Q&A In-Camera B&W Shooting Modes
This week’s question comes from Richard Smith of La Crosse, Wisconsin
“During Christmas this year I just purchased my semi-auto digital camera. It is the Fuji Film S100FD. I love the camera and have had fun using it so far. However, I do have a question about shooting in B & W versus shooting in color. Is it better to shoot digital in color then digitally convert it to B&W or is is better to shoot in B&W mode?”
Great question Richard. I am sure you will be able to find someone to disagree with me, but I strongly believe that in almost every case, you’re better off shooting in color mode, then bringing the image into something like Aperture, iPhoto, Lightroom or Photoshop to do the conversion to B&W. While I am not familiar with your specific camera, almost every camera I’ve used merely strips out some of the color data to create an in-camera B&W. In the long run, this is short-sighted since it gives you less data to work with when you move the image to post.
You should always hope to start with a maximum amount of data. A couple exceptions would be: 1) if you just plain love the look of your camera’s B&W images as is with no need for further correction. 2) if you need to immediately print or distribute the images in B&W from the camera without the use of a computer in between.
I hope this answers your question Richard. I welcome other questions for this segment of the blog. While we get many more questions than I can answer, I do use the questions to start ideas for other blog posts and will try to answer at least one question directly each week. Send your questions to twipphoto @ gmail.com.
Comments are closed.
I have to agree w/Scott – if you shoot the B&W mode, you’re pretty limited if you ever decide that you’d like to do something different with the image once it’s on your computer. I also think though, that as an exercise in composition(and also it’s also a pretty fun assignment), shooting for a day in only B&W can be an eye opener.
This is especially true since there are several different ways to go from color to b&w that may result in different looks. I did some comparisons on this for a class a couple of years ago in photoshop. Off the top of my head, we looked at desaturating the image, taking a single channel, and the color->bw tool in photoshop. I don’t remember which looked “best”, but I do remember that the images looked strikingly different in some of the settings. In particular a major item in the shot was fairly light in one b&w, and fairly dark in another. If your camera does this conversion, you have no choice or control over how it does it.
I never shoot b&w in camera, so correct me if I’m wrong, but if you are shooting in Raw and shooting in b&w, can’t you convert back to color once you are on your computer? That way you can learn how to shoot for b&w, but still be able to go back to the color shot if you need.
I have been playing with B&W on my D80 lately. It lets me use a red filter, and I crank up the contrast. The results are quite good, but I never take a chance shooting just JPG. When shooting B&W in-camera I always shoot RAW+JPG so that I have full flexibility if I need it. When it gets down to it, if it is a shot I care about at all, I will always want to control the conversion to B&W manually, as the flexiblity you get can make or break a shot.
I’m not familiar with Fuji cameras, so I don’t know if this applies. For me, shooting black and white on a Nikon DSLR, I like to shoot in RAW+JPEG with in-camera B&W turned on. I can then “Chimp” – look at the photo in the camera – as a guide to how the scene works in B&W. Later, when the photos are imported into Aperture, I have the original colour RAW file to do a more complete black and white conversion using the “monochrome mixer” or something like Nik’s “Silver Efex”.
Both! I shoot RAW, and when you shoot RAW you always get color information. When shooting RAW and set to B&W, the only thing that is actually B&W is the preview image.
I find when I’m out shooting and my camera is set to B&W, I’m more sensitive to lighting, and also more likely to take pictures that look good as B&W. And since I took the pictures in RAW I can still use the color information to tweak the actual image once I’m post processing.
Yes you should shoot B&W in camera, and yes you should digitally convert to B&W in post! It’s the only way to go.
Sorry Chuck & Tobin first of all not all cameras support this approach. And second, it’s not in the spirit of the question originally asked. I do think it’s fine to shoot in B&W if you need help “seeing” the B&W shot – (Ansel Adams solved this problem by simply carrying a Wratten #90 yellow filter) but the question is all about conversion – and a RAW or even JPEG shot in color will contain more information than an image shot in B&W so let’s keep that in mind.
I have a Canon XTI and I shoot in RAW.
The one time I shot in B&W mode and then imported them into Lightroom they were instantly converted to color. So after that I just shoot in color and convert during post-camera processing.
I agree, shoot in color, you have so many more options converting it then. it’s true that if you shoot in RAW it doesn’t permanently change it to B&W. I’ve occasionally turned on B&W for practice. I’m a youngin compared to most around here, and have only had a tiny taste of B&W film. It’s fun to think about light that way and get some B&W practice, but when I’m shooting “for keeps” i shoot in color.
Chris Becker (The Becker) shoots in camera black and white. He argues that back in the film days you had to choose whether you would shoot a shot in black and white or colour, so he doesn’t mind making the choice now.
