Oh... regarding your images. If you use gamma correction, you often need to adjust the overall lighting intensity. Many people increase the intensity of their lights to try to compensate for too-deep shadow areas in a non-GC'd image. A direct comparison between the same scene setup with and without GC is not entirely appropriate.

But I have to agree with you that your non-GC image is better in this particular case, mainly because of the table and chairs!

Izi

"If I were a shadow, I know I wouldn't like to be half of what I should be."
Mr Otsuka, the old black tomcat in Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)