Access EXIF data in a NEF (Nikon) file

How can I access the EXIF data stored in a Nikon NEF file? I can't seem to find a lib that will allow me to extract some basic information from the metadata. (Preferably without having to install the Nikon codec)

From stackoverflow

• You could call out to a separate app like jhead or exiftool and then parse the output within your VB code.

  Cylindric : Thanks - I've ended up doing something similar to this using IrfanView, mainly just because that's what I have already, and it can export all EXIF data to a text-file, including the maker-notes.

  Cylindric : Oh, I did find out though that the NEF format is essentially TIFF though, so I should be able to use any lib that read TIFFs.