olympus Raw Format
image/x-olympus-orf
VS
Scalable Vector Graphics
image/svg+xml
SVG
A complete technical comparison of Olympus Raw Format and Scalable Vector Graphics — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
SVG wins on browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | Olympus-ORF | SVG |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | ✕ No | Yes |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | Yes |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | Yes | Yes |
| EXIF Metadata | Yes | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | Yes | ✕ No |
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)
Scalable Vector Graphics
image/svg+xml
Extension
.svg.svgz
Container
XML Document
Compression
Uncompressed (Plain Text XML) / Lossless (GZIP via .svgz)
Algorithm
None (for .svg)GZIP (for .svgz)
Color Depth
Vector (Independent of bit-depth), CSS Colors (HEX, RGB, HSL, Display-P3)
Developed by
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Released
2001
Magic Bytes
3C 73 76 67 (for <svg) / 3C 3F 78 6D 6C (for <?xml)
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | Olympus-ORF | SVG |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ |
✓ All
|
Firefox
|
✕ |
✓ All
|
Safari
|
✕ |
✓ All
|
Edge
|
✕ |
✓ All
|
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ |
✓
|
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
SVG
SVG Strengths
- Provides infinite resolution scalability, looking perfectly crisp on high-DPI (Retina) displays without increasing file size
- Extremely lightweight compared to raster formats for flat graphics, logos, and UI elements
- Can be manipulated dynamically via the browser's CSS and JavaScript engines (DOM integration)
Limitations
- Unsuitable for complex photographic images or photorealistic textures
- Poses critical security vulnerabilities (XSS and XML External Entity attacks) if user-uploaded SVGs are not heavily sanitized
- Rendering performance degrades significantly if the SVG contains tens of thousands of complex nodes or deeply nested paths
When to choose which format
Olympus-ORF
Use Olympus-ORF when…
- Professional Digital Photography
- Non-destructive Image Post-Processing
- High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging Archival
SVG
Use SVG when…
- Web Logos & UI Icons
- Responsive Web Design Elements
- Interactive Data Visualizations (D3.js)
- CSS and SMIL Web Animations