Digital BW, The Print

Oh, you *would* ask a "third-rail" question as your first in this 
group! ;-)

IMO, the first thing to understand is that black-and-white 
photography is *not* merely "the absence of color". I'll go out on 
a limb and assume your interest in b/w comes from having seen 
some very nice b/w prints, either in an exhibit or in book form.  If 
so, it's a fair bet that those photographs originated on 
black-and-white film. Nowadays, of course, there's more than 
one way to get to a b/w print, and each "way" can result in a 
subjectively satisfying print. BUT, there's a learning curve 
involved, whichver way you go.

My preferred "way" is with some form of black-and-white film. But 
you can try and make a go of it with your CyberShot, and I would 
encourage you to experiment with it (you just got it, after all - have 
fun!). Understand, however, that there will be certain limitations 
imposed by your camera (the "default" for 99.95% of all digital 
cameras is color photography) . The only way to discover these 
limitations, of course, is to get out there with your camera and try. 
Dealing with the limitations of a given medium can lead to some 
interesting results.

From the digerati I know, the bar for "good" b/w conversions from 
a digital camera pretty much starts with Canon's 10D, which is 
about double the cost you mention in your post. But I would 
encourage you t experiment with the Sony first, to get a feel for 
the all-ditial workflow, and take it from there.

- Barrett

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, 
"degan00115061" <degan@c...> wrote:
> Greetings
> 
>This is my first post to the group.  Most of the discussions 
>seems to be about printers and paper.  Does anyone have any 
>advice on which camera to use for B&W photography.  Does it 
>matter?  I mean, are there camers that have a function for 
>B&W?  If so, is it just as well do take color shots and turn them 
>into B&W on a computer?
> 
> I just got a Sony DSC-P10 Cyber-shot for Christmas, and I'm 
> wondering if there is anything out there for under $600 that is 
> better for low-light without a flash and B&W?
> 
> Any advice would be appreciated.
> 
> Jeff