Just found your YT channel and watched this first. I'm 70. 50 years ago I shot b&w 99% of the time. In the last 2 years I purchased working examples of the 2 cameras that I learned on. Last month I purchased a Mamiya m645. The meter in the finder didn't work (got a new finder) so the first roll I shot I used my gx9 in monochrome mode (so looking through the evf you see gray scale). It is amazing to me how you start to think: "that won't work in b&w"
That's what I'm thinking, maybe keeping it as a B&W camera, I'm really liking the camera in general. I'll try to figure out a way to replicate ACROS on this bad boy haha. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment as well! Cheers ✨🙏🏼
@@Jorge-Perez I find I prefer the regular Monochrome + G out of the X-E1(same sensor and processor as X-Pro1) to Acros. Bump up the highlights/shadows/sharpness settings if you want more contrast in your SOOC JPGs. Also reduce exposure comp. to -2/3 or so… and finally, try playing with the WB settings for different looks.
Just done the same: an old X-Pro 1 with a couple of the ‘fujicron’ f/2s (23mm and 35mm) although I’m struggling to stick to monochrome + R given how nice that sensor’s colours are…..!
Glad you like them! I hope these are useful and potential help people out there, thank you very much for watching and for taking the time to share a comment as well, cheers! 🙏🏼✨
Thanks for your kind words friend! I'm just making the type of videos that I would have liked to see myself. Hopefully there's some value or insights for people out there! Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share a comment as well, I appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
I shoot in both black and white film and in colour digitally. The choice of colour or black and white depends on the subject for me. I love black and white work primarily, but don’t want to be limited to it!
Loving the B&W shots. I've done a B&W / monochrome project which I've just loved. It's certainly changed the total way I look at photos. Thanks for sharing mate! Great video!
Great to hear! Thank you very much for your kind comment! Shooting B&W definitely changes your perspective! Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it 🙏🏼✨
You could buy a very old vintage film camera and service it and shoot actual black and white film in it . I like to shoot my 70+ year old Exakta with ilford in it.. This forces you to learn more then visualizing in black and white but also slowing down more to take your time to actually setup the images and the exposure . The pay off is MUCH better when you get a roll back and the results are amazing. No trying to fake grain or anything with settings its the real deal and you really learn a lot about photography ..
I used to shoot a fair amount of film and loved Black and White. I am getting to the point now of setting the camera up in mono Jpeg and leaving it at that. With film what you get is more or les what you get so I want the same with digital. I gave up with RAW a few years ago and don't regret it one bit.
Its very beneficial to shoot that way, it makes you more thoughtful of the decisions that you make and your environment and well. Intentionality is one of the great things about shooting on film, but this way we get all the benefits of the digital age! I hope this video was entertaining or useful! Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it 🙏🏼✨
Sounds great! Glad to hear you're getting joy out of your camera and the process as well. How's the X-E1 treating you? now that i've reviewed the x100 and X-Pro1 i'm wondering if I should try the X-E1. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment as well! I appreciate it! ✨🙏🏼
@@Jorge-Perez hey Jorge! The X-E1 is a wonderful little camera, the absence of some features that came in later iterations only adds to the simplicity of the project, the X-Trans 1 sensor is a beauty and I do most of the tweaking (highlights/ shadows, sharpness etc. ) in camera so I really can focus on the process of composing and exposing my shots and getting focus nailed. It's wonderful!
I shoot B&W Film on a regular basis. So many times, color can be a distraction to the subject, but B&W hones one's eye directly to the subject. Shooting B&W Film is a commitment, but a very rewarding one! I thoroughly enjoyed your video, especially the fact that it was shot in B&W!!!
Thank you! I'm glad to hear your experiences about B&W. What stock do you normally use? curious to hear your thoughts. I really enjoy shooting in B&W, and shooting film as well, I might shoot a bit more in film the future, but shooting B&W with a digital camera felt like a reasonable compromise for those who price and resources are limited. Thanks for sharing your thoughts William, and for watching and being part of this community as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
Good to know! what vintage lenses are you normally using with it? I'm interested to get more into manual lenses as well. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙌🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez I have been using a Jupiter 9 on my X-Pro1 for the last few days shooting in B/W only . my very favourite vintage lens is the Carl Zeiss Jena DDR Flektogon 35mm f2.4 .have used Nikon ,Helios , Rikenon and Pentacon 50mm lenses ,all have a good reputation and some are very inexpensive .I'm waiting for adapters for Hexanon and going to buy a Leica 135mm f4 Hektor lens next to try ,:-) I can recommend the Pentacon 50mm f1.8 in m42 mount for a very cheap to adapt lens that can take some lovely images on the X-Pro1 , hope to see how you get on in another of your videos .
Your videos are the best. Coming from a purely B&W analogue background I came for the video on the X100, because I want a handy little camera for street photography when travelling, bought one the same day after your video. Thanks for the wholesome content and the emphasis on sorting as much as you can in camera.
Glad to hear it! Your comment means a lot, I appreciate it Matt! I hope I can continue to offer value and entertainment as well. I'm curious to hear how's the X100 treating you? any thoughts you want to share? Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to leave a comment a well! I really appreciate it man! 😁🙏🏼
There's a couple B&W printers for photos only, but most of my printing gets done at specialized shops, not sure if it's practical economically speaking to print your own, really depends on how often you plan to do it, and what quality are you looking for. Also keep in mind the cost of ink, and the special paper as well. Hope that helps, thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment as well, good luck! 🙌🏼✨
I have a Leica M10M, and it has changed my world with photography, I'm teaching myself to see in B&W and it can make the mundane interesting. But I would always shoot in RAW, as that there is always post to be done on images and RAW gives you the most latitude to tune your images. Don't forget, Ansel Adams did a LOT of darkroom magic post production on his images. Nothing wrong with that. And with aspect ratios, unless you have money for an Xpan, etc....to me, that is part of post too. I do have a Hasselblad 501 CM camera and I grab it when I want to go shoot square, but for all my FF shots...they are open to cropping as needed in post. Of course I try to get all I can in camera, but I have no problem fixing in post. But, to each his own... :)
Agreed! Great comment and thanks for sharing you thoughts! How's the m10m treating you? That's a dream camera for me haha so i'd be interested in hearing what you think about it. Thanks a lot for watching, I hope it was helpful or entertaining, and thanks for sharing a comment as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
This is exactly right - as a pro wedding shooter on the GFX100 I have a GFX50r dedicated to this with the useful film sims - helps to visualize the end result in real time - Top tip get yerself some proper black and white filters - blue is great for skies and skins - red is very contrasty but still a must have - obvs you cant use colour when these are attached. Addendum push the iso up a bit to allow for reduced exposure and still use wide apertures - 800 is a nice sweet spot
Good feedback to keep in mind! Black and white is definitely special. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! Cheers 🙌🏼✨
Interesting to hear! How's the Q2 treating you? It's a dream camera for me so I'd like to hear your thoughts if possible 😂 How's the B&W experience with it as well? Thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
Yes you can! I did a couple videos about settings for the x100 and X-Pro series as well, some minor things might vary, but fuji menus are similar for the most part. I recommend you watch those! I'd like to review the X-E series in the future, how is the X-E2 treating you? Thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to share a comment as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
Another great video Jorge! I am hoping that Fujifilm soon produces their rumored monochrome camera. X-Pro body would be terrific. In the mean time I am using my X-Pro 2 for my B & W photography. Still tweeking, but happy with what I have gotten so far. Thanks, I appreciate your videos.
