How can I preview a scene in black and white when using an optical viewfinder?
Asked 5/14/2012
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I’d like a way to judge how a scene might translate to monochrome while composing through an optical viewfinder. Years ago I used a colored viewing filter for black-and-white film and would like something similar for my Nikon D90 or P7100, even if it’s just a handheld viewing aid rather than something fitted to the camera. Are there practical options for previewing in monochrome with these cameras?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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The filter you're thinking of is a Wratten #90. They used to come as gels, so you'd have to get a gel holder or just hold it and operate the camera one-handed. (Or just hold it in front of your face and don't bother with the camera.)
Both of your cameras have a mode that desaturates the image before storage, which would let you chimp it on the LCD after shooting it.
If you're trying to develop an eye for it, keep shooting in color and spend time later doing side-by-side comparisons between color and black-and-white. It's much better to have an image with more information in it that you can strip out than it is to be stuck with less than you wanted.
Originally by user6508. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6508
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A traditional option is a Wratten #90 viewing filter, which was commonly used to help visualize scenes in black and white. These were often sold as gels, so you’d typically hold it up to your eye or use some kind of holder rather than mount it on the camera.
With your current cameras, the most practical alternative is to use the camera’s black-and-white/monochrome picture mode and review the image on the LCD after shooting. That won’t change the optical viewfinder view, but it does give you a quick monochrome preview.
For developing a better eye for monochrome, it’s often best to keep shooting in color and compare the color originals with black-and-white conversions later. That lets you learn how colors map into tones without throwing away information.
A more elaborate option is using live view or video output to an external display that can show a desaturated image, but that requires extra equipment and isn’t really an optical-viewfinder solution.
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