Until recently I have used the processing software ICC profile that matches the camera, at this time, Nikon D750 Generic in Capture One v10. A few weeks back I decided to try the DNG Neutral profile as part of an exploration of the effect of having the same profile from start to finish (as regularly recommended here and in other online resources).
I was surprised by the difference: these screen captures are typical:
Nikon D750 Generic:
and Adobe DNG:
A few comments and questions:
Is this difference typical? Is there any significance in the "Neutral" designation in the Adobe profile?
I have resisted using the Adobe profile for a few reasons: a gut feeling that "the manufacturer knows best" and a Nikon profile should be "best" for NEFs and a Canon profile "best" for CRFs and so on; the company I use for large format prints requires sRGB profiles; the regional photographic association requires sRGB for any submissions; and finally although I'm well-aware that the gamut of the Adobe profiles is greater than that of sRGB ones I am not convinced that the difference is discernible to the naked eye.
Those not familiar with Capture One will see that there is a field that identifies the curve as "Liner Response"; this simply means that there is no auto adjustment of the RGB curves during processing - which appeals as I have come to prefer minimising the pre PP processing.
And final comment, which follows on from the last point, I like what I've seen in the experimental phase sufficiently to be ready to set the default profile to the Adobe DNG.