diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/base.py b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/base.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/base.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/base.py
@@ -1054,6 +1054,12 @@ class BaseCommit(object):
         """
         raise NotImplementedError
 
+    def is_node_binary(self, path):
+        """
+        Returns ``True`` is given path is a binary file
+        """
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
     def get_file_content(self, path):
         """
         Returns content of the file at the given `path`.
diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/git/commit.py b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/git/commit.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/git/commit.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/git/commit.py
@@ -245,6 +245,10 @@ class GitCommit(base.BaseCommit):
     def is_link(self, path):
         return stat.S_ISLNK(self.get_file_mode(path))
 
+    def is_node_binary(self, path):
+        tree_id, _ = self._get_tree_id_for_path(path)
+        return self._remote.is_binary(tree_id)
+
     def get_file_content(self, path):
         """
         Returns content of the file at given `path`.
diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/git/inmemory.py b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/git/inmemory.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/git/inmemory.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/git/inmemory.py
@@ -58,10 +58,12 @@ class GitInMemoryCommit(base.BaseInMemor
 
         updated = []
         for node in self.added + self.changed:
-            if not node.is_binary:
+
+            if node.is_binary:
+                content = node.content
+            else:
                 content = node.content.encode(ENCODING)
-            else:
-                content = node.content
+
             updated.append({
                 'path': node.path,
                 'node_path': node.name.encode(ENCODING),
diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/hg/commit.py b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/hg/commit.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/hg/commit.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/hg/commit.py
@@ -231,6 +231,10 @@ class MercurialCommit(base.BaseCommit):
         path = self._get_filectx(path)
         return 'l' in self._remote.fctx_flags(self.raw_id, path)
 
+    def is_node_binary(self, path):
+        path = self._get_filectx(path)
+        return self._remote.is_binary(self.raw_id, path)
+
     def get_file_content(self, path):
         """
         Returns content of the file at given ``path``.
diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/svn/commit.py b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/svn/commit.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/svn/commit.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/svn/commit.py
@@ -108,6 +108,10 @@ class SubversionCommit(base.BaseCommit):
             return self.get_file_content(path).startswith('link')
         return False
 
+    def is_node_binary(self, path):
+        path = self._fix_path(path)
+        return self._remote.is_binary(self._svn_rev, safe_str(path))
+
     def _get_file_property(self, path, name):
         file_properties = self._remote.node_properties(
             safe_str(path), self._svn_rev)
diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/nodes.py b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/nodes.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/nodes.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/nodes.py
@@ -377,9 +377,7 @@ class FileNode(Node):
         """
         if self.commit:
             return self.commit.get_file_content_streamed(self.path)
-        raise NodeError(
-            "Cannot retrieve message of the file without related "
-            "commit attribute")
+        raise NodeError("Cannot retrieve stream_bytes without related commit attribute")
 
     @LazyProperty
     def md5(self):
@@ -581,8 +579,11 @@ class FileNode(Node):
         """
         Returns True if file has binary content.
         """
-        _bin = self.raw_bytes and '\0' in self.raw_bytes
-        return _bin
+        if self.commit:
+            return self.commit.is_node_binary(self.path)
+        else:
+            raw_bytes = self._content
+            return raw_bytes and '\0' in raw_bytes
 
     @LazyProperty
     def extension(self):
@@ -742,8 +743,7 @@ class DirNode(Node):
                 return self._nodes_dict[path]
             elif len(paths) > 1:
                 if self.commit is None:
-                    raise NodeError(
-                        "Cannot access deeper nodes without commit")
+                    raise NodeError("Cannot access deeper nodes without commit")
                 else:
                     path1, path2 = paths[0], '/'.join(paths[1:])
                     return self.get_node(path1).get_node(path2)