Thanks a lot Jerry, That would be very cool! I think the main argument that people has against Leica cameras has always been the price, but what happens with a company like Fujifilm makes a monochrome camera with an "affordable" price tag? Sounds very very interesting to me. Are you using ACROS? or a custom profile? I really miss ACROS on the X-Pro1. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment as well! I appreciate it! 😁🙏🏼
Great video. As a counterpoint, I would say that shooting in color and converting to black and white will also teach you how to see in black and white, but through different measures. I shoot in color, but I only produce black and white images. It's taken some time, but because I have done so many conversions I know what to look for in a scene. I won't switch to shooting in black and white because what I'm doing is working for me, but I believe what you have laid out has just as much potential to benefit someone.
I only shoot in black and white. Exposure only according to the brightness on the viewfinder has advantages. All images are saved in RAW and may be available in color for social media later. If I like a motif in black and white so much, I also photograph it analogue for a beautiful print from my darkroom. An advantage of seeing images digitally in black and white is when using color filters in front of the lens. Which filter makes the most sense to use on the analog camera without taking several pictures with the different filters without wasting film.
I agree with your main points. I shoot digital B&W infrared because I like the ethereal look of white foliage and black skies. Like normal B&W, it's all about shapes and tones. It has required some shooting experience to judge what I think the IR shot will look like since infrared is different from visible light. Nevertheless, it's fun, challenging and produces a "different look" from normal B&W. LifePixel modified the sensor on one of my old Canon bodies which gave this old dinosaur a new life.
I have an xt1 dedicated to black and white. My other cameras are set up primarily for color. When I take the xt1 out I shoot only black and white. Coming from the 35mm film era,I thoroughly enjoy black and white photography.
I recently have set my fuji x-pro3 to ACROS B&W, because I was shooting in raw & converting them to B&W. So now my I'm dedicated to shooting some of my workflow in B&W
Plus to my Fujifilm cameras is shooting in film sim bracketing. Get a black and white and color. Downside is that, unless I just haven't figured it out, I see in the viewfinder still in color. Maybe if I made the black and white the first in the bracketing list?
The X-pro1 is great! I don't need to wear glasses outside when I'm shooting, but yes, the glasses are a bit of a pain with this cameras, The diopter correction lenses have a rubber edge, so that helps and protects a little against scratching the glasses. But if you don't need a correction lens, then the viewfinder ring is metal, it can potentially scratch your glasses. Hope that helps, it's a great camera, give it a try and see if it fits your face well. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! Cheers 🙏🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez that’s the issue. You cannot find the diaopter for the xpro1…. That is the only thing holding me back. Could use the lcd and treat it like Ricoh GR…
Great to hear, I'm sure there's lots of possibilities and combinations out there, Glad to hear people like shooting in B&W! Thanks for watching and sharing a suggestion as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
I start in color with my eye and try to think in color first. B+W with a RAW is how I shoot now so I always have the color copy. I use the B+W mainly to see the contrast and the shapes initially. If the image initially looks good in B+W with good contrast, shapes, symmetry, and interest then the colors will almost always follow. It's kind of a quality check of the image and many of them look better in color. I would say I keep 70% of the good ones as B+W and maybe 30% stay as color?
Great to hear! The X-T1 is amazing as well, how is the camera treating you? I recently switch to a 35mm f2 as my main focal length and I'm really liking it so far. It takes some time to get used to, but I'm happy with the results. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it ✨🙌🏼
I turned to monochrome in august, and after a month I said to myself, "you can shoot color if you want". So, sometimes I shoot something in color, but mostly everything is in black and white nowadays. I would love to try the Q2 monochrom, but I couldn't justify the price on that thing, hah. X-Pro 1 is a great camera for B&W anyway :)
Same here haha, I'm loving B&W so far, but still shoot colour often, I thinks it's a great way to keep things balanced and avoid staleness. The more I do it the more I realize things about my preferences and personal taste, there are situations that I personally prefer to shoot in B&W and vice-versa. So it's a great learning curve as well. And we're on the same boat with the Q2, I love the design and aesthetic of those types of cameras, but can justify it. So the X-Pro1 is my dedicated B&W cameras. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well, man! I appreciate it 😁🙏🏼
I'm trying to do this. I have an XF10 as my daily set to whatever colour film sim I think will be best for the subject; it replaced my iPhone photography. Then I have an X-M1 with whatever lens suits the day, mainly street documentary and landscape, in the lovely X-Trans colours. Finally I have an X-E4 with the 18mm F2 set to one of several black and white recipes where I mainly shoot architecture which is my favourite subject matter when going out to shoot for a few hours.
Very good advice, presented well. I saw a video last year from B&W street photographer, Alan Schaller (on TH-cam) that corroborates your points and it changed my shooting for the better. Primarily, don't keep switching from B&W to color and back on an outing, because you can't "see" in monochrome if you have the option of color. Today, I use Fujifilm cameras set to Acros for my monochrome. I have the adjustments fully tweaked out (highlight, shadow, filter, etc...) and rely on the terrific jpegs that result. I act just like I have real B&W film in the camera, meaning that if I come across o colorful scene, well, too bad. I'm shooting black and white. Enjoyed your presentation!