I disagree, or conversely, agree with most everyone above, but just a note that some well known and pretty big name photographers do shoot in camera black and white.
Just wondering Trent if you can provide examples of the “well known and pretty big name photographers” (plural) who do shoot in camera black and white? I know most of the teaching and publishing working pros in the USA and I can’t think of one who suggests that in-camera B&W is the way to go – but if I’ve missed something I’d appreciate you providing more details.
I agree with Scott that final conversion in computer can generate a better quality image. But some cameras allow you to shoot in B+W RAW. All the color information is captured, but a JPEG in embedded with the in-camera processing. Viewing on the camera, you’ll see the B+W image.
And when you get home, the B+W preview can be handy to help you remember what the intent was. Most people shoot RAW + JPG to achieve this, but on my Nikon D700, the RAW file preview would be B+W, yet Photoshop imports it with all color data. You can extract the JPEG with a free utility from RawWorkflow.com. This method gives you the best of both worlds – a B+W preview and all the color data intact.
“Chris Becker (The Becker) shoots in camera black and white. He argues that back in the film days you had to choose whether you would shoot a shot in black and white or colour, so he doesn’t mind making the choice now.”
Coming from a film background I also decide whether a photo is going to be BW or color before I make the exposure, but I still do the BW conversion with out-of-camera software rather than in-camera software. The location of the processing software doesn’t concern me; I’d use the in-camera processing software if it offered the sophistication and control of the out-of-camera software. My 5D offers a few simple filter effects, and a few steps on a a couple of slider bars. That’s like dropping the film off at the lab for automated processing. I’m a darkroom geek, so I want more control.
By the way, I think soon we will have the option to upload our choice of processing software to our digital cameras. Then the whole issue of where the processing software is located will be moot. I’ll have my 5D mkIII loaded with my favorite Lightroom 3.1 black and white presets.
Well that’s one photographer who’s “well-known” I guess. I have never heard of him. But I’ll trust he is “well-known.” Pros I know who convert in post?
John Shaw
Art Wolfe
Rick Sammon
Clay Blackmore
Dennis Reggie
I could go on…
Matt that would be very cool.
I have used the B&W or Monotone mode on my D300. Since I shoot in the JPEG (Fine, Large) and RAW Mode simultaneously I can see the B&W jpeg, but when I upload into my Lightroom catalog I have the jpeg AND the COLOR NEF (Raw) File. So, essentially I have the best of both worlds.
Hope that helps.
J
I think the real answer lies in whichever allows you personally to be more creative.
Scott, as for your comment:
“a RAW or even JPEG shot in color will contain more information than an image shot in B&W so let’s keep that in mind.”
I was under the impression that RAW is always the data (pre-Bayer demosaic) straight off the camera sensor, and no matter if the camera is set to B&W or not, the color information is unchanged in the RAW file. So technically, shooting in RAW with B&W on would be the best of both worlds.
@Chuck what I was trying to say was that if you shoot in color – you will keep more data. I don’t know which cameras do allow you to shoot RAW and in B&W mode at the same time. If they do, then you’re right. That’s the best of both worlds. But some – if not most cameras – and we’re talking compacts AND DSLRs won’t let you shoot in RAW + B&W. In fact, most cameras won’t let you shoot RAW at all. So it’s a moot point. I’m trying to point out that the image that starts out with the most data will always look best after conversion. Perhaps I am not communicating well. Or perhaps it’s just my self-fulfilling prophecy. I said Richard would find someone to disagree with me and I was right. :)
Again, looking at the question in context, I don’t believe Richard was asking the question from a creative point of view. Look at the second paragraph of the post where I quote his question. If I am wrong, he can correct me.
Hard to believe this post became controversial. I think you baited the controversy mongers, Scott. You sly fox, you.. :)
@Noah the truth is people like to argue with me :)
Not me Scott. You are the man ;). I tend to believe that get as much information at the scene, my old investigative skills coming here, and then you can remove what you don’t want later. Although a good photographer, and I’m not one, would most often know what they want, there is always the time when you find you need or want the extra information that a colour image has. If you only have limited data or information it is too late to go back, the moment is gone. I remember when I was taking photos of crash scenes we always took more than we needed, always making sure we were looking at what we needed. At times we would see things, evidence, in photographs that because of the harsh environment we didn’t see at the time. A RAW image is something like that, there is information there that in a B&W will be missing. You might find you need that when you looking at in POST.
@Scott, just a follow up for anyone reading the thread. I did try today with my Nikon D80 to shoot B&W with RAW. It does let you, and I’d be surprised if this is not the case for all Nikon’s. On importing the picture you still have the full color information from the RAW file.
You definitely have more information and control if you turn a color image into B&W. But if having your camera show B&W previews will help you get the right capture you’re looking for this is definitely the way to go.