I finally broke down and indulged myself with a new monitor and CS2. OK.

I notice that the histograms in Camera Raw change dramatically if I switch from one RGB to another but the preview image changes only a nearly imperceptible degree--if at all.

Is this normal?

In general, it seems that going from Adobe to sRGB alternately raises and lowers the graph by a third to a half without affecting the horizontal endpoints. Swithching to the ProPhoto and/or Color Match spaces seems to maintain the original height of the histogram but, in the examples I've tried, usually brings the histogram to the left, sometimes right.

Even so, as before, I don't detect a perceptible change.

As far as printing anything, I haven't even gone there yet and suspect it'll be awhile before I cross that bridge. (I have zero intention of going anywhere near buying a printer--if the day comes when I want to print something I'll go to a professional.)

So, is the entire concept of which color space to use:

1) an academic question in the age of improved monitors

2) or am I doing something wrong

3) or have I missed an entire issue somewhere?

I have Preview, Shadows, and Highlights turned "on" and, again, don't see any changes in those fields despite the changes in the histogram.

Anyone?

TIA

MichaelAT