I'm glad it was helpful! And I agree, immersing yourself in this B&W world is great and it does require to approach it in a different way! I'd be interested to hear what fuji camera are you using, I like ACROS more than monochrome, but ACROS is reserved for the newer cameras only. Thank you vey much for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well, I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
I keep trying to do this with my X-Pro1 but the colors he gets out of it are too good to pass up. But I have a LUMIX LX7 point and shoot from around the same era and I’ve set it to be B&W permanently when my Fujis came along (about a year ago as of this writing) and I love it. It’s made that camera still quite fun to use and worth carrying along on a trip along with my X-Pro1 and some compact film cameras.
Definitely agree! The colours from these cameras are great! and to be honest this is one of the main reasons why people like us really enjoy using them. But it does not have to specifically be a fuji camera, I think what you're doing is the right way to go, just have A b&w camera, does not matter which one, as long as you have a dedicated black and white camera that lets you focus specifically on that type of photography then it's all good 😁 Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your experiences as well, friend! I appreciate it 🙌🏼✨
Nice! How's the Tri-X 400? I keep hearing great things about it, would like to give it a try when I get a dedicated film camera. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
Just fully commit, and shoot B&W film. I use a TLR as my dedicated B&W camera and the higher quality, more intentional effort, and shot limitations helps value the images more. Digital photography has its place too, but it’s only like getting your feet wet in the water per the subject matter of your video. Try putting your digital cameras on the shelf for a while, then try B&W film 100% for a month. You might like it.
I do like shooting in film! eventually I will try to get a dedicated film camera and make some videos about it, it's just that the cost involved in shooting in film, the film rolls, the development process, having a good quality negative scanner so I can get digital files that I can share in videos and social media, possibility printing files, is a bit much for my budget at the moment. So I try to make the best of it, shooting in digital but with intentionality and trying to stay true to the original thought or feeling or the film limitations. What stocks are your favourites? or anything else you'd like to share? Thanks a lot for watching and sharing your experiences as well! I really appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
Jorge, another well made video on a very interesting topic. Although I very much enjoy color photographs I love old black and white photos that capture a moment in time long gone. I enjoy looking at photos from the likes of Robert Frank and Vivian Maher, just to name a few. I prefer the candid kind of photos; posed photos do very little for me. Things such as the old store signs, the clothes and cars of the period, old photos of familiar streets from my home town of NYC make old black and white photos fascinating for me. Although I was born in the early 70’s I feel like I connect more with 40’ and 50’s then I do with our current times and pop culture. I guess I’m an old soul as reflected in my taste in music as well. How would you recommend someone who loves this type of photo to try and recreate this kind of nostalgic mood in their current photos? Or am I asking for too much? Thanks
Agreed! Capturing moments in B&W can truly be wonderful. Regarding your question, I think I would try to find the common denominator of all of those eras and photos that really speak to you, and perhaps try to either replicate that (Just to get you comfortable until you develop your own twist) Or modernize it a bit. That might mean shooting in specific places that have the same vibe, or specific objects (old cars etc), or people that enjoy dressing a particular way. Etc. Hope that helps! Thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts! I really appreciate it! 🙌🏼✨
Other than places such as Cuba (sans clothing), it can be as difficult as creating a period movie set. While you can search and follow various historical reenactment events, but my advice is to create your Star Trek's Kobayashi Maru Scenario. That is, for practice in developing your eyes of seeing, to use present setting, but with the past photographer's mindset. Similar to Robert Frank and Vivian Maher come out of a time machine in 2021. 🙂
@@bfs5113 I think you’re right. It’s about composition and subject and if I can imitate that from the likes of Maher and Frank that’s taking my photography in the direction I’m looking for. In doing so I think with time I will , as say, develop my own photographer’s vision. Thanks
@Mike Zielinski yes I remember in the late70s and early 80s my dad shot with a Minolta SLR and the pictures had a special look to them that you really can’t replicate with a digital although I believe with the right formula some digital cameras can get close. I would like to buy a film camera like what my dad had but the one thing that makes me hesitant is the cost of developing the film.
If you look at most old B&W photos you will find that they are low contrast and not very sharp. I have played around with images in photoshop and dropping the contrast and adding some Gaussian blur helps. Also shoot in manual focus helps as it's hard sometimes to get the focus spot on and you could use old cheap vintage lenses if you have a system camera. One last thing.... DXO do the Nik collection of plug-ins and they do one called Analogue efex Pro which is excellent to make your images look like they were taken in the 40's/50's. Good Luck experimenting.
This is a way to start, removing distractions, allowing yourself to see the world in a different perspective, and removing friction from your equipment so you can focus on what you want to do. Shooting B&W film is also a fun way to do that as well! Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well! Good luck! ✨
Back in the film days I always had a camera loaded with B&W film and a 56mm lens. Looking through the viewfinder was no different than my cameras with color film. It became a thought process or an attitude. I carried that over into the digital age. When I see in B&W I will covert those images in DXO Photo lab with Filmpack. I can select many different film simulations to mimic the films that I used in the past. I’m with you from the standpoint of trying to shoot the photos the way you want them to look right out of the camera. I just found your channel, subscribed and will be watching more of your content. Thanks.
When I shoot in black and while, I use my Nikon F2A which was made in1979. I see in color all the time. Even shooting black and white, I see in color. Can't turn color off. I do like the contrast between color and black & white, it moves a subject from looking like a circus to a more somber mood. I suggest using a real vintage camera. So many great cameras out there like the Nikon F2 variants, the Nikon FM and the FE2. Other brands like Pentax are just as good for B&W photography. I prefer using film as it is the "real" thing, not a simulation. For 30 years I shot film. Love it, it is different, and you should try it out. It's a different world with a camera that has a film advance lever, a dial for shutter speed, one for ASA/ISO and an aperture ring on the lens. Nothing more. Just meter the scene and fire away. The simplicity will overwhelm you. It may even be a religious experience where YOU are in total control.
