diff --git a/src/iconvert/iconvert.cpp b/src/iconvert/iconvert.cpp
index f77d84f55b..9b4f25c27a 100644
--- a/src/iconvert/iconvert.cpp
+++ b/src/iconvert/iconvert.cpp
@@ -473,16 +473,37 @@ convert_file(const std::string& in_filename, const std::string& out_filename)
                         "iconvert ERROR copying \"{}\" to \"{}\" :\n\t{}\n",
                         in_filename, out_filename, out->geterror());
             } else {
-                // Need to do it by hand for some reason.  Future expansion in which
-                // only a subset of channels are copied, or some such.
-                std::vector<char> pixels((size_t)outspec.image_bytes(true));
+                // Need to do it by hand for some reason. A format of UNKNOWN
+                // requests a per-channel native copy to preserve mixed
+                // per-channel formats. That is only valid if the output
+                // actually stores each channel in the input's native format.
+                // If it remaps any channel (e.g. OpenEXR promoting
+                // uint16/uint8 to half), copy through the output's stored
+                // format so integer values are rescaled rather than
+                // bit-reinterpreted.
+                TypeDesc xferformat = outspec.format;
+                if (xferformat == TypeDesc::UNKNOWN) {
+                    const ImageSpec& storedspec(out->spec());
+                    for (int c = 0; c < outspec.nchannels; ++c)
+                        if (inspec.channelformat(c)
+                            != storedspec.channelformat(c)) {
+                            xferformat = storedspec.format;
+                            break;
+                        }
+                }
+                size_t bufbytes = (xferformat == TypeDesc::UNKNOWN)
+                                      ? (size_t)outspec.image_bytes(true)
+                                      : (size_t)outspec.image_pixels()
+                                            * outspec.nchannels
+                                            * xferformat.size();
+                std::vector<char> pixels(bufbytes);
                 ok = in->read_image(subimage, miplevel, 0, outspec.nchannels,
-                                    outspec.format, &pixels[0]);
+                                    xferformat, &pixels[0]);
                 if (!ok) {
                     OIIO::print(stderr, "iconvert ERROR reading \"{}\": {}\n",
                                 in_filename, in->geterror());
                 } else {
-                    ok = out->write_image(outspec.format, &pixels[0]);
+                    ok = out->write_image(xferformat, &pixels[0]);
                     if (!ok)
                         OIIO::print(stderr,
                                     "iconvert ERROR writing \"{}\": {}\n",
diff --git a/src/libOpenImageIO/imageoutput.cpp b/src/libOpenImageIO/imageoutput.cpp
index 4ec5300c3a..05755fcfee 100644
--- a/src/libOpenImageIO/imageoutput.cpp
+++ b/src/libOpenImageIO/imageoutput.cpp
@@ -791,6 +791,19 @@ ImageOutput::copy_image(ImageInput* in)
     // FIXME -- a smarter implementation would read scanlines or tiles at
     // a time, to minimize mem footprint.
     bool native = supports("channelformats") && inspec.channelformats.size();
+    // The native (per-channel, no-conversion) copy is only valid if this
+    // output actually stores each channel in the same format the input
+    // supplies. If the output remaps any channel (e.g. OpenEXR promoting
+    // uint16 to half), a raw native copy would reinterpret the bytes rather
+    // than convert them, so fall back to the converting path in that case.
