x3F Codec for Windows/PC users

[xpatUSA]

Dear Ted,

I've downloaded Fast Raw Review onto my XP Pro SP3 machine. For a millisec it shows a start-up window and dies immediately. The DirectX version does nothing at all.

Can you please comment a little more, like what is the video card, have you updated the drivers recently?

Hello Iliah,

I wasn't really looking for a fix. But still, I'll try to find out what the card is, FYI. I've never updated the drivers on this second-hand computer.

--
Cheers,
Ted

 

[xpatUSA]

Dear Ted,

I've downloaded Fast Raw Review onto my XP Pro SP3 machine. For a millisec it shows a start-up window and dies immediately. The DirectX version does nothing at all.

Can you please comment a little more, like what is the video card, have you updated the drivers recently?

But still, I'll try to find out what the card is, FYI.

Says it's a Radeon 7000.

 

[PicOne]

Hi Jan,

I suppose that's the case. I don't think there is a solution other than Microsoft's own software capabilities. A "Codec," which he asked about, is not used in such a situation. Compression and decompression software are used primarily to create and read video container formats AFAIK and have no relationship to a RAW files or to extracting the embedded jpg from such. Perhaps there is something I'm missing....

Best regards,

Lin

Quite honestly, I have no idea what "Codec" means. I used the term, because I had seen (and installed years back) what Canon had called a codec. If you refer to my OP link, this is only reason, and my reference to the term Codec.. snapshot below

Hi Jan,

I don't understand why you think it would be any different with Fastone installed or not installed. Windows Explorer doesn't use Fastone to display its thumbnails, it uses the Windows OS and associated Microsoft software.

Fastone displays the X3F or any other RAW format that I've seen so far as thumbnail images and as full sized images. That's why the recommendation to try it; not to make Windows Explorer display thumbnails.

Best regards,

Lin

jande9 wrote:

Look - I use a DP2 Merrill every day. I have thousands of Merrill X3F files - you can take my word or try it for yourself. It works just fine with X3F files. Whether it is reading the embedded jpg or not I can't say, but I do know that if you load an X3F file from the DP2 Merrill it displays it at up to and including the full resolution just as it looks to me on SPP when I load the RAW file. Whether or not the Details Page lists the X3F, is unimportant. What is important is that it works and works very well. It's free, it has a small footprint and it works - that's good enough for me.

Best regards,

Linm references that indicate that it does in fact work.

I have faststone installed and windows explorer still shows icons for x3f files, while jpegs and tiffs are displayed as thumbnails.

Jan

I believe that is the problem Picone is trying to solve. A lot of people are recommending FastStone and I just wanted to say that it won't solve his problem.

Jan

--
'Everything in photography boils down to what's sharp and what's fuzzy.'
-Gaylord Herron

 

[PicOne]

Thanks! I'll give it a shot. Should be worth it for the price I'll pay Though, in a perfect world, I'd still prefer to not add another software program to my computer and see this instead just available thru explorer.

I've just downloaded the latest version 5.1 and noticed that there is a new (to me) option - the thumbnails can be set quite large (F12>thumbnail tab>260x195) in a similar way to SPP's catalog page.

For a small donation ($15) they'll send you a registration code which I think gets you update notifications and stuff.

 

[Lin Evans]

The term Codec is short for "compress" "decompress" so that means that Canon must have a RAW file which is compressed or they wouldn't need that type software to make it work.

Usually the term is used with video applications, but apparently also with RAW files which can be in a no loss compressed mode.

AFAIK, X3F files are not compressed so no Codec would be useful for reading them.

Best regards,

Lin

 

[PicOne]

Thanks! I'll give it a shot. Should be worth it for the price I'll pay Though, in a perfect world, I'd still prefer to not add another software program to my computer and see this instead just available thru explorer.

I've just downloaded the latest version 5.1 and noticed that there is a new (to me) option - the thumbnails can be set quite large (F12>thumbnail tab>260x195) in a similar way to SPP's catalog page.