Very cool, how's the Ricoh GRD1 holding up? would like to give those cameras a try in the near future. Thanks for watching, friend! I appreciate you taking the time to share a comment as well! Cheers 🙏🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez my GRD1 has a thing where if I’m shooting color, it’s best to not go beyond 400 iso. The grain/noise is a mess. BUT in black and white it looks so good still! But for best shots, 60-400 iso is best. And despite older camera’s auto modes being crap, this camera in auto works really good still. It nails exposures
100% agreed! Visualizing in B&W, and having the settings baked in, and knowing that you can't just cheat and switch to colour for a bit, or apply a B&W filter later is the key for me. Accountability. Hope this video was helpful and entertaining, thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
did this with my a6400. Sony's color science just didnt work for me and I went back to my starter Nikon D90. I love that you can shoot in B/W, review photos in B/W, and import them in B/W to Lightroom all as .arw RAW files and never see color the entire time. Still, I run a yellow/orange filter to force myself to commit and it has become my daily carry camera
I guess I am a "weirdo".. got into photography about 1 year ago and I ONLY shoot B&W..... as a matter of fact, shooting in color has been quite a challenge for me... Will explore B&W for a longer period before moving to color... But what it matters the most is that, I am happy!
I use my Xe1 or my nikon d70 for that. And results are amazing for such old cameras. My ricoh can also use as bnw camera, but to make it easy I have my Panasonic CM1 mobile, with some adjustment results are amazing for a phone. Thanks for the video.
Great to hear that! How's the X-E1 treating you? I might pick one of those up in the future to talk about it here on the channel, so i'm curious to hear what you think! Thanks a lot for watching, and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
I have multiple film backs for my Mamiya RB67 Pro SD One is for Rollei Infrared 400 Black and White Negative Film or Ilford HP5 Plus Black and White Negative Film Another film back is for CineStill Film 50D Color Negative Film, CineStill Film 400D Color Negative Film, CineStill Film 800T Color Negative Film, or Kodak Professional Ektar 100 Color Negative Film Digitally, I have two Sigma SD14 with one set for Broad Spectrum with the IR Blocking filter removed
I just found your channel, great stuff! I like to shoot RAW + JPG. I shoot the JPG in B&W and then I have the color version (RAW) if I want/need it. My walk around camera is a Fuji X100V and I’m thinking about pairing the Leica Q2 Monochrome with it. Essentially turning the Fuji into the color camera. I’m currently renting the regular Q2, planning on posting a Q2 vs X100V kind of TH-cam video after I send it back.
Interesting! How's the Q2? eventually I'd like to get a Leica so I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the camera. Nothing wrong with shooting RAW + JPG, whatever works for you and helps you practice your craft! Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well, I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
"I shoot the JPG in B&W and then I have the color version (RAW) if I want/need it". Please explain the above. I have a Sonya7Riii and would love to shoot in Black and White but don't want to miss out the color.. Thanks.
I like b&w, but why? Wasn’t black and white just a technical constraint? Then again, so was charcoal pencil! I think I’ve confused myself again! 😁 I might just keep shooting in colour but print on dot matrix.
Great video, Jorge! If I only shoot in the Monochrome mode on my camera, can I expect to get the same sharpness and resolution advantages I would if I had the CFA filters removed from the sensor?
I see no one replied to this comment, so I will. The answer is NO. Those advantages that dedicated monochrome sensors have pertain only to them. A colour sensor, due to having the Bayer array in front of it, will still perform as such, even when we choose 'monochrome' from the different profiles available in the camera menu. Hope this helps. Cheers.
Nice content. I use an XPro3 and an x100v. Both are setup to shoot RAW/JPEG. I shoot Acros JPEG’s. It has made me a better photographer. Rarely do I use the RAW photo now to convert to black and white. I just purchased a RicohGRiii. It is setup the same way. Regards…..Wayne
Interesting to hear what cameras you use, How's the GRIII treating you? I keep hearing good things about it. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it 🙌🏼✨
I really like the Ricoh a lot. It is a large field of view than I am used to. However, what I like about it is I just put it in a small bag, set it on snap focus and go out on the street. The x100v requires more intent and I am fine with that. However, there are times when I just want to point and shoot. For example, we spent 5 days in San Francisco over the 4th of July. Two mornings, I went out early just to take photos of streetart and grafitti and the occasional building. It was the perfect alternative. Hope this helps. Regards….Wayne
Thanks for your kind words, Miguel! Hope it was useful or at least entertaining. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment, i appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
As someone with a long history of b&w film use, I had no problem switching to shooting RAW and continuing to do ALL my work in b&w. I thought I might have to shoot b&w jpegs with them but found it not necessary. However I know far too many from that background who were totally discombobulated in their work by having to see their initial exposures in color. There are advantages to working from color RAW to get one's b&w though - so I tend to advise shooting RAW+b&w JPG and then stacking them so that all that can be initially seen on the computer are the b&w. Another advantage is that occasionally someone else has a use for the color version and it's there for them. Total emersion though is most likely the way to get started.
Interesting to hear your thoughts on this! I do vote for happy medium, I guess shooting in actual film is the total immersion way, and shooting in raw/colour and changing things later not so much. But there's nothing wrong with different styles and approaches as well, Sound like you found a way to make it work in your benefit, and keep you going, and that is the most important thing at the end of the day! Thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez By the way I also shoot Fuji. Here's almost 50 years of b&w (probably why color RAW doesn't distract me) - w/me still at it in town locally. Always an "amateur" - jamescraigphotography.com. I've watched b&w go from very popular to a subset of color, depressing.
I see color, prefer color and shoot color. That said, I have been to places (a statuary garden and an abandoned shipyard) that lend themselves to B&W. I tried color at these places for a few images but did not like them. So, I used my second camera set to B&W and shot the whole day in these places in monochrome. I liked the images and decided to use that camera (a Sony RX100V) as my dedicated B&W. To make things easier, my color camera, a Nikon Z6 seems to usually have the Nizon Z24-70 S f/4 lens on it and the B&W RX100V comes with a Leica lens with same 24-70 zoom range but with a bit faster lens with an f/1.8.
Thanks for your kind words! I hope it was useful or entertaining, and Is good to hear other people have similar taste when it comes to their philosophy and their craft! Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it 🙏🏼✨ and Happy holidays! 🎄
I have a dedicated color camera (a Fuji GS645). All other cameras I frequently use (several 6x6, a 6x9, a 6x14, plus the 5x7 and the 11x14 large format) I usually only shoot b&w. Even my digital camera (Olympus Pen-F) is set on monochrome per default.
