Is it better to use a camera's black-and-white mode or convert to black and white later?
Asked 1/21/2011
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For black-and-white photography, is there any image quality or flexibility difference between using a camera's built-in monochrome mode and shooting in color first, then converting to black and white later in software? I'm using a Canon S95 and would like to know which approach gives the best results.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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Yes, there is a huge difference: You cannot change your mind if you set your camera to B&W.
Another difference is that there are multiple ways of converting to B&W, some people do not simply use luminance and will favor certain colors during the conversion. In the film days, it was possible to use a colored filter with B&W film to reduce the resulting look. Some cameras let you control this in-camera but you have a limited number of options (0-12).
Then again, if you have complete confidence it's what you want and don't want to waste your time on a computer, it is up to you.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
15y ago
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Usually, shooting in color and converting later is better, because it gives you much more control over the final black-and-white look. In post-processing you can choose different conversion methods and adjust how colors map to tones, similar to using color filters with black-and-white film.
If you use the camera’s black-and-white mode for JPEGs, you’re committing to the camera’s conversion and have fewer options later. You also can’t easily change your mind.
If your camera can shoot RAW, that’s often the best compromise: you can set black-and-white mode in-camera for preview/review, but the RAW file still keeps the full color data. That lets you see a monochrome preview while preserving maximum editing flexibility afterward.
So:
- JPEG only: color first, convert later is usually best.
- RAW: shoot RAW, and you can use black-and-white mode for preview without losing color data.
In short, the main difference is flexibility and control, not magic image quality from the monochrome mode itself.
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