07/04/2026
Discussion: Digital Black & White Photography.
Creative Photography, not Paid Work.
I'll try to be short (I'm bad at that) and I'll crosspost this to many of my group affiliates as well.
I shot 35mm for 25+ years before I switched to Digital in 2008 with a Nikon d300. (still shooting with that camera, among others).
When I shot Film, I walked around with 3 Pentax Spotmatics (graduating to ME series Pentax later), One loaded with Print Film, one with Slide, and one with Black & White.
Graduating to Digital with the then-new d300, I still shot my Takumar manual lenses, (and a Nikkor 18-200 AF-S G) but only needed one body, as it could shoot BW and Color, and I shot with the same mentality, which was:
If my 'eye' sees Color as the reason I'm taking the shot, I shoot color. If not, I shoot BW.
These days, I have complicated things slightly by adding Infrared and Full Spectrum to the "Color List" (also the BW list).
I build and shoot IR and FS Cameras from early Nikon DSLRs, as well as shooting the regular stuff as I've always done.
So here's the Discussion Part:
I still switch my (digital) cameras to BW Before I take the shot, once I've concluded it will, in the end, be a BW.
It's just habit and how my process has always worked.
It's captured in BW, there is no adding color. It was INTENDED to be BW. (reverse, in color, also applies equally)
I know many will shoot normally (color), and convert to BW in POST, gleaning more data, more dynamic range, etc.
Same with IR and FS, actually.
And I'm STILL shooting in .jpg, as I always did. (I know why I should shoot RAW, save your energy for later)
So ... HOW MUCH DATA am I loosing, in your opinion, by choosing BW MODE instead of BW POST, and How much is there to be gained by shooting BW MODE in RAW? (not BW POST / RAW, actual BW Mode in RAW).
Please don't auto-choke replies up on the 'your and idiot of you don't shoot RAW" thing, (or Mirrorless, PLEASE), I know that script, I do sometimes shoot RAW (rarely) and I shoot Mirrorless as well (also rarely), that's not exactly what I'm asking here. I think we all know those arguments pretty well by now.
I'll do some kind of internal testing on this subject at some point, but I'm interested in what others do, why they do it that way, what they have found, and what they might recommend, and why. Feel free to post up examples of your words if you like.
All of your thoughts, however, are appreciated! - Best - Jim
Attached Flag Pic, Happy 4th, Happy 250th, America!
Nikon d300
Nikkor 18-135 AF-S G
Shot in BW Mode, standard cam, NON IR/FS
(on a beach, at a Fort, in NC, USA, mid-day)