That's awesome! Last time I saw a GS645 was in Japan.. How's the Olympus Pen-F treating you? have heard good things about it. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez The Pen-F is the perfect camera for me. Obviously, it can shoot RAW, but I'm a JPEG-shooter, I don't edit my pictures. And there is no other camera I know of, which JPEG output can be as much customized and fine-tuned as with the Pen-F. I don't think I will need any other digital camera ever, unless a completely new technology may arise.
I purchased a Leica M a couple of weeks ago and thought about picting up a Monochrom M, but with range finders you don't see through the lens (unless in live view) so I went with a normal M . I use my X-E1 and TTArtisan 35mm lens for my monochrom camera and really enjoying it.. Great video...
Wow, how's the M treating you? Leica M's are a very distant goal/dream for me haha. Also interesting to hear you use the X-E1 as well, sounds like a portable/compact X-Pro1. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that as well! Thank you very much for watching and taking the time to comment as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez I'm really enjoying the M and getting the hang of the focus system.. It produces great images and has really slowed me down. The menu system is very basic and I don't spend any time in it while out.. The X-E1 is outstanding and using it with 3rd party manual focus glass is great and using zone focus really helps. I only have one auto focus lens left and thats the Fujifilm 27mm 2.8 that keeps the X-E1 kit nice a small when used.
My dedicated black and white cameras are film cameras like the Zeiss Super Iconta, Kiev60, Nikon F100 and Canon EOS 1n 😊 . I prefer back and white photos; mutch of my work is delivered in B/W. As main camera i use a Fuji 100S connected to a PC in studio; the B/W conversion is after the shoots; done on PC using DxO Silver Effects; a fantastic BW conversion tool.
Good points. I should try out my digital camera in black and white to improve myself before wasting more black and white film lol. Though I do love the look I'm just not as good as I would want to be with it.
Good to hear that other people are also being mindful of B&W, what camera are you using? or do you have a dedicated B&W camera? Thanks for watching and for sharing a comment as well! cheers 😁✨
Your comment about associating color to astrophotography is interesting. When I was in school long ago, B&W was really the only viable emulsion for star pictures including special low reciprocity emulsions that were limited bandwidth. I find color images to be beautiful, but still think of B&W as “natural”
Always shoot in B&H Using Sony. And Fuji and lumix but shoot jpg plus raw So often end up using Iford or Kodak or Fuji or custom presets But love having B&H on lcd or EVF when composing
Interesting, I want to try ilford B&W film, no the quest starts to find the ultimate (affordable) B&W camera haha. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
Agree so much on your view of intentional shooting compared to creating b/w in post process. I use an old Fuji X-T1 set for b/w (unfortunately acros, my most beloved b/w film is not available on that camera) or an analog camera with b/w film. Also, when shooting panoramas, I dont stitch images in post, I shoot panoramic in camera using X-pan setting on my Hasselblad X1D.
Good to hear that some people enjoy shooting like that as well! And Acros is what I miss the most about my X100V, I really love that film simulation. Luckily we can still buy the actual Acros film, but still.. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 😁
You made some excellent points and gave great advice. I've been shooting B&W since the 1950s. In the film days, my dedicated B&W camera was my Leica M3. I rarely shot color with it. I'm a devotee of getting it right in camera. In the film days, the closer to correct you could get the technical aspects of capture, the less gymnastics you would have to perform in the darkroom. I also filed out my negative holders so that I could print "French frame", showing a black border around the image to show it was composed correctly in camera and not cropped. Your advice about dedicating to only shooting B&W when going out will help you see in tonalities instead of colors. If you don't train yourself to see in B&W, the color contrast that you see, say medium red next to medium green, will show very little difference in tonality in B&W. The huge advantage in digital is the ability to immediately see tonality. While the dedicated monochrome cameras from Leica are lovely (and insanely expensive), cameras like Fuji have an advantage of having different filters built in to the JPEGS or they can be applied in post to a RAW file. With dedicated monochrome cameras, you have to attach the filter on the lens itself. With my Leica M3, I usually shot with a light yellow filter, but could change my red or green filter as needed. I have used a Leica M Monocrom and while I could see the advantages, they were not better enough to make me want to buy one instead of using my excellent Fujis for B&W. Finally here's an interesting personal tidbit since someone else mentioned Ansel Adams. I have a BFA from Art Center College of Design. Before I attended, Ansel Adams taught there for awhile. It was during his Art Center tenure that he and Fred Archer codified common photography knowledge into a more consistent and repeatable approach, which they called the Zone System. Over the years I used the Zone system frequently, both in personal and professional work. I used to mix up special developer formulas from individual ingredients to take full advantage of the approach.
I'm really glad to hear other people's thoughts and their process as well, I agree with what you have shared. I think we need more intentionally and to take control of our craft and not the other way around! Thank you very much for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
While I'd love a dedicated BW camera to get rid of the Bayer Matrix, there is an advantage to shooting color. In post processing you can use channels to manipulate the colors, in effect, like using color filters on an old BW camera. Smooth skin tones with a Green filter . . . darken skies with a Red or Orange filter . . .
I'd say 90% B/W. My cameras (various old Fujis) are typically set to Monochrome (Y) or I have a film camera with B/W film in it. My editing is the other way around than most people, I sometimes check in Lightroom if a photo also works in color.
That's interesting to hear, any preference on the B&W profiles? just monochrome or do you also use ACROS as well? Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! Cheers! 🙌🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez The only way I can use Acros is in my film camera, but it's way too expensive and I prefer TMax. ;) My Fujis predate the Acros profile, Monochrome is all I can get, but I never felt like missing out. Sometimes I throw a Neopan film profile from On1 over my B&W shots to get a bit more of that analog effect, mostly when I print large and want a more pleasing grain.
Nice video; of my digital cameras - that I use the most - two have monochrome sensors (one of them is the original - and still best - M Monochrom), then I will use the SL for when i need colour. I always shoot raw only, digital post processing is simply today's version of Dark Room developing. All the film rolls in my fridge are B&W, so, yes, i am partial to B&W ... even though I do enjoy beautiful colour images too, I find colour to be a bit "distracting"; for example, if i go photograph in VERY colourful places, like India, I try to shoot only in B&W....I know, it sounds counter-intuitive, but it works for me!
