Adobe RGB vs. srgb confusion

[peterm1]

I have searched and read several posts saying that srgb may actually be better than Adobe RGB in some situations (more tonal gradations and better for web). However, the Photoshop books I have (including Real World Adobe Photoshop 7 and other books by well-respected authors) state that using Adobe RGB is better due to the restrictions of srgb (even in some cases for web graphics).

While I do post some photos on pbase and send emails with photos to friends and relatives, I also print at home on my Canon i950 and care more about getting the best print than making sure my emailed photos are perfect. Given this, I am thinking about using the Adobe RGB setting in my Canon 10D and using this as the working space in Photoshop.

Also, I am unsure whether to convert all my photos (which are embedded as srgb) to Adobe rgb. Thoughts?

Has anyone made the switch and if so, what were your experiences?


Finally, I am thinking about working in 16 bit rather than 8 bit (I understand I have to print in 8 bit). While I sometimes shoot RAW and can convert to 16-bit Tiffs with C1LE, if I shoot the highest quality jpegs in Adobe RGB will I wind up with 8 bit images? In other words, how do I work in 16 bit with jpegs taken with the 10D?

Thanks!

-Peter

[marcel wouters]

Peter,
Yes it's better to work in adobe RGB, it's definitely a wider space than sRGB so you don't truncate the colour content of your pics!
There is no advantage to convert from sRGB to adobe rgb (lost colors are lost) except for your workflow if you assume that all your pics are adobe rgb!
for direct printing the conversion is done between adobe rgb and your printer space so you are on the good side!
For online print, the great majority are sRGB based (this is a consume product) so it's better to convert to sRGB before sending to the print shop except special statement, adobe pics will looks a little bit washed (lower RGB keys).
For the web you must convert to sRGB before posting as that's the standard!
Hope this help?