+    if (native) {
+        const ImageSpec& outspec(spec());
+        for (int c = 0; c < inspec.nchannels; ++c)
+            if (inspec.channelformat(c) != outspec.channelformat(c)) {
+                native = false;
+                break;
+            }
+    }
     TypeDesc format = native ? TypeDesc::UNKNOWN : inspec.format;
     std::unique_ptr<char[]> pixels(new char[inspec.image_bytes(native)]);
     bool ok = in->read_image(in->current_subimage(), in->current_miplevel(), 0,
diff --git a/src/openexr.imageio/exroutput.cpp b/src/openexr.imageio/exroutput.cpp
index 300ce20fbe..3b3c29ffaa 100644
--- a/src/openexr.imageio/exroutput.cpp
+++ b/src/openexr.imageio/exroutput.cpp
@@ -865,14 +865,28 @@ bool
 OpenEXROutput::spec_to_header(ImageSpec& spec, int subimage,
                               Imf::Header& header)
 {
-    // Force use of one of the three data types that OpenEXR supports
-    switch (spec.format.basetype) {
-    case TypeDesc::UINT: spec.format = TypeDesc::UINT; break;
-    case TypeDesc::FLOAT:
-    case TypeDesc::DOUBLE: spec.format = TypeDesc::FLOAT; break;
-    default:
-        // Everything else defaults to half
-        spec.format = TypeDesc::HALF;
+    // OpenEXR only stores three data types (half, float, uint); map anything
+    // else onto them. Do this for the overall format and, so the spec stays
+    // consistent with what is actually stored, for any per-channel formats.
+    auto exr_stored_format = [](TypeDesc t) -> TypeDesc {
+        switch (t.basetype) {
+        case TypeDesc::UINT: return TypeDesc::UINT;
+        case TypeDesc::FLOAT:
+        case TypeDesc::DOUBLE: return TypeDesc::FLOAT;
+        default: return TypeDesc::HALF;  // everything else defaults to half
+        }
+    };
+    spec.format = exr_stored_format(spec.format);
+    if (spec.channelformats.size() == size_t(spec.nchannels)) {
+        bool allsame = true;
+        for (int c = 0; c < spec.nchannels; ++c) {
+            spec.channelformats[c] = exr_stored_format(spec.channelformats[c]);
+            allsame &= (spec.channelformats[c] == spec.channelformats[0]);
+        }
+        // If every channel ended up the same, the per-channel list is
+        // redundant -- drop it so the spec advertises a single format.
+        if (allsame)
+            spec.channelformats.clear();
     }
 
     Imath::Box2i dataWindow(Imath::V2i(spec.x, spec.y),
diff --git a/testsuite/softimage/ref/out.txt b/testsuite/softimage/ref/out.txt
index 471e196acf..3cbc5acdf0 100644
--- a/testsuite/softimage/ref/out.txt
+++ b/testsuite/softimage/ref/out.txt
@@ -59,3 +59,13 @@ src/mixed-bitdepth.pic :    2 x    1, 2 channel, uint16 softimage
     Stats FiniteCount: 2 2 
     Constant: No
     Monochrome: No
+mixed-bitdepth.exr   :    2 x    1, 2 channel, half openexr
+    Stats Min: 0.066956 0.333252 (float)
+    Stats Max: 0.200317 0.399902 (float)
+    Stats Avg: 0.133636 0.366577 (float)
+    Stats StdDev: 0.066681 0.033325 (float)
+    Stats NanCount: 0 0 
+    Stats InfCount: 0 0 
+    Stats FiniteCount: 2 2 
+    Constant: No
+    Monochrome: No
diff --git a/testsuite/softimage/run.py b/testsuite/softimage/run.py
index 8c80afe8d6..e3336c477b 100755
--- a/testsuite/softimage/run.py
+++ b/testsuite/softimage/run.py
@@ -19,3 +19,11 @@
 # single bit depth was assumed for all channels.
 command += info_command ("--stats src/mixed-bitdepth.pic",
                          info_program="iinfo", failureok=True)
+# Converting that mixed-bit-depth file to a format that stores a single/other
+# channel type (OpenEXR promotes both channels to half) must rescale each
+# channel's values, not reinterpret its raw bytes. Convert and check the
+# resulting normalized values.
+command += (oiio_app("iconvert")
+           + "src/mixed-bitdepth.pic mixed-bitdepth.exr >> out.txt 2>&1 ;\n")
+command += info_command ("mixed-bitdepth.exr", extraargs="--stats",
+                         verbose=False, hash=False)