Interesting to hear your experiences! I would love to try any Leica Monochrom cameras in the future, and I guess it makes sense to shoot raw if you're shooting with Leica's. I agree with you about colour being distracting, I watched recently an interview with Fan ho and he said the same thing, how B&W creates a separation from our reality, so it's less distracting. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts as well, I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
I love Black and white. Images . I use two film cameras both shooting Black and white film ( different film stocks) my colour work is digital. . I look at this from the point of view of subject. Certain subjects, to my vision, deserve treatment as either colour or black and white. Using the Street. photography genre, a contrast subject in shadow and light is best photographed as Black and white. A subject like a Parade or Chinatown or India’s Holiday celebration is best taken as a colour image as colour is more faithful and descriptive of the subject matter. And yes, I develop and print my own film.
Agreed! I like that approach you mention, and you're correct, I do love B&W, but like I mentioned in the video, forcing that style on every single type of photography does not work. Thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts! I appreciate it! 🙌🏼✨
I shoot monochrome and I lust over a true monochrome camera, but all my fuji cameras, including my gfx50 just don't shoot monochrome right. It is what it is. the best camera I ever used for monochrome was the Nikon d3s. Also I own 2 older/oldish hassy bodies that are spectacular for monocrom, the CCD sensor is something special. but fuji not so much.
Interesting to hear, I definitely think black and white is timeless and classic, but haven't considered focusing solely on that. How's that experience treating you? Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share a comment as well, I appreciate it! 🙌🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez I prefer it. Looking at the world through shapes and tones, light and shadow… brings out the artistry of everything. When I look through my viewfinder I don’t see life, I see art. Funny… I was just saying this morning that I wished they made glasses that made you see in black and white.
I wish more camera manufacturers had black and white only cameras. If it truly is just leaving off the RGB array in manufacturing then why not sell some that way?
For your information Pentax makes dedicated b and white camera you would be surprised. Leica is not the only one. And the price diferencial is astronomical and just as good, it’s as good and you would save thousands.
Fujifilm is colour camera, cannot produce monochrome Raw File, the only dedicated monochrome camera is Leica Monochrome and Phase One. I have Fujifilm camera before switching to Leica, the tonality not even close
Agreed! the dream is to have a monochrome Leica at some point in the future haha 😂 How's your Leica treating you? Curious to hear your thoughts about it. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts as well! Cheers 😁🙏🏼
How about buying an old film camera and put in a BW Film? Self developing and printing is so much more fun than post production. Apart from that BW is about seeing contrasts.
Agreed! I like shooting in film, but it's the price and time involved that does not align with my current ways. Shooting and nailing film can be very satisfactory, as well as expensive and time consuming. But I still do it every-now and then for fun. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment as well! Cheers ✨🙏🏼
@@Jorge-Perez thanks for your answer! I still shoot BW in film, colour digital out of cam. If you shoot film as hobby it isn't that expensive, but I know what you mean. I am low on money too. The big advantage with mirrorless digital cameras (untill shortly I only used compacts in digital as opposed to fully mechanical in BW) is that you can change your display to BW anytime. So people very low on money can switch with only one camera.
Great vid. Very helpful. I shoot 99% in color and then end up converting to B/W in many cases. Interesting, most people like my B/W pictures. Typical comment from all ages...B/W is timeless. I need to push myself more with B/W...Thanks for the "shove".
My pleasure haha. There's nothing wrong with converting your colour photos later on, if you enjoy it then that's all that matters. But being a bit more intentional might be useful or improve your skills a bit, just food for thought! Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to share you thoughts as well! Cheers 😁🙌🏼
@@Jorge-Perez it is not a bad camera. Film is a different workflow from digital. With B&W film you are committed but you get great quality. If you shoot JPEG you have to nail it but even then you don't get the full potential of RAW files. If you really wan't go get great raw figure out a workflow that allows you to get great conversions when you import.
Subscribed !!! Dope video man. Interesting enough, I just shot the X-Pro 1 in B&W the other day. If you get a second, in the "CAMERA BASED" playlist on my page, you'll see "X-Pro 1 In 2024." Let me know what you think !
You may WANT a dedicated B&W camera but you don't NEED one. Unless that is, you're a rich professional photographer with money to burn. If you can't be bothered to learn how to quickly set up your camera for B&W then you probably need a dedicated camera for everything., e.g. landscape or street photography or portraits or even selfies.
Working on it haha, film can be a bit expensive to work with, but definitively enjoying it. Video coming soon! Thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment! cheers ✨🙌🏼
Good choice! Committing is the way to go, what are your main cameras? curious to hear your thoughts. Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment as well! Cheers ✨😁
@@Jorge-Perez Thanks Jorge. I started digital photography 12 years ago with Panasonic GF1, 2015 I switched to GX7 and 2020 to GX8. I have two of each and own them all with 11 primes from 12mm to 137 mm. Still own my original 14-45 zoom lens. 2 GF1, 2 GX7 and 1 GX8. Forgot that I started 2007 with Canon G9, have two of those aswell! Have a great week / Ulf
![Black And White Photography - [5 things why B&W photography will make you a BETTER photographer]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/KLSOumLFq88/mqdefault.jpg)
Just found your YT channel and watched this first. I'm 70. 50 years ago I shot b&w 99% of the time. In the last 2 years I purchased working examples of the 2 cameras that I learned on. Last month I purchased a Mamiya m645. The meter in the finder didn't work (got a new finder) so the first roll I shot I used my gx9 in monochrome mode (so looking through the evf you see gray scale). It is amazing to me how you start to think: "that won't work in b&w"
My x-pro 1 is my dedicated B&W photgraphy tool, paired with a 35mm f2. Before that, it was my old Nikon F3 with rolls of tri-x pushed to 1600 ASA.
I have the same X-Pro 1 setup! It's the best, love the organic look to the sensor
That's what I'm thinking, maybe keeping it as a B&W camera, I'm really liking the camera in general. I'll try to figure out a way to replicate ACROS on this bad boy haha.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment as well! Cheers ✨🙏🏼
@@Jorge-Perez I find I prefer the regular Monochrome + G out of the X-E1(same sensor and processor as X-Pro1) to Acros. Bump up the highlights/shadows/sharpness settings if you want more contrast in your SOOC JPGs. Also reduce exposure comp. to -2/3 or so… and finally, try playing with the WB settings for different looks.
