Digital black-and-white

Steve M. said:
Images on TV and the movies look so bad these days, I don't think most people know what a B&W image is supposed to look like anyway. I can't watch the stuff on the tube and at the theatres. If digital converted to B&W floats your boat, fine, but it is a far cry from what a B&W shot should look like.

Snip

A couple of quotes from the Kinderdigi at the local (one an art school) schools:

"Why would anyone want black and white, when you can have color?"

And my favorite: "digital images are best, because they look like our Big Screen TV".
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GSNfan said:
The biggest problem with digital b&w is for it to look appealing and 'credible' it has to look like b&w film, ...
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Why would anyone want digitally originated photographs to look like film?
Is there no 'native to digital' look that can be pleasing and fascinating?

A well-trained jazz-oriented drummer friend was asked(in the early 1980's): "Aren't you concerned about drum machines replacing real drummers?"
His response: "I'd be worried if my goal was to play like a machine."
 
1. colour
2. bw
3. digital
I think...

I grew up with Tri-X/D76 and now do a lot of bw conversions from a 5D sensor. While I am generally happy with the tones I can get in the converted files, the absence of grain is noticeable. Digital noise at higher ISOs is a poor substitute. Harry Lime's comments are spot on.
 
Okay. Who can guess how these Digital Black and White image have been processed...

picture.php


picture.php


(none. Straight conversion from RAW CCD output, resized in Photoshop, exported as JPEG)

DSLR's were simpler in 1993. Not many options.
 
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It's easy to judge and find a good answer when you test using your own (same) shot for both film and digital.
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It's even easier when the camera is Monochrome.

One interesting side-effect of converting a color camera to Infrared: the dye's of the Mosaic Filters all pass the deeper portion of the IR. Once you get out to 900nm or so all of the color elements are out of their color absorbtion range. You get true monochrome. Of course it is Infrared. I had an Olympus EP2 converted to Infrared, and converted an old Coolpix 950 myself. The latter uses a 4-color Mosaic filter rather than the classic Bayer pattern filter.
 
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pluton said:
Why would anyone want digitally originated photographs to look like film?
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Because digital b&w out of a camera or with direct conversion looks lifeless, texture-less and with dim highlights and ugly shadows.

But aesthetic experience with b&w is essential, hence one of the reasons why digital b&w is not acceptable by "film zealots" ...
 
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I went back to some old shots done with a Epson R-D1 Shot in Color and used Nik Silver Efex Pro to convert to B&W.
Here are a few:
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GSNfan said:
Because digital b&w out of a camera or with direct conversion looks lifeless, texture-less and with dim highlights and ugly shadows.

But to actually be able to comprehend that aesthetic experience with b&w is essential, hence one of the reasons why people go around bewildered why digital b&w is not acceptable by "film zealots" when in fact its their own lack of eye-time with true b&w that is the culprit... I mean to go back to a far more 'relevant' music analogy, those who have not heard and enjoyed Coltrane probably think Kenny G is the best sax player ever...
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how can you stand yourself?
 
lewis44 said:
I went back to some old shots done with a Epson R-D1 Shot in Color and used Nik Silver Efex Pro to convert to B&W.
Here are a few:
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Wow! These shots should quiet anyone who doubts what 6 megapixels can do. These are nice. I have to get the LCD on my Rd-1 repaired and order some software!
 
I'm not a big fan of digital B&W and I'm not sure why. I also can state that I've seen digital that I liked, but have seen far more film based B&W that I favored. I was reading this thread thinking that I should be more open with respect to exposing myself to converted digital images. In other words, I was thinking that my point of view might just be unfounded prejudice and that I might be able to learn something by exposing myself to the other point of view. Maybe I need to find a good venue to view first rate prints made from converted digital files. I took these remarks as suggesting that those that like digital might view things differently if exposed to more good film based B&W. I interpreted this as exactly what I was doing, only in the reverse sense. I suppose that I overlooked the forceful way it was expressed. So, in an odd way I could appreciate this point of view.
 
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Hey Lewis44, can you share what lens and settings in SEP you used?...I gotta have me some of that. Maybe I'm cracked but last shot reminded me of a set off Lost In Space.

Great shots.
 
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