Any difference in quality to shoot in-camera digital b&w or shoot in color and then convert later?

I have a shoot that I have to do 1/2 color and 1/2 bw. I have 2 digital slr-s, so I could trade off if the quality of the bw in-camera is better, if not I will just convert in post if it is easy (no time to do more than basic conversions with batching in post) I am working with CS and Leopard, Nikon Raw images. Thanks!!

As for quality, I'm not sure. However, there is a major downfall to shooting in color and converting. When you're shooting in color, it's more difficult to see if the contrast is going to be enough to make it a "good" black and white photograph. Part of black and white photography is good contrast. If there's too much grey and not any really light and really dark, the photo loses interest.

Just my 2 pesos, but digital B&W sucks so it doesn't really matter.

HTH
V

Your two choices is to set the camera to the black and white setting and let the algorithm that the Nikon engineer's designed into the camera OR Shoot and convert your RGB images into nearly perfect black and white image files using the saturation and levels tools (of course saving them as a different name so you don't overwrite your original converted JPEG files).

You can the do all your colour magic with the two files (colour RGB and b&w RGB files)

I don't know the benefit of batching all your images to black and while in post. Usually the process is to edit (sort) all the JPEG images shot a the same time you shot the RAW images (RAW+JPEG Basic) and then after the final edit, choose only the "keeper" RAW images and do your magic.

As a general rule I would say you should shoot in color and convert to b/w afterwards. You will have much more control over how it comes out. If you have not shot much in b/w I would practice before your shoot. Like the previous answerer said you need to know what conditions will make a good b/w shot so go out and shoot and see what you get first.

At the Art Institute, we always shoot in color first then convert to black and white... you want your blacks to be black and whites to be white, not gray... you'll have more control over that in Photoshop.

definitely convert after. the camera is only guessing what a good black and white image will look like. you have better control in photoshop later. you will also have the option to use the image in colour or b&w if you shoot in colour.

There should be no difference in quality between the two methods, especially if you are shooting in raw format.

There should also be very little difference in the look of the shots if you are only doing very basic conversions. The in-camera conversion is likely to be quite basic too.

Although you can probably achieve a better b & w result by converting it in editing, the only practical advantage in your circumstances of shooting in colour would be if, at some point in the future, you had time to re-edit them.

If you will never have the time to do a careful b & w conversion, you may as well let the camera do the work for you. An added benefit of doing this is that you will be able to tell at the time just how the picture will look in black & white.

read 'the negative' by ansell adams and study the zone system. then if you still wish to shoot digital b&w, then shoot colour and convert in cs. you will have more control, especially if shooting raw and editing in the latest camera raw (cs3).

Shoot in color and convert.

I'd do it AFTER you've processed the NEF ... but that's just me. Apparently, we're using virtually identical software and hardware.