For a small donation ($15) they'll send you a registration code which I think gets you update notifications and stuff.

 

[xpatUSA]

Perhaps fastone is based on DCRaw, since I'm getting the green cast result doing this.

Yes, it is.

Festoon is indeed based on DCRaw ;-)

Oops, perhaps I meant 'FastStone'!

 

[jande9]

Thanks! I'll give it a shot. Should be worth it for the price I'll pay Though, in a perfect world, I'd still prefer to not add another software program to my computer and see this instead just available thru explorer.

I've just downloaded the latest version 5.1 and noticed that there is a new (to me) option - the thumbnails can be set quite large (F12>thumbnail tab>260x195) in a similar way to SPP's catalog page.

For a small donation ($15) they'll send you a registration code which I think gets you update notifications and stuff.

 

[Lin Evans]

Thanks! I'll give it a shot. Should be worth it for the price I'll pay Though, in a perfect world, I'd still prefer to not add another software program to my computer and see this instead just available thru explorer.

I've just downloaded the latest version 5.1 and noticed that there is a new (to me) option - the thumbnails can be set quite large (F12>thumbnail tab>260x195) in a similar way to SPP's catalog page.

For a small donation ($15) they'll send you a registration code which I think gets you update notifications and stuff.

--
Cheers,
Ted

So far I'm impressed.. I installed on my basic laptop and it works very well. Double click on a thumbnail opens up full window sized. Hit the "A" key and you see full sized jpeg (working with DP2M raw files).

--
'Everything in photography boils down to what's sharp and what's fuzzy.'
-Gaylord Herron

Hi Jan,

You will not see X3F thumbnails with Windows Explorer...

Best regards,

Lin

So you are seeing X3F thumbnails in windows explorer?

Jan

 

[jande9]

RE: Finding a codec to show X3F thumbnails in Windows Explorer.

This thread got me interested in seeing if there was a solution out there. I tried this one. as suggested by D Man76 although I couldn't find the free version.

I just installed the trial and it actually does work, for both my DP1s files and Merrill files.

 

[PicOne]

RE: Finding a codec to show X3F thumbnails in Windows Explorer.

This thread got me interested in seeing if there was a solution out there. I tried this one. as suggested by D Man76 although I couldn't find the free version.

I just installed the trial and it actually does work, for both my DP1s files and Merrill files.

Thanks for the update! somewhere in the confusion above in this thread it was reported this wasn't working. Good to hear that Fastpictureviewer does in fact work, though for $9.99.

I guess i might wonder though (not knowing how these 'codecs' work).. does this fully replace any and all codecs already in my system.. ie. would I have to worry that while I'll gain some more support for other picture file formats, perhaps I'll no longer have previews of eg. MS Excel or Word documents? Or does this work by just installing those 'codecs' that don't already exist on your computer. [This may sound like a dumb question, but it's a result of me not really understanding where/how these codec packs install.]

In sum, with the coming of the Quattro, is it anticipated that this codec would continue to work with new Quattro files (realizing that it's just looking at the embedded jpeg)?, or that users will be forced to wait for an update to this paid solution such as fastpictureviewer.

Sigma cameras have been around and shooting X3F format files for a while (over a decade). Has really nobody pressed this question to Sigma to ask for them to provide (as Fastpictureviewer site calls it) a "Windows add-in codec" for their cameras? If these 3rd party software companies like fastpictureviewer and fastone, can develop codec packs and software that support just about every picture file type out there, surely it would be piece of cake for Sigma to write one for just their own X3F. Hoping someone out there who has the ear of some Sigma execs, might nudge someone on this suggestion.

And.. before it re-starts.. please don't tell me to just use SPP if I want to see thumbnails

 

[xpatUSA]

RE: Finding a codec to show X3F thumbnails in Windows Explorer.

This thread got me interested in seeing if there was a solution out there. I tried this one. as suggested by D Man76 although I couldn't find the free version.

