Black and white pictures:Better from de camera or converted?

[hector_jorge]

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When I take a digital picture I have two options: a) Use the black and white mode from the camera or 2) Take it in color and then convert it in the computer to B&W. Which is the best option? The quality of the final picture is the same? Thanks for your advise.

[lct]

Never seen better in-camera results compared to post production especially in B&W where softwares like Silver Efex enhance the creativity of photographers.  

[david strachan]

B&W conversions from colour image and sensor.

 

The various colour sliders in conversion and LR are excellent. The NIK options are good too.

 

However everyone has different tastes in colour, and in B&W, so do processing as you like.

 

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[250swb]

Usually B&W images made by the camera are JPEG, so you are already on a loser right there. You'll get far more control by working with a colour original. Make Silver Efex a Lightroom or Photoshop plugin (find plugins under 'Filters' in Photoshop). Save your .dng as a .TIFF file and open it in Silver Efex for working on, you have a vast array of tools that work incredibly well. When you've finished save the file, still as an Adobe RGB .TIFF, and don't save it as a 'Greyscale' image because traditional B&W is never pure B&W, printing paper and developing chemicals always impart a cool or warm tone to the image, however slight, and you can replicate this in Silver Efex. 

[hector_jorge]

Usually B&W images made by the camera are JPEG, so you are already on a loser right there. You'll get far more control by working with a colour original. Make Silver Efex a Lightroom or Photoshop plugin (find plugins under 'Filters' in Photoshop). Save your .dng as a .TIFF file and open it in Silver Efex for working on, you have a vast array of tools that work incredibly well. When you've finished save the file, still as an Adobe RGB .TIFF, and don't save it as a 'Greyscale' image because traditional B&W is never pure B&W, printing paper and developing chemicals always impart a cool or warm tone to the image, however slight, and you can replicate this in Silver Efex. 

 

Many thanks for your answer. I will try the way you show me.

[schattenundlicht]

When shooting digital, I always convert from DNG, either in LR or in SilverEfex.

 

However, when having b/w in my mind while shooting, I always set the camera up for dual capture (DNG + high contrast b/w jpg). This gives me a point of reference for conversion and helps to shape the idea of what I want to aim at in postprocessing (i.e. in what respect I like or dislike the in-camera b/w rendering and in what way I might find it lacking).

 

The ooc jpg sometimes also helps me to check myself against overdoing things, which can be quite a pitfall, especially in SilverEfex, imho. Far too many images nowadays look like „aesthetic pornography“ to me. The „clarity“ (LR) or „structure“ (SE) sliders can be overly alluring. I have been there and have come back aiming for moderation in postprocessing.

 

But to each his own journey. Have fun with yours!