B&W Viewfinder

[Bill Pierce]

The black-and-white thread that was started a week ago has 1,384 views. At least in terms of this site, that means a lot of folks are interested in black-and-white. This question should probably just be added to that thread, but I don’t want it to get lost; so, it’s getting its own thread.

Digital photographers at times do you shoot with your viewfinder or LCD set to black-and-white or do you view/shoot in color and pick pictures later which you convert to black-and-white in your processing program?

I used to always view in color and convert to b&w later. I grew up shooting film, and that means that even when the camera was loaded with b&w film the viewfinder showed the image in color. And, for a long time, that’s how I shot digital - view in color and often print in b&w. But now, shooting digital, that’s changing. While shooting raw lets me change my mind, I now choose to see viewfinder image in the mode I think the final image will be shown. That means quite often I’m looking at a b&w image in the viewfinder. And there are probably times when the photographs are a little better because of it.

So - how about you? Shoot and view everything in color and convert to b&w in your image processing program or shoot with the viewfinder/LCD in the mode you think the final image will be in? (And, of course, why?)

 

[agentlossing]

I don't usually shoot with a B&W screen or EVF, preferring to convert it later, but with the GRIII when I feel like shooting in hi-contrast B&W I do set the profile to that mode because it reduces scenes to their balance of shadows and bright tones, so it makes for fun compositions.

 

[Dogman]

I prefer the OVFs in the Fuji XPro & X100 series and in the Nikon DSLRs. However, I've recently been shooting a lot of adapted manual focus lenses on the X-Pro2 and I use the EVF for this. I see the B&W image when I do this because I gave up shooting Raw awhile ago and now I only shoot JPEGs. Gotta say, it doesn't really make any difference to me. When I'm shooting B&W (which is about 99.44% of the time) I'm seeing B&W anyway in my head--colors just kinda fade out in my mind.

 

[Darthfeeble]

My camera is a mirrorless which allows me to see in BW and record in color. I was doing the RAW + Jpeg thing but found it a waste of space as the converted RAW files from Silver Effex seemed much better than the jpeg files, even with a bit of fiddling.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Does Monochrome have B&W viewfinder?

 

[dmr]

On the digitals I have with an electronic viewfinder (HS30, X-T20) I honestly don't know if they have a B&W mode for the viewfinder. (I suppose I could RTFM and find out.) I really never thought of it.

Back when I used to shoot B&W film, of course, the viewfinders were optical and in color, so it seems natural to me to have a color viewfinder when doing B&W digital.

I suppose I should try doing some shooting in B&W, but I've always figure that the more information that's captured, the better, and I can always (and have done so) convert to B&W in post and actually play around with it for the most attractive conversion.

 

[kangaroo2012]

I come from B&W film too so see the image in colour.
Now I have a Leica M9Monochrome so it is back to film like viewing. I have been doing it for so long
it just seems normal.
I had my Fuji Xt1 converted to IR and the viewfinder shows only B&W that also seems normal.
The IR conversion is wonderful compared to Kodak High Speed IR film I used to use.

 

[nikon_sam]

When I started it was almost always B&W so when I was shooting I was seeing in color BUT thinking in B&W...I recall the first time with some E-6 film I thought I did something wrong in developing as the colors were a bit muted but it turned out I wasn't shooting/thinking in color so my shots lacked color...in the second roll I looked for the brightest colors I could find and that roll was full of color.
When shooting digital I set the a6000 to produce B&W files but in the D3x I convert the files later as I feel the results are better. I don't know if either will let me view the live image in B&W, both will display the shot taken as the file will look like.

My mind's default setting is to see and think in B&W tones...

 

[Bill Blackwell]

I shoot RAW (color) at all times without seeing B&W prior to processing. I essentially did that for many years with film without any problems until digital came along. ...

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

First-things-first:
I primarily use Fujifilm gear, and I also use Sony.
I only shoot JPEG, never RAW.
I only use EVF, never OVF.
Lastly, I have embraced and thoroughly enjoy the Fujifilm film simulations.

