Choosing sRGB vs. aRGB

[Khurram]

I wanted to get some advice on which color space I should be using based on my current situation.  I have read conflicting articles and books on which setting should be used.

Most of what I have read seems to suggest that aRGB should always be used if it is an available option because it offers a much greater gamut of colors.  however, i have also read that if i you process in 8bit rather then 16 bit, you should use sRGB, or if you are not printing your own pictures you should use sRGB, becuase it is the industry standard for most processing labs.  is this true?

I have been shooting with my 1DIIN at the default setting of sRGB in all situations.  I also read that for landscapes it is better to shoot in aRGB, but for weddings, it is actually benefial to shoot using sRGB.  Is this true??  If I do shoot at the aRGB setting, can I still process at 8 bits??  I'm not sure if the software i'm using will allow me to use 16 bit files.

Is there truth in that sRGB should be used for weddings, and aRGB is the preffered choice for landscape??

Right now i'm using DPP when i do process any RAW files, and i'm using PS Elements 2 (will be getting elements 3 with the scanner i'm getting, so at that time I may start to process raw files using that program), and sometime this month i will be getting my new computer, and by the end of the month will be getting either CS2 or elements 4.  Long run I will get CS2, but with my learning curve being so steep,  I'm not sure if i want to make the jump to CS2 right away.  Is elements 4 easier to use??? At the camera store i was at, the salesperson said that Camera Raw functionality was improved in Elements 4 over 3.  and he also said that elements 4 is easier to learn on then CS2, is this true??

since my switch to digital, i love the instant feedback and potential to control, but i'm feeling a little overwhelmed by all the software options (as well as the hardware requirements), since i've never really been a computer guy.

appreciate some advice on given my situation, which setting would be better.  I know for landscapes for sure, i would like the potential to be able to go back to my raw files and process at 16 bit later on, but not sure if i should shoot right now at aRGB or not.  also not sure if i should stick to sRGB for weddings.

[Paul Sumi]

If you are shooting RAW, color space does not matter at the time of exposure.  You make this decision afterwards when you "develop" your files.  Some use a wider gamut color space but I'm a little old school: for web applications I develop to sRGB and for printing I use aRGB, both in 16 bit TIFF.

Paul

[Geoff Wittig]

sRGB is a colorspace originally matched to the "lowest common denominator" computer monitor, and subsequently serving as the default for the Internet and many consumer-grade digital photo finishers. It gives splashy color right out of the box, but also unnecessarily truncates some of the color gamut modern cameras can capture, which in turn limits what you'll be able to print later on a good inkjet.
Adobe RGB is considerably wider in gamut, and is a reasonable approximation of what a good inkjet photo printer can reproduce. Some of that wider gamut is certainly wasted if all you plan for your images is posting thumbnails or printing 4x6's down at the local Megalomart. But it preserves the potential to accurately reproduce those subtle cyan-blue shades in a summer sky, or a wild orange-red gradient in fall foliage. And you can always convert an image to sRGB for web use, but if you start in sRBG you can't go back to recover color gamut that you didn't capture in the first place.
For true fanatics, you can choose Prophoto RGB, an even wider gamut colorspace that probably can't be exploited by current printers, but this will preserve subtle color distinctions and extreme colors that might be usable with future printers. This is worth considering, because treasured images might be printed better in the future, but only if you preserve every potential bit of quality you can. I have several excellent (to me, anyway) photos I scanned ten years ago, but with limited gamut and 8 bit depth, so the quality of prints has a very finite limit.

[digitaldog]

Is there truth in that sRGB should be used for weddings, and aRGB is the preffered choice for landscape??

No considering the scene gamut could be wider or narrower in either case.

It's all about containing all the colors in the scene the sensor is able to record along with the gamut of any and all output devices you'll use to reproduce those colors.

You might want to read this:
http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/cp/olympus/te...t_id=1000734256

[Khurram]

I'd like to thank everyone for the clarification as well as the link!

[Raw shooter]

As listed above - shoot everything RAW and you can make conversions (copies) to any and all color spaces.  
Raw capture and correction (Adobe Camera Raw 3.4) is beyong incredible.  All options, multiple variations, exposure correction, etc. before being stamped out in a color space.  Make some sRGB copies for screen views, other copies in ProPhoto for printing to great inkjets (Epson R2400 and others)
All that and the original RAW image is permanently read-only to safeguard your valuable images.