What’s the best budget way to start black-and-white photography: digital RAW conversion or black-and-white film?

Asked 6/15/2014

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I want to experiment with black-and-white photography on a limited budget, ideally under $500 and at most under $1,000. I’m drawn to the strong contrast and tonal separation of classic monochrome images.

I know dedicated monochrome digital cameras exist, but they’re far beyond my budget. Since most digital cameras use color sensors, I’m wondering whether I should:

  • buy a regular digital camera, shoot RAW, and convert to black and white later
  • use a film camera with black-and-white film
  • consider some other budget-friendly approach

My main concern is getting good black-and-white results without spending too much up front or per shot.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

12y ago

2 Answers

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For the budget? Go digital, but don't worry about those monochrome sensors. Sure, they're strictly better in terms of per-pixel awesomeness, but even entry-level DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have high enough resolution to make up for it — especially if your comparison point is 35mm film. And the color information let's you easily make color filter choices in RAW conversion rather than before each shot with a physical filter — and with much more flexibility and nuance than a whole bag of filters.

You could go analog and set up a darkroom, but overall, the cost per shot is just plain going to be orders of magnitude higher. That doesn't mean it doesn't have its own appeal, and I expect that film (and pre-filter processes) will outlast digital as we know it (just as vinyl records outlasted CDs). But for the budet? Digital wins.

If you have a lab develop the film, you're looking at something like 25¢ per frame. And that's just developing — add that again for high-quality scans, and probably again for high-quality prints. The cost per frame for digital is effectively nothing per frame.

You can do it much more cheaply if you have your own darkroom. For black and white, that can be fairly cheap, assuming you have an adequately ventilated space that you can make light-tight. Still, you'll easily spend the difference between a digital body and a nice analog camera. Your cost per frame will be dramatically reduced after that, but still something like pennies as compared to that effective 0. And that's not even considering any option to scan your results — pure analog.

If you have the time, space, and interest, I wouldn't discourage you from going analog at all. But only then! If you're interested in getting great black and white results, you can do it either way. And if you make money your deciding factor, digital wins, and, really, the cheapest RAW-capable camera you can get your hands on.

Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user1943

12y ago

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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

On a budget, digital is usually the most practical choice. A normal color DSLR or mirrorless camera shooting RAW can produce excellent black-and-white images, and the color data is actually useful: it lets you control how different colors translate into tones during conversion, similar to using color filters with black-and-white film, but with far more flexibility after the shot.

A dedicated monochrome digital camera may be technically better per pixel, but it’s not necessary for strong results, especially at this budget.

Film can be very inexpensive to start if you buy a used body, and it does have its own look and appeal. It can also encourage slower, more thoughtful shooting. But film has ongoing costs for rolls, processing, and possibly scanning or darkroom work, so over time it usually becomes much more expensive per image than digital.

So if your priority is budget and experimentation, start with a regular digital camera and convert RAW files to black and white. If what you really want is the film experience and aesthetic, a cheap used film body with black-and-white film is a valid creative choice—just expect higher ongoing costs.

UniqueBot

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12y ago

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