With Fujifilm cameras if one chooses to use one of the black & white film simulations the EVF will display in that simulation. Whatever the film simulation one chooses, the EVF displays that simulation.

When I’m in the mood to shoot B&W and I’m using a Fujifilm camera, I usually go with the ACROS simulation and have fun.

With Sony, I can change it to B&W JPEGs but I don’t get the same satisfaction I do with Fujifilm ACROS. So, with Sony if I take a shot in color that I think would look better in monochrome I just flip it to B&W in Microsoft film editor/viewer or Google Photos using a filter. It’s not a very sophisticated post process but it’s what I do on the rare occasion that I need to do it.

Some may wonder why I only shoot JPEG and not RAW. I spend a lot of time and energy to get where I need to go to take pictures. I don’t have a car, I use public transportation and I walk a lot; I walk so much that I regularly wear out my shoes. I spend a lot of time on site, I really work a location to death. When I finally get home I’m exhausted (happily exhausted). My post process basically consists of deciding which images to keep and which to delete; as well as making sure horizons are level.

So, there it is, that’s what I do. That’s my B&W story.

All the best,
Mike

 

[Evergreen States]

I have my Fuji EVFs set to display black and white so the focus peaking shows up better. I most often shoot for black and white but I most often use the OVF and only use the EVF to focus so color is't as big a deal for me.

 

[Greg M.]

Bill... I, too, come from the days of B&W News... so I often like to make a B&W file out of my pix.

I shoot a RAW file, tweaze to taste in Camera Raw, then use "Channel Mixer", in PShop, to make the B&W conversion... I can use the R, G. and B sliders to take me out of any color contrast situation, or make a faux filter effect.

One of the reasons that I prefer to do this, this way, is that... back in The Day... you would shoot 85% of everything on B&W film, and INEVITABLY some Photo Dept. Intern from NYNY would call, and ask, "D'ya have that in color, too?"...

In my own mind, even though I'm not 'working' anymore... I'm happy to 'have that in color'. I feel like I'm Beating The System.


Greg.

 

[willie_901]

I use FUJIFILM's hybrid EVF/OVF. I use the OVF almost all the time. When I used film rangefinders, their optical finders obviously displayed in color. So, for B&W the FUJIFILM OVF is just a another way to compose while viewing outside the framelines.

The X-Pro 2 OVF (and EVF) finder information content and text size is customizable. A minimalistic finder display is possible. It is not time consuming to change the finder display content for different types of photography using the menu system.

For some wide-angle and medium-telephoto prime lenses one can use EVF. I own 14mm and 50mm FUJINON XF lenses. The 14mm, OVF frame lines take up about 95% of the X-Pro 2 OVF.

 

[Doug A]

I shoot with the intention of converting RAW captures to Gray16 JPG's for inkjet printing. But sometimes the color of the subject is so attention grabbing that rather than just wishing I had color film in the camera for that particular shot I know that I can convert the RAW capture to an RGB JPG for printing. And with that in mind I have the capture set to RAW and the EVF set to color.

 

[Rob-F]

I tried setting the M9 to JPG + BW and liked it. Then after seeing shots posted here taken with M9 Monochrom, and liking the shadow gradation and what seems to me to be a rather cinematic rendition, I got one. So now, I'm viewing in BW. I think viewing in BW is best if the end result is to be BW.

 

[farlymac]

I've always been able to do either, shoot color with the intent to convert to B&W later, or view a scene as it might look while shooting in b&w (film or digital OVF). However, with the EVF on any mirrorless camera I have, if you select a monochrome setting the viewfinder will display it as such, same as they will for any chosen color simulation. So what I do now is survey the scene to be able to make a determination as to what simulation I want prior to setting the camera. Still, there are times afterwards when I have images that work well in either in color or b&w, and will do a conversion then. I have seen opinions that it's best to always shoot in color because then you capture all the spectrum in order to make a b&w conversion look better. There may be some truth to that, but I've never gone out of my way to test the theory.

PF