shooting BW or converting

[OceanRider]

:lol: Is it preferable to shoot in BW or to convert the colour to BW in Phtoshop? Can one get same quality or is ther a difference?


Joel

[Scottes]

You have much more control in PS so shoot in color & convert in PS.

If you shoot RAW you'll still have the color info, just a B&W preview, so you could do that - but you'll still convert in PS...

[OceanRider]

ok sounds good but my 20D has built in filters (red, etc...)for BW can they also be added in Photoshop with just a s good quailty?

[blinking8s]

Ive found managing my black and white conversion in the RAW data then using curves to adjust the contrast in the converted image is quick effective...

[Bodog]

oceanrider. All digital cameras have the color fillters. Your camera takes all pictures in color. B&W are converted from color by the in camera software. The only reason to convert color to B&W in PS is to have more control, especially from RAW...

[Scottes]

ok sounds good but my 20D has built in filters (red, etc...)for BW can they also be added in Photoshop with just a s good quailty?

Even better in PS.

[gmitchel]

oceanrider. All digital cameras have the color fillters. Your camera takes all pictures in color. B&W are converted from color by the in camera software. The only reason to convert color to B&W in PS is to have more control, especially from RAW...

No. Not all digicams take B&W with simulated filters. The Canon 20D does. The D30/D60/10D/300D do not. Nor do the 1D, 1Ds, 1D MkII, 1Ds MkII.

I do agree, you have a lot more control if you convert to B&W in Photoshop.

I have a bunch of resources in the Digital Darkrrom section of my site, http://www.thelightsrightstudio.com/DigitalDarkroom/DigitalDarkroom.htm

Cheers,

Mitch

[OceanRider]

Thanks All great advice.

Joel

[Bodog]

I stand by my original statement that all digicams take color pictures and convert the image to B&W via software, but yes the 20d does have "simulated" filters.

[gmitchel]

Actually, Bodog, no they do not.

Each photosite has a color microfilter array. Typically the microfilter array is arranged in what is called a Bayer pattern.

The data from those photosites are combined through interpolation of neighboring pixels to generate a single RGB pixel for each photosite.

Ever look at the separate channels of an image in Photoshop? They are each interpolations of the monochrome data captured by the different channels (for example, the red channel includes interpolations of the monochrome values for photosites with green and blue microfilters using neighboring photosites with red filters.

Perhaps it might help you to know that astronomical CCD cameras do not use microfilter arrays. They instead use a mechanical wheel with dichroic color filters. Multiple images are taken, rotating through the filters in turn. Each time, the CCD captures just monochrome. Color is generated after the fact. Same with digicams and DSLRs.

They do convert the color image to B/W. But that does not change the fact that the sensor does not "see" color. ;)

Cheers,

Mitch

[Bodog]

Mitch, you're absolutely right. I wasn't very clear in my statement. As far as I know the bayer interpolation outputs the color data, then if the b&w mode is enabled, converts to grayscale. I'm not aware of any consumer digicams that output directly to grayscale I didn't know about the astronomical cameras...Interesting. Thanks,

[gmitchel]

The Bayer pattern is just the arrangement of color microfilters. RGBG is the pattern. Twice as many green as red and blue microfilters.

The interpolation of the data from the imager is done, I believe, after the A/D converter by the DSP (digital signal processing).

Kodak has a high-end DSLR that is B&W only. It is the only B&W-only DSLR/digicam I know about.

There are low-end astronomical cameras that use a Sony HAD chip. The Sony HAD is a CMOS imager with A/D converter and DSP. It uses a microlens array. Starlight Express is the best-known company offering them. They are popular with novices because of the price, but their image quality is generally mediocre at best. The images are very soft, which is not good. Yes, they can be sharpened. But sharpening has the consequence of bloating stars and increasing the visual evidence of noise.

CCD cameras use mechanical filter wheels. Their passbands are very different from DSLRs. The hot metal filter in DSLRs, for example, would reduce near-IR emissions Also, blue-sensitivity is an issue for CCD/CMOS imagers that would be exacerbated with the filters in a DSLR.

The software for controlling the CCD camera positions the filters with a motor. Because CCDs and CMOS are not equally sensitive to red, green, and blue, it is common to apply different times for the exposures with the separate filters. Also, often there will be images take with no filter at all -- referred to as a Luminosity image.

Cheers,

Mitch

[Belmondo]

Re: the previous post.


Boy, I hate it when people are this much smarter than I am. :evil: :oops: :lol:

[Bodog]

Re: the previous post.


Boy, I hate it when people are this much smarter than I am. :evil: :oops: :lol:
..Except when they're willing to share :D

[OceanRider]

I have searched the web and found thats it quite complicated to convert colour to BW, and then play with it (maybe its just me) Any body have any simple to follow steps for this process for Elements, hell I take any hting at this point. I have been doing

Enhance>>ADjust colour>>>remove colour>>then playing with adusting brightness/contrast>>> then when ahppy "save as".....does this sound right??