Just done the same: an old X-Pro 1 with a couple of the ‘fujicron’ f/2s (23mm and 35mm) although I’m struggling to stick to monochrome + R given how nice that sensor’s colours are…..!
What happens when you push the film to 1600? I've been shooting TRI x in my f3 for the last couple weeks.
I already watched 2 videos of yours and totally love them! High-quality content and new perspective!!!!
Glad you like them! I hope these are useful and potential help people out there, thank you very much for watching and for taking the time to share a comment as well, cheers! 🙏🏼✨
Like the way you presented your points. Straight forward to the point no bla-bla clear cut opinion and advice. Therefore I liked it!
Thanks for your kind words friend! I'm just making the type of videos that I would have liked to see myself. Hopefully there's some value or insights for people out there!
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share a comment as well, I appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
I shoot in both black and white film and in colour digitally. The choice of colour or black and white depends on the subject for me. I love black and white work primarily, but don’t want to be limited to it!
Loving the B&W shots. I've done a B&W / monochrome project which I've just loved. It's certainly changed the total way I look at photos.
Thanks for sharing mate! Great video!
Great to hear! Thank you very much for your kind comment! Shooting B&W definitely changes your perspective!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it 🙏🏼✨
You could buy a very old vintage film camera and service it and shoot actual black and white film in it . I like to shoot my 70+ year old Exakta with ilford in it.. This forces you to learn more then visualizing in black and white but also slowing down more to take your time to actually setup the images and the exposure . The pay off is MUCH better when you get a roll back and the results are amazing. No trying to fake grain or anything with settings its the real deal and you really learn a lot about photography ..
I used to shoot a fair amount of film and loved Black and White. I am getting to the point now of setting the camera up in mono Jpeg and leaving it at that. With film what you get is more or les what you get so I want the same with digital. I gave up with RAW a few years ago and don't regret it one bit.
Its very beneficial to shoot that way, it makes you more thoughtful of the decisions that you make and your environment and well. Intentionality is one of the great things about shooting on film, but this way we get all the benefits of the digital age!
I hope this video was entertaining or useful! Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it 🙏🏼✨
Totally agree! I recently bought a used X-E1 which I only shoot b&w manually, either with the 18mm f2 or the 35mm f1.4, it really brings the joy!
Sounds great! Glad to hear you're getting joy out of your camera and the process as well. How's the X-E1 treating you? now that i've reviewed the x100 and X-Pro1 i'm wondering if I should try the X-E1.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment as well! I appreciate it! ✨🙏🏼
@@Jorge-Perez hey Jorge! The X-E1 is a wonderful little camera, the absence of some features that came in later iterations only adds to the simplicity of the project, the X-Trans 1 sensor is a beauty and I do most of the tweaking (highlights/ shadows, sharpness etc. ) in camera so I really can focus on the process of composing and exposing my shots and getting focus nailed. It's wonderful!
I just set up an X-M1 :-)
I shoot B&W Film on a regular basis. So many times, color can be a distraction to the subject, but B&W hones one's eye directly to the subject. Shooting B&W Film is a commitment, but a very rewarding one! I thoroughly enjoyed your video, especially the fact that it was shot in B&W!!!
Thank you! I'm glad to hear your experiences about B&W. What stock do you normally use? curious to hear your thoughts.
I really enjoy shooting in B&W, and shooting film as well, I might shoot a bit more in film the future, but shooting B&W with a digital camera felt like a reasonable compromise for those who price and resources are limited.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts William, and for watching and being part of this community as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
I often have my X-Pro1 set to film sim bracketing ,std , b/r and velvia . also use vintage lenses for a fully manual experience .
Good to know! what vintage lenses are you normally using with it? I'm interested to get more into manual lenses as well.
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙌🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez I have been using a Jupiter 9 on my X-Pro1 for the last few days shooting in B/W only . my very favourite vintage lens is the Carl Zeiss Jena DDR Flektogon 35mm f2.4 .have used Nikon ,Helios , Rikenon and Pentacon 50mm lenses ,all have a good reputation and some are very inexpensive .I'm waiting for adapters for Hexanon and going to buy a Leica 135mm f4 Hektor lens next to try ,:-) I can recommend the Pentacon 50mm f1.8 in m42 mount for a very cheap to adapt lens that can take some lovely images on the X-Pro1 , hope to see how you get on in
another of your videos .
Your videos are the best. Coming from a purely B&W analogue background I came for the video on the X100, because I want a handy little camera for street photography when travelling, bought one the same day after your video.
Thanks for the wholesome content and the emphasis on sorting as much as you can in camera.
Glad to hear it! Your comment means a lot, I appreciate it Matt!
I hope I can continue to offer value and entertainment as well. I'm curious to hear how's the X100 treating you? any thoughts you want to share?
Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to leave a comment a well! I really appreciate it man! 😁🙏🏼
Should you also have a dedicated B&W greyscale printer? Or how do you get really good B&W prints from a colour printer?
There's a couple B&W printers for photos only, but most of my printing gets done at specialized shops, not sure if it's practical economically speaking to print your own, really depends on how often you plan to do it, and what quality are you looking for.
Also keep in mind the cost of ink, and the special paper as well. Hope that helps, thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment as well, good luck! 🙌🏼✨
I have a Leica M10M, and it has changed my world with photography, I'm teaching myself to see in B&W and it can make the mundane interesting.
But I would always shoot in RAW, as that there is always post to be done on images and RAW gives you the most latitude to tune your images. Don't forget, Ansel Adams did a LOT of darkroom magic post production on his images. Nothing wrong with that.
And with aspect ratios, unless you have money for an Xpan, etc....to me, that is part of post too. I do have a Hasselblad 501 CM camera and I grab it when I want to go shoot square, but for all my FF shots...they are open to cropping as needed in post.
Of course I try to get all I can in camera, but I have no problem fixing in post.
But, to each his own... :)
Agreed! Great comment and thanks for sharing you thoughts!
How's the m10m treating you? That's a dream camera for me haha so i'd be interested in hearing what you think about it.