I just installed the trial and it actually does work, for both my DP1s files and Merrill files.

Thanks for the update! somewhere in the confusion above in this thread it was reported this wasn't working. Good to hear that Fastpictureviewer does in fact work, though for $9.99.

No confusion here, I tried the 15-day free trial and it did not work on my old-ish computer running Windows XP Pro, SP3. There could be many reasons for that - out of date drivers, etc. We must be more specific about our systems and version numbers, eh?

And.. before it re-starts.. please don't tell me to just use SPP if I want to see thumbnails

Spoilsport ;-)

--
Cheers,
Ted

 

[jande9]

RE: Finding a codec to show X3F thumbnails in Windows Explorer.

This thread got me interested in seeing if there was a solution out there. I tried this one. as suggested by D Man76 although I couldn't find the free version.

I just installed the trial and it actually does work, for both my DP1s files and Merrill files.

Thanks for the update! somewhere in the confusion above in this thread it was reported this wasn't working. Good to hear that Fastpictureviewer does in fact work, though for $9.99.

No confusion here, I tried the 15-day free trial and it did not work on my old-ish computer running Windows XP Pro, SP3. There could be many reasons for that - out of date drivers, etc. We must be more specific about our systems and version numbers, eh?

And.. before it re-starts.. please don't tell me to just use SPP if I want to see thumbnails

Spoilsport ;-)

--
Cheers,
Ted

There are special instructions on the site for those on XP.

When you install this, a page comes up in the installation process allowing you to choose what elements to install. I inactivated everything except Sigma, Canon and Pentax raws.

It also enables Windows Photo viewer to open these files. I don't know if they are using the imbedded jpegs or actually using the raw data. The images look excellent in the photo viewer, as good as in SPP so I am tempted to say they are going right to the raw but logically I don't know if they can actually do that.

Jan

 

[Lin Evans]

 

[xpatUSA]

Thanks to you both for the advice.

I did load their Professional App and, although SD9/10 images were shown (in the app view window, not Explorer) they were very dark. Since I had already had a bad week downloading stuff that doesn't work, I un-installed it immediately :-|

Suggestions to update my drivers, operating system, buy a new computer, get a Merrill, etc. will be greeted with a stony silence ;-)

--
Cheers,
Ted

 

[PicOne]

Since we seem to have concluded that a codec for Windows OS/Explorer does exist (though through a 3rd party and costs money), and should be possible for Sigma to create for us users...

.. what's needed to view thumbnails/previews of newer X3Fs within the Chrome OS environment (aka.. "Chromebook"), or are they already viewable without intervention ?

--
'Everything in photography boils down to what's sharp and what's fuzzy.'
-Gaylord Herron

 

[DavidMillier]

MS Windows explorer uses plugin "codecs" to allow it to display thumbnails and previews of raw files. That is what MS call it, even if it isn't. MS supply a load of them for older cameras but for other cameras they have made a specification available that allows manufacturers to make installable codecs available to extend MS Windows explorer.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=26829

 

[PicOne]

MS Windows explorer uses plugin "codecs" to allow it to display thumbnails and previews of raw files. That is what MS call it, even if it isn't. MS supply a load of them for older cameras but for other cameras they have made a specification available that allows manufacturers to make installable codecs available to extend MS Windows explorer.

If that's the case, is there any speculation as to why Sigma hasn't created one for their cameras? I couldn't find the specification you referred to though at the link below; I'd be happy to email it to Sigma

http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=26829

 

[xpatUSA]

I see that MicroSoft's list of supported manufacturers has "The Gap" . .

. . jumps right from Samsung to Sony :-|

The Gap . . . it's everywhere.

--
Cheers,
Ted

 

[DavidMillier]

Not sure where but I have installed manufacturer codecs for various brands on my machine. The faststone one isn't free but it works for my DP2m and it's $10 at the moment once the trial expires.