How best to calibrate monitor using Display Calibrator Assistant?

Pete,

Thanks for your reply.

I'm still thinking about this! I notice that the gamma setting of 2.2 gives a darker image then when set at the Apple-recommended 1.8. I'm not convinced that 2.2 is the way to go, because my Nikon D200 tends to underexpose photos to begin with. Care to offer a justification for using gamma of 2.2 instead of 1.8? It seems odd to me that so many advocate 2.2 instead of 1.8.

Bob

Dennis and Pete,

The color space setting in the shooting menu of my D200 is sRGB (not Adobe RGB), and the color display profile on my iMac is set at sRGB IEC61966-2.1. I understand that sRGB is the world standard for digital images, printing, and the Internet, so it would appear that I should leave everything the way it is. Agreed?

Bob

Dennis,

Thanks for the helpful response.

To date I have made very few prints from my digital images, so I can't speak to how well prints agree with my display. However, I have plans to commence making prints in the near future, so I will certainly be zeroing in on that issue when I do so. At the moment I am researching what I need to acquire in order to mat and frame the photos I produce. I'll probably let Costco make big prints for me on photographic paper. I hear they produce quality prints at very favorable prices.

As far as the D200 tending toward underexposure, I have no problem with that at all. Actually, for the most part, the D200 does a terrific job in properly exposing photos. The meter in this camera is far better than the meter in my old Nikon F2A film camera back when I was shooting Kodachrome 64. In fact, I used to use a hand-held exposure meter rather then rely on the in-camera meter.

If exposure is not quite on the money I much prefer that the image be underexposed than overexposed. Photoshop Elements enables me to deal successfully with underexposure issues, but handling overexposed images is much more problematical. It's difficult, if not impossible, to correct washed out images when there is little or nothing present to correct!

Bob

Hey, Pete!

With my Nikon I can set the color space to either Adobe RGB or sRGB. Ken Rockwell (kenrockwell.com) is very knowledgeable in this area, and in his User's Guide for the D200, strongly advises the default sRGB setting unless the user really knows what he is doing with Adobe RGB and does his own printing. I don't agree with all of Mr. Rockwell's pronouncements, but on this issue I opted to follow his advice.

I don't find noise to be a significant issue with the D200 from ISO 100 through 1600. Noise gets pretty bad at ISO 3200, but the Noise Ninja program is very helpful in reducing noise to acceptable levels. Noise is worse in underexposed areas, but on balance I still prefer underexposure--within reason--to overexposure.

I started out my use of the D200 shooting everything in RAW + JPEG (Large Normal Optimal Quality), but in most instances I didn't feel that RAW gave me noticeably better results than JPEG. Also, RAW images chew up a lot of hard drive space. I now shoot most stuff JPEG, but employ RAW in situations that might present a problem, like when shooting sporting events in school gymnasiums which typically have abominable lighting conditions. With RAW images white balance is easier to adjust than with JPEGs. On the Internet I have read a number of impassioned arguments in favor of RAW over JPEG, but I still consider RAW to be a digital image format and not a religion! Therefore, I don't fear consignment to hades as a penalty for shooting JPEGs!

Bob