B&W and Sepia with the G3

[SteveY]

Hi, I have owned the G3 for a couple of years now and haven't really gotten into the options it has. My wife likes taking pictures in B&W and Sepia so I created a memory for each in the C1 and C2 positions. But unlike the Auto setting, you have to hold the camera extremely still yo get a good picture. Is there any way to set it up that it uses the "Auto" setting but in B&W or Sepia?

Thanks for your help.
Steve

[sidebp]

Hi,

Set the camera in Auto or P(rogram) mode, change the setting to B&W or Sepia and then save the preset via the menu as usual. When saving the presets the camera uses whatever settings are in use at the time e.g. Auto-WB, AutoFocus, "Auto" Aperture and "Auto" Shutter speed in the case of auto mode.

It sounds to me like when you saved the preset, the camera was in Manual or AV/TV mode and hence may be using a slow shutter speed etc. than is needed - hence having to hold the camera still to avoid blur. Also remember to make sure the ND filter is off when saving the preset as well.

Im trying to write this without having my camera in front of me so my instructions may be a bit out! I have a feeling you may have to use P-mode - just make sure you all the settings set to Auto i.e. No manual focus etc.

As your probably aware and I guess most people will tell you - it may be worth shooting in colour and then converting to B&W or Sepia on your PC - but I know: its not the same as getting the photo straight out of the tin! :D

[kreego]

its not the same as getting the photo straight out of the tin! :D

Very true! While I often convert drab color photos with none-the-less interesting composition (just learned to seperate the color channels!!) I find it exhilarating to see the B&W "as is" in the display when shooting. I've dedicated C1 to this setting, but I admit feeling a little guilty - should B&W remain a "state of the mind's eye" (sorry couldn't resist) while composing in a color world? :?

K

[SteveY]

Thanks for your replies.

sidebp; i have tried doing it the way you suggest, but it still isn't working in "auto" mode. What program could i use to convert a color photo to B&W?

Thanks
Steve

[sdommin]

Is there any way to set it up that it uses the "Auto" setting but in B&W or Sepia?

You can't use any of the "Photo Effect" modes in Auto, as per the manual (Why? I don't know). It should work in (P)rogram mode, though.

[SteveY]

I think I figured it out. I started in (P)rogram mode but made one change in the menu; I turned "Slow Synchro" off.
Now it seems to work pretty good in both of my C1 (B&W) and C2 (Sepia) modes.

Steve

[luvnitaly]

I recently purchased a Canon G5, and have spent the past couple of weeks fooling around with the options. While I took several pictures in BW, I soon realized that Paint Shop Pro does just as good a job of turning a color photograph into greyscale. With Paint Shop Pro, I simply chose the greyscale option, and then the Soften Focus option (at 40% here). The result was really nice, as compared to the harsh sharpness and vivid colors of the original.

http://www.geocities.com/donya1971//rilee.html

[carrigman]

You are far better off shooting exclusively in colour and ignoring the B+W and Sepia options found in G series (or any other cameras). The best B+W and Sepia effects are obtained by using a good image editor like Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. Not only do they deliver a better effect but by shooting in colour you also have the choice of using the colour image if it doesn't suit the monochrome treatment. Ignore the B+W and Sepia options in the camera: they are just useless gimmicks.

[sean_]

Just thought I'd toss my 2c in.

I recently used The GIMP to sepiafy a photo I'd taken long ago using the instructions found here =>

http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/Sepia_Toning/

I've used the same software to convert some of my photos to black and white, and I always shoot in full color.

[figueira]

In the past, when I use to shot BW film, my way to achieve better photos usually rely on contrast. Contrast in BW is achieved by adding color filters (Green, Red, Yellow, Orange, etc.) If you shoot the a sky with clouds just like the Sistine Chapel in BW without a filter, you will be later disappointed that in BW white and light blue are the same, so add a filter and thus, you will have contrast.

What does this has to do with this thread??? Well, Follow Carrigman advise... shoot in color. Then, convert it to BW in a software which is able to control each channel of color while outputting monochrome. In Photoshop you go this way:
In the menus:
Layer,
New Adjustment Layer,
Channel Mixer,
OK,
then in the Dialog Box, check the Monochrome on the bottom left.
Now play with the three channels of color (R,G,B) independently until you are satisfied with the result. Tip, if you correctly exposed the photo the sum of the three channels should be maintained at 100%, and maybe this is the time to correct the exposure….

Regards,
Carlos

[sdommin]

I think that if you already have some color shots that you want to convert to B&W, then have at it. There are several good and effective ways to do this.

However, if you're in a B&W frame of mind (so to speak), you'll often do better by setting your camera to the B&W mode, then looking at the LCD to actually compose and take your shot. A good B&W photo is not the same thing as a good color photo with the colors removed - they're different. You're looking for different things. You need a different "eye" to be really effective. You can easily get distracted by colors, that's why it's sometimes better to use the B&W mode when you can (and since our G-Series cameras have a live preview that our DSLR cousins don't, why not take advantage of it?).

[Eyeris]

Take one of each.

It's digital. It's free.

[luvnitaly]

In response to Scott's comment about the eye seeing different things when in the BW mode, I have to say he is correct. Although I did not see much difference in a true BW and a color photograph converted to BW, it all goes back to the composition. When looking at your LCD screen in the BW mode, distractions are at a minimal and the shot will take on a different look. My favorite BW photograph was taken in that mode.

By the way, does anyone know how to embed a photo into a posting? I tried with the img tag (directing it to a file uploaded to a webpage) but only got an X in the place where the picture should have been displayed.

http://www.geocities.com/donya1971/bench.htm