Greetings I too have been following this conversation and it has been fascinating and informative. I come to this party somewhat in the middle. I am not a color geek but I am a commercial photographer who's clients expect a certain level of color accuracy. This includes manufacturers, ad agencies, as well as various museums/artists/galleries. They want to know that when I hand them a file it will reproduce (printing, web, etc.) properly. It seems to me that one should "start' with an accurate color representation of whatever they are photographing and then go from there. When I began photography the first thing my instructors had us do was learn the zone system, proper file development, proper printing techniques, etc. After these skills were mastered we could then "break" the rules and make art. We had to crawl before we could walk. Beginning ceramic artists/potters who want to make pots like Byron Temple still learn the basics first - throwing cylinder after cylinder. I don't understand why but a Nikon nef file opened in NIkon Capture NX2 will, out of the box, have better, more accurate color than ACR. I understand that this is a subjective statement but I have had this discussion with many photographers who use Nikon gear and all are in agreement. The downside is that NC2 is so clunky that it is virtually useless in a commercial workflow. So ACR it is, but there is something going on under the hood(s) that I have been unable to resolve. Digital photography has come a long way and I look forward to what's to come. Great discussion! BTY, Was David's (the original poster) initial question was ever answered? Regards David Ramsey