MJPerini

Ultimately you can find examples of superior work using every permutation you can think of (monochrome sensor , color sensor, converted sensor with or without UV, IR filters or scanned film) you can find bad work as well. There are many personal answers to this but no universal one. You have to do what makes sense to You, and now worry about what others might think. The work will be its own reward…….or not. If it is, great, if not you learned something.
Since you did satisfying work with a Leica , consider renting a monochrome for a week or two.
Good luck

delder Loc: Maryland

When I get back to Film [have cameras & Lenses from the 90's]
It will be for Available Light B&W.

Prices & availability for B/W Film & Development seem to be improving. I guess I could always do my own Development again.

Somehow this seems to be more affordable!

delder Loc: Maryland

CHG_CANON:

Yes, sensor conversion is SO much cheaper & simpler with Film!

Canisdirus

I never said they were necessary all of the time...but in todays market...shooting in B&W...limits you.

Now if you want to get ahead of the best mirrorless...in B&W...you'll have to go to Leica.

Otherwise...shoot in color...if you have a good modern mirrorless that is.

If you don't...who cares...do what you want.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

If you want to shoot monochrome then either shoot film or if you can afford it buy a dedicated monochrome digital camera.

You don't have to explain why you want to shoot monochrome, it's a beautiful art form and it's not limited to drab subjects.

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smf85 Loc: Freeport, IL

Ultimately that’s a matter of opinion - for me using a converted camera is neither simple nor easy but very much better. Sometimes very difficult and sometimes way better than anything I could get from 35mm film.

I’ve found that a FX monochrome camera can take images comparable to a large format camera. I also would note that getting really good results from either can be quite difficult.

The attached image was shot with a Nikon/LDP D850M-FS with a Nikkor 24-70 f2.8 with a LDP VPB filter. I also took images with a Nikon Z9 Nikkor Z 24-70 f2.8 in color a few seconds after this one. The monochrome images were better. For me.

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josquin1 Loc: Massachusetts

If you have $6,000 or so.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

If you take a color picture and then wonder whether it would look better in B&W you are following the wrong workflow, cart before the horse.

Someone with experience in B&W images is likely to know before they click the shutter if the image should be rendered in B&W or color.

User ID

Looks like, as usual, Hogsters are refusing to address your actual query. So I will do it cuz you and I have real overlap in our work. The bottom line is that YOU will get no benefit from a monochrome camera. Somebody else maybe will, but you dont need one.

Like you, I often shoot scenes with verrrrry little apparent color, and usually I leave them as color, altho I sometimes partially further desaturate them to get even weaker colors. Occasionally I fully desaturate them to mono for a result thaz just slightly different.

I find zero reasons to want a special mono camera for this type of scenes. Theres so little color in the first place that editing to a "BW Conversion" isnt changing much at all. For such a minor change vs the real world scene what good is a specialized camera ?

I dont compare my slight conversions to any result from any mono camera that I dont own. But I can compare it to my burned in human experience in professional BW darkrooms. IOW no geeky lab testing, just a verrrrrry expert experienced professional eye. (Yes, I really can print like Adams or White.)

For your needs, of converting "almost mono" to full mono, you cant really improve on just editing out that final vestigal color in PP.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Lots of interesting B&W examples. Hopefully, all those adding examples are also subscribed to the B&W section:

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/s-140-1.html

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Nice. I've used Kodak Technical Pan Film a few times back in the day.

Canisdirus

If you want to get professional results...yes.

Hobby results...conversion.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

Even better is Nik B&W Effex, which has presets to recreate the gamma, tonality and grain of most all the monochrome films of yesteryear. It's now paid, but with a little research the older free version can still be found for download.

Canisdirus

I use the Nik 6 (silver efex)...it's very good and yes the film profiles are all in there.

I can now alter the colors within the B&W to my satisfaction in Adobe...and cruise on over to Nik for the finish up.

I can flip back and forth if I need to reduce or boost a color...within the B&W image.

Maximum flexibility...shooting color and using Nik silver efex.

BebuLamar

Well it's more than $6000 but then the OP was using a Leica for B&W film so it's only appropriate to use a B&W Leica digital.