Df Monochrome

[Kenneth Rich]

I was reading Bjorn's thread this morning focussing on Df camera settings he doesn't use when I began thinking of menu settings and ways of avoiding going "There" and had the thought that people more experienced might have done some extensive comparisons between shooting in monochrome and shooting colour and converting in editing to determine which produced a superior monochrome print. Thus this post. Presently I have set up my Df to  give a choice of monochrome, monochrome/red, monochrome/green, monochrome/yellow filters.  Am I just complicating things and defeating my proclaimed interest in avoiding messing about with picture controls?  I bought the Df to get back to the style of photography I loved using my F2 SB, but that wonderful camera, even loaded with Tri-X didn't provide me with a monochrome image in the viewfinder. That had to come from inside my head.

[charlie]

I've done tests in the past for B&W in camera vs ACR/photoshop and found the sometimes the camera delivers a B&W image that I was unable to replicate in ACR/photoshop, and other times the extra latitude available in post processing was indispensable. There is no superior way as far as I can tell, I typically shoot in color and convert in post because it is a smoother workflow for me, but if you know you'll be shooting B&W why not set it up in camera so you can see it on the LCD while shooting?

If I recall correctly converting a color image to B&W in Nikon software will give the same results as doing it in camera, assuming all the picture controls are set the same.

[gryphon1911]

You can't have the best of both worlds! If you shoot the Nikon DF in raw then you can process the raw in camera with a JPEG engine how you think you would want it and then you can also process them on the computer later. If I were you, I would investigate that way and see if that satisfies what you're looking for.

I do something similar with my Olympus pen - F camera using the mono mode but shooting it in raw + jpeg.

[Frank Fremerey]

All I have done since father & mother of this forum recommended Photo Ninja is trying to use the software to provide great colors and just the amount of dynamic range compression needed for the output medium (paper, print or screen) ...

Then one day I discovered that the RAW converter can give me a much better input for my black & white conversion than I have ever seen in filters ready to take an RGB-image.

At first, when I saw this very thread I thought: "Oh well, finally someone removed the Bayer Pattern from his/her Df" but no ....... and so I chose to start a -- hopefully inspiring -- deviation to how will YOU use or how do YOU use which RAW converter to get to a great B&W experience without modifying your camera hardware.

To answer you opening question: I do not think a VF image can replance your IMAGE-INATION. The abstraction from 3D full color reality to a monochrome 2D representation of it is the whole idea of taking a photo innit?

[charlie]

and so I chose to start a -- hopefully inspiring -- deviation to how will YOU use or how do YOU use which RAW converter to get to a great B&W experience without modifying your camera hardware.

My post processing tools are Capture One, ACR/Lightroom, & Photoshop. I have some Nikon software but rarely use it. Being primarily a people shooter I prefer ACR/Lightroom for B&W conversions because the B&W conversion tool includes red, yellow, and orange where Capture One and Photoshop have only red & yellow sliders. Orange essentially acts as the global skin tone adjustment slider with red and yellow fine tuning lips, darker skin tones, and highlight skin tones.

[paul_k]

During the time I used Tri-X, basically since I started a professional photography course in the late 70's untill I started shooting digital around 2003, I used/loved it for the high(er) contrast/deeper blacks it could render compared with other 'high' ISO emulsion of that period like eg Ilford HP4 and Agfapan 400
I even enhanced that contrast by the way I processed my films, in particular the way I agitated my film development tanks/ times I shook my development tanks per minute while developing

That also was the reason I didn't switch to the T-Max films which succeeded the older type Kodak emulsions (thankfully not Trix-X) which gave a much ore grayish rendition compared to Tri-X, only occasionally shot on TMax 3200 for the amazing coarse grain it could give when developed in Rodinal
On addition to the modified film processing, I also used Tetenal Eukobrom for my prints (both on older bromide paper like Agfa Record Rapid and later Ilford Multigrade) giving deeper blacks  compared to other paper developers

I strive for a similar 'deep blacks' rendition for my b/w digital images, both on my DF and my D800's
I don't have a very sophisticated selection of processing software though, don't have any Adobe products (last version of Photoshop I used was PS 4 back in 1994), tried my hand at Affinity Photo but found it way over my head ( guess I'm kind of a computer illiterate in that respect ) nor have ACR, Capture One etc.

Instead I (still) use Nikon Capture NX2.4.6
However when I process my NEF's (as a rule don't 'batch' process, although I make a 'standard setting' I apply on each individual BEF -from the same series - I open to speed things up) I already decide in advance whether I will convert them into b/w in the the final version, and take that into account when determining contrast and exposure

I then use the Photo Effect/b/w conversion conversion option in NX2 to convert the (color) NEF into b/w
And in addition use the Cyan/Magenta/Yellow color sliders in the Black and White from the Method drop-down, to control how much of each channel contributes to the final B/W image., similar to how color filters were used to do so in the film shooting days (eg red filter will help 'lighten a caucasian skin tone, green filter will give more grey middle tones etc)

Result looks like this

[richardHaw]

my Df Monochrome:
Nikon F3 + FUjifilm Acros 100 on Rodinal 

Would be nice if the next classic camera would come with a removable filter instead 
changed by Nikon at the service center for a fee. at least it's reversible

[Frank Fremerey]

I love your results, Paul and I see another motivation to reinstall my NX2 additionally to ACR NXD and PN. Thank you!

[Kenneth Rich]

In the Df captured image the blacks are absolutely gorgeous, and the details captured in the shadows almost unbelievably beautiful!  Not so excited by the highlights, which have lost  detail.  An exciting image, though.

[JJChan]

I have tried both but find for me that post-processing brings more detail and better control of tonal palette than what comes out of camera. I don't chimp so I don't get the instant feedback.

I also use Capture NX2 for rough straightening and levels then save as TIFF and use SilverEfex Pro. If I'm using Mac, I use Tonality

Both B+W programs help get the tonal palette that I want - and generally that is what I look for first when I see B+W pictures.

Tom Hardin's pictures here on NG showed me what expert B+W post processing for skin tones can achieve - user name tommiejeep

JJ

[Akshay]

Hello,

This is my first post on this site. I recently purchased a Nikon Df + old Zeiss ZF 35 mm F2. The shots taken below are from a walk in the city. Convered into b&w using Nikon Capture NXD software. Still have a long way to get the right tones and look but it is a start. I would be very happy to hear ur suggestions.

Thank you,
Aks

[Erik Lund]

Very nicely captured the shop atmosphere, I like the B&W conversion, and add that the rendering of the Df is as usual, very nice and uncomplicated!


The tunnel is slightly tilted, takes the attention away from the otherwise very nicely captured geometric composition.

[Akshay]

Very nicely captured the shop atmosphere, I like the B&W conversion, and add that the rendering of the Df is as usual, very nice and uncomplicated!


The tunnel is slightly tilted, takes the attention away from the otherwise very nicely captured geometric composition.

Appreciate your comments Erik.i didn't even pick up the tunnel tilt till u mentioned it..now i cannot unsee it 
 Df monochorme rendering is very pleasing to the eye.