Nikon D300 User Manual page 192

If you shoot in RAW format a lot, you may want to consider
using Adobe RGB
your image files for later reuse. Remember that a
(RAW) image file can contain 4,096 levels of color per RGB
channel in 12-bit
mode—instead of the 8-bit JPEG's 256 levels. Using
RGB makes a lot of sense in
capacity to contain more colors as a base storage medium.
There are some drawbacks to using
sRGB color space is widely used in printing and display
devices. Even many local labs print using
many point-and-shoot digital camera users bring their pictures
to them in that format. If you try to print directly to some
inkjet printers using the
may not be as brilliant as with sRGB. If you aren't going to
modify your images in-computer and plan on printing them
directly from your camera, you may want to use sRGB. If you
shoot only JPEGs for computer display or Internet usage, it
might be better to stay with
If you are a RAW shooter and regularly post-process your
images, you should consider using
have a wider gamut of colors to work with and can make your
images the best they can be. Later, you can convert your
carefully crafted images to print with a good color profile and
get great results from inkjet printers and other printing
devices. So, here's a rough way to look at it:
▪ Many JPEG shooters use sRGB.
▪ Many RAW shooters use
This is not a hard and fast rule, but many people use these
settings according to their style of shooting.
to store the maximum number of colors in
mode and 16,385 levels in
NEF (RAW)
Adobe RGB
sRGB
Adobe
192
mode because of its
Adobe RGB, though. The
sRGB
color space, the colors
for everyday shooting.
Adobe RGB. You will
RGB.
NEF
14-bit
Adobe
because so