Nikon ZF and NEF/HEIF

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Hello all,

I hope someone might be able to help me: I’m looking to move to Linux and have in the past used an Nikon Zf with their NEF files, and in Darktable had issues viewing the file in the SooC NEF. Before I dive back into all of this I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this.

Nikon lists the file options as such:
JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1:4), normal (approx. 1:8), or basic (approx. 1:16) compression; size-priority and optimal-quality compression available, NEF (RAW) + JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats, NEF (RAW): 14 bit with lossless, high-efficiency*, or high-efficiency compression , HEIF: Supports fine (approx. 1:4), normal (approx. 1:8), or basic (approx. 1:16) compression; size-priority and optimal-quality compression available , NEF (RAW)+HEIF: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and HEIF formats

The way I’m reading it (and I may admittedly be wrong) it looks like the standard NEF should be supported if I use JEPG+NEF but i’m hoping someone may be able to validate this. I know DT says it does not support high efficiency NEF but I’m completely turned around on whether the HEIF is what they are currently referring to.

Thank you in advance!

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The NEF could still use different compressions, not all of them being supported. See here:

Note:

The following formats are explicitly not supported:
[…]
Nikon high efficiency NEFs

If the raw format and compression method are supported, you don’t need the JPG to open the raw.
Do let me know if I misunderstood your question. I use an old NIKON, no fancy formats, no HEIF.

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The JPEG vs HEIF question is Independent of NEF compression mode (only lossless is supported).

Depending on dt build time options, HEIF should be supported for import only.

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Yep I’d seen that list and it led me to mild confusion, it read as though the type was supported (other than the camera WB profile0 but my own experience was that it wasn’t at all- but I was shooting in what I believed to be just plain RAW (NEF) - but I’m just unclear whether the HEIF is chained no matter what.

I mean, in truth the SooC jpgs are gorgeous as I recall, but I do want to have the flexibility.

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Thank you everyone! I found the solution buried in an old Reddit thread. Looks like the key is to set the NEF file to non-high-efficiency on th Zf itself which apparently makes for slightly larger files but solves the issue.

Here’s the thread for anyone else who ever might run into this conundrum!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Nikon/comments/1bks5hq/comment/kwc9xu0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

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