Digital BW, The Print

On Sunday, April 11, 2004, at 03:53 AM, Anthony G. Atkielski wrote:

>
> There are many ways of converting color to B&W that can improve the
> results.  However, you can never obtain the full flexibility of 
> shooting
> in black and white to begin with, since so much information is already
> gone once you've captured an image in color.

You actually have MORE flexibility if you shoot in color and convert to 
B&W not less. If you shoot in B&W with a yellow, green or red filter in 
front of your lens you are forever stuck with those tonal renditions. 
If you shoot in color and use the channel mixer to convert, you have 
more flexibility because you can choose the tonal rendition and color 
relationships in the digital darkroom rather than while shooting.

Furthermore, in one sense you do have less "information / resolution" 
when you shoot with a digital camera in color but on another hand you 
have more "information" because you have all the original color 
information and at a low ISO you get an image with no grain or scanner 
induced grain aliasing.

Shooting with a DSLR is not the same as shooing B&W film but they 
really both have there own  advantages.


-Jeff