sRGB, aRGB, calibration and color/tone/hue curves

[Fastfwd13]

I understand that aRGB is "better" for the human eye than sRGB. But are there limitations?
- Is it possible that some places won't be able to print correctly pictures that are in aRGB?
- Will this format stand the test of time since it is not the default?
If not. Why is it that my 50D comes with sRGB by default is it is inferior?

The way I understand calibration is that it depends also on consistent lighting outside of the monitor. So it's useless for me as I use a laptop at home and light from the windows at work is ever changing.
Should I just then leave all my pictures as-is or still try to correct for colors that don't seem right to me? What I currently do is try to find the right white balance and leave the rest as is. I only play with contract,shadows,highlights and the white balance.

Also seems to me that not everyone sees colors the same way so how do I know even with a correctly calibrated monitor that what I do is an improvement? Or is this one of those artistic decision that is in the eye of the beholder?

[gjl711]

Lots of questions. I can answer some I think.
Not all places can handle different color spaces. Call first and find out what they expect.

aRGB has been around a long time. It's likely that it will be around a while longer. As to how long, who knows. Something can be invented tomorrow that obsoletes all the current color spaces.

sRGB has become the default because it is what the majority of monitors and printers handle.

Simple calibration techniques, those involving nothing more sensitive than your eye are very dependant on external lighting ans light conditions can cause what you see to change. Hardware calibration tools do not require external lighting so are not influenced by it. Still what you see may change but the profile created should be consistent as it measures the screen itself.

Adjusting white balance on a uncalibrated monitor can make things really goofy. They might look perfect on your monitor but print it or send it to someone else and it might look horrible. If you are adjusting the colors, best calibrate your monitor as well.

You can not control how people see colors. Everyone is different, but you can control the color itself. If you shoot a perfect red, you should be able to measure the color as 255/0/0 and so on.