agillot

i also use a D300 , try both way and see , i do color first and then go to b/w , in j peg .

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

I have done it both ways with satisfactory results. I do mostly commercial work so there are practical reasons for each approach.

If I know that the job will require both black and white and color as final output and there is not enough time to shoot theses requirements separately, the obvious choice is to shoot in RAW or in a RAW/Jpeg combination and make any necessary conversions in post processing.

If the job is conceived as a black and white project, sometimes I do prefer to shot in monochrome and observe the live image. Sometimes, achieving a correct PANCHROMATIC image with a very controlled gray scale relationship to each color- to insure separation and contrast and good reproduction potential is critical. If filtration is needed, I would rather find this out while shooting. Oftentimes there is no opportunity for a re-shoot or that would entail reconstruction of an elaborate set. With tight deadlines, I like to minimize processing time as well.

Even in a simple product shot, two items or more of differet color may reproduce in the same tone of gray or might blend into the background. A filter can easily remedy these issues, however, a certain filter may alter other tones unacceptability so I want to be able to precisely pre-visualize the results. OR- I might want to purposely alter the monochromatic representation of the colors and create an ORTHOCHROMATIC interpretation and dramatize the skin tone and texture in a theatrical or character portrait study- a darker green filter can do that. Inversely, a yellow, orange or red filter can produce a porcelain-like skin tone.

We usually discuss gray scale in terms of dynamic range, however, it also has to do with representation of the colors in a controlled manner.

zzzynick Loc: Colorado

No

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Always convert to B&W after shooting in color.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

I primarily shoot RAW and then do B & W conversions in LightRoom when I think an image would look good in B & W. However, in the field, I will ocasionally set my camera to RAW+jpeg and then select monochrome so I can see immediatly how the image looks in B & W.

Try this and then also convert the RAW to B & W and compare it to your jpeg capture. Then decide if there is a difference.

Good luck with your photography.

Petesfixit Loc: Houston Texas

There is a wonderful way to do it on your Nikon camera. Download Nikon picture presets, and NX View from Nikon. They have several very nice black and white and color presets for all sorts of shooting and when you download the raw file into NX View the Nikon preset is automatically applied in the raw file you can tweak it and also change it to one of the other presets before saving it as JPEG for printing

scsdesphotography Loc: Southeastern Michigan

The answers to your three part question is, no, yes and no. Unless you're taking a class in B&W photography, since you usually have to show your work during the class period we shoot B&W in camera and discuss the in camera jpeg image.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

Shooting in camera monochrome leaves way too much data behind. For best monochromes , shoot RAW and convert in PP.

patman1 Loc: Pataskala, Ohio

Because I can do what I want with the Raw file and not be afraid of losing my original image.It also gives me the ability to look over the jpeg before I process it.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

Virtually all of the ~1,000 prints I make each year are 8x8 monochrome. (They're bound into books and given to family members at Christmas.) Since going digital I have always shot in RAW and converted to B&W afterwards. Having switched from Nikon full frame to mostly Olympus micro 4/3 equipment last year, I am especially enjoying the ability to set the live views to show square and monochrome during capture. I can compose knowing EXACTLY what will fit in a square crop when the time comes, but the RAW file captures all of the sensor data, in color, so I can adjust both the actual crop area and the luminosities of various colors after the fact. I could not do that with the JPEGs that were saved when I tried shooting RAW + JPEG.

GENorkus Loc: Washington Twp, Michigan

Plain a simple, shoot in color then convert by whichever method you choose.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Good idea....

But even if your camera can't show you Live View in monochrome, you can probably shoot RAW + monochrome JPEG, then review that JPEG for the same purpose. The RAW capture "preview" will probably be monochrome too when you do that, but it can still be converted back to full color and "tweaked" various ways in post-processing to make a better monochrome than is typically possible in-camera.

What's possible with the RAW later in post processing will almost always be "better" than doing shooting monochrome with the camera (JPEG only). It will rely to some extent upon the post-processing tools you have at your disposal. Almost all can do a simple "desaturation" of an image, simply removing the color to make it a monochrome image with little input or control by you. But Photoshop and various other more sophisticated post-processing software allow you to do B&W conversions with lots of control.... much like using various color filters with B&W film, except that now you can preview the results and continuously adjust things as you see fit, to get exactly the look you want. There are even some plug-ins and free-standing software specifically for B&W conversions, which give you a great deal of flexibility.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

This benefit is hard to overstate. During the decades that I shot B&W film I had yellow, orange, red and green filters that I could use to adjust the film's response to certain colors (but only for certain lenses - I didn't have filter sets for all the lens thread sizes.) But each filter was a single density, and I don't think I could have used more than one at a time (at least I never tried it.) One of the happy surprises that came with digital images was just what amfoto1 described - the ability to control the way multiple colors would print in a monotone print, and to control each one individually and incrementally.

You have to capture the image in color, though, to be able to apply these controls in post processing.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

Shoot raw, then convert in pp.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

As many noted a touch question. First, set your LCD to preview in B&W (monochrome). Capture in RAW. Play with the colors, brightness and saturation, in LR Classic or PS before converting to B&W. What may look horrible in PS will convert to a very nice B&W image. Let your experience guide you as you move forward.

Do not look for a one size fits all solution for this conversion.