Which color space with raw files?

[MCAsan]

Yes if you are shooting raw files, selecting a color space or a picture style does not impact the raw file. But your camera body generates a jpg preview file you see on the back screen and/or EVF. And that jpg file data is used to generate the histograms that tell use about the exposure and color levels. So I set my camera body to the AdobeRGB space and use a Neutral picture style. That gives me a good histogram presentation of the underlying raw file and a good jpg preview for starting the post production work. And the best thing, it costs nothing extra on the camera to simply change the colorspace from sRGB to AdobeRGB and select a Neutral or Natural picture style.

The camera histogram for raw images is based on the embedded jpeg preview image which does honor the color space choice. You can see the difference by shooting two otherwise identical images, varying only the color space choice. The actual embedded jpegs don't contain profiles but the wider gamut possible in Adobe RGB is definitely evident in the resulting histograms. There are programs that can extract the embedded jpeg images on your computer where you can do further comparisons to support this observation.

http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/in-camera-color-space-for-raw-shooters.html

 

[sarge]

One caveat here....

As I understand it once the RAW file is mapped to a particular color space - let's say Adobe 1998, you cannot magically retrieve the full sensor color data by re-opening the RAW file in a larger gamut like Prophoto (which is approximately the same gamut as captured by the sensor and represented by the RAW file) because you've already mapped/compressed the info to the smaller space. This is why I only open my RAW files in the Kodak Pro Photo color space in PS. Just thought I would toss that out there...

 

[MCAsan]

I was talking setting color space in the camera when shooting raw files. Raw files have zero color space. The color space is selected is part of the input used the camera to derive a jpg preview file. The colorspace selected for the processing does not in any way impact the raw file contents. When you get the raw file into Lightroom you are totally free to process the file using ProPhoto, AdobeRGB, or sRGB. Again, I am only talking about shooting and processing raw files.

 

[sarge]

I was talking setting color space in the camera when shooting raw files. Raw files have zero color space. The color space is selected is part of the input used the camera to derive a jpg preview file. The colorspace selected for the processing does not in any way impact the raw file contents. When you get the raw file into Lightroom you are totally free to process the file using ProPhoto, AdobeRGB, or sRGB. Again, I am only talking about shooting and processing raw files.

Oh I realize that - was just pointing out that color space does impact RAW files once the editing process begins...and that folks should probably be opening those RAW files in ProPhoto if they hope to preserve the full color gamut of the RAW file.

 

[MCAsan]

and that folks should probably be opening those RAW files in ProPhoto if they hope to preserve the full color gamut of the RAW file.

Fully agreed. Shoot raw and process in ProPhoto to keep all the potential you can get from your shot. Drop to sRGB only when you know you have to create a jpg for the web or email. And if you are lucky use AdobeRGB to do some high end printing via CMYK.

The Adobe RGB (1998) color space is an RGB color space developed by Adobe Systems, Inc. in 1998. It was designed to encompass most of the colors achievable on CMYK color printers, but by using RGBprimary colors on a device such as a computer display.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_RGB_color_space