Thanks a lot for watching, I hope it was helpful or entertaining, and thanks for sharing a comment as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
This is exactly right - as a pro wedding shooter on the GFX100 I have a GFX50r dedicated to this with the useful film sims - helps to visualize the end result in real time - Top tip get yerself some proper black and white filters - blue is great for skies and skins - red is very contrasty but still a must have - obvs you cant use colour when these are attached. Addendum push the iso up a bit to allow for reduced exposure and still use wide apertures - 800 is a nice sweet spot
Good feedback to keep in mind! Black and white is definitely special. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! Cheers 🙌🏼✨
I have bought the Q2 before the Q2M came out, and I love using the HC monochrome settings on the JPEG!
Interesting to hear! How's the Q2 treating you? It's a dream camera for me so I'd like to hear your thoughts if possible 😂
How's the B&W experience with it as well? Thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
Nice video. Do you use any of the black and white simulations like TriX or make any white balance shifts? Thanks
I have a X E 2 that i could use a as black/white camera!!! Great Idea!!! Are there any settings i could use to get started?
Yes you can! I did a couple videos about settings for the x100 and X-Pro series as well, some minor things might vary, but fuji menus are similar for the most part. I recommend you watch those!
I'd like to review the X-E series in the future, how is the X-E2 treating you?
Thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to share a comment as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
I use my Fuji XE-2 almost exclusively for BW. Love the older processor. Would also like to learn more about custom settings.
Another great video Jorge! I am hoping that Fujifilm soon produces their rumored monochrome camera. X-Pro body would be terrific. In the mean time I am using my X-Pro 2 for my B & W photography. Still tweeking, but happy with what I have gotten so far. Thanks, I appreciate your videos.
Thanks a lot Jerry, That would be very cool! I think the main argument that people has against Leica cameras has always been the price, but what happens with a company like Fujifilm makes a monochrome camera with an "affordable" price tag? Sounds very very interesting to me.
Are you using ACROS? or a custom profile? I really miss ACROS on the X-Pro1. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment as well! I appreciate it! 😁🙏🏼
Great video. As a counterpoint, I would say that shooting in color and converting to black and white will also teach you how to see in black and white, but through different measures. I shoot in color, but I only produce black and white images. It's taken some time, but because I have done so many conversions I know what to look for in a scene. I won't switch to shooting in black and white because what I'm doing is working for me, but I believe what you have laid out has just as much potential to benefit someone.
I’m totally with you Jorge about getting it right in camera 📷 My first camera was a Canon AE-1.
I only shoot in black and white. Exposure only according to the brightness on the viewfinder has advantages. All images are saved in RAW and may be available in color for social media later. If I like a motif in black and white so much, I also photograph it analogue for a beautiful print from my darkroom. An advantage of seeing images digitally in black and white is when using color filters in front of the lens. Which filter makes the most sense to use on the analog camera without taking several pictures with the different filters without wasting film.
I agree with your main points. I shoot digital B&W infrared because I like the ethereal look of white foliage and black skies. Like normal B&W, it's all about shapes and tones. It has required some shooting experience to judge what I think the IR shot will look like since infrared is different from visible light. Nevertheless, it's fun, challenging and produces a "different look" from normal B&W. LifePixel modified the sensor on one of my old Canon bodies which gave this old dinosaur a new life.
is xe4 is dedicated too for b&w photography? i need small body camera. thanks in advance
I have an xt1 dedicated to black and white. My other cameras are set up primarily for color. When I take the xt1 out I shoot only black and white. Coming from the 35mm film era,I thoroughly enjoy black and white photography.
Your presentation is persuasive and inspiring. Thanks.
I recently have set my fuji x-pro3 to ACROS B&W, because I was shooting in raw & converting them to B&W. So now my I'm dedicated to shooting some of my workflow in B&W
Plus to my Fujifilm cameras is shooting in film sim bracketing. Get a black and white and color. Downside is that, unless I just haven't figured it out, I see in the viewfinder still in color. Maybe if I made the black and white the first in the bracketing list?
Would love to get the xpro 1. In wear glasses and concerned about the lack of a diopter… do you have an issue since you were glasses?
The X-pro1 is great! I don't need to wear glasses outside when I'm shooting, but yes, the glasses are a bit of a pain with this cameras, The diopter correction lenses have a rubber edge, so that helps and protects a little against scratching the glasses. But if you don't need a correction lens, then the viewfinder ring is metal, it can potentially scratch your glasses.
Hope that helps, it's a great camera, give it a try and see if it fits your face well. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! Cheers 🙏🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez that’s the issue. You cannot find the diaopter for the xpro1…. That is the only thing holding me back. Could use the lcd and treat it like Ricoh GR…
Some old M43 body like Lumix GF1 + old MF lens still give you the amazing B&W Image.
Great to hear, I'm sure there's lots of possibilities and combinations out there, Glad to hear people like shooting in B&W!
Thanks for watching and sharing a suggestion as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
I start in color with my eye and try to think in color first. B+W with a RAW is how I shoot now so I always have the color copy. I use the B+W mainly to see the contrast and the shapes initially. If the image initially looks good in B+W with good contrast, shapes, symmetry, and interest then the colors will almost always follow. It's kind of a quality check of the image and many of them look better in color. I would say I keep 70% of the good ones as B+W and maybe 30% stay as color?
X-T1 w/XF35f2 is my monochrome jpeg camera, love it! Fortunately/unfortunately my X-T3 doesn't get used as much.
Great to hear! The X-T1 is amazing as well, how is the camera treating you? I recently switch to a 35mm f2 as my main focal length and I'm really liking it so far. It takes some time to get used to, but I'm happy with the results.
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it ✨🙌🏼
@@Jorge-Perez pretty great! And yeah the 35 f2 is pretty sweet, love the build quality. Hope to see more videos on this set up!
I turned to monochrome in august, and after a month I said to myself, "you can shoot color if you want". So, sometimes I shoot something in color, but mostly everything is in black and white nowadays. I would love to try the Q2 monochrom, but I couldn't justify the price on that thing, hah. X-Pro 1 is a great camera for B&W anyway :)
Same here haha, I'm loving B&W so far, but still shoot colour often, I thinks it's a great way to keep things balanced and avoid staleness.
The more I do it the more I realize things about my preferences and personal taste, there are situations that I personally prefer to shoot in B&W and vice-versa. So it's a great learning curve as well.
And we're on the same boat with the Q2, I love the design and aesthetic of those types of cameras, but can justify it. So the X-Pro1 is my dedicated B&W cameras.
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well, man! I appreciate it 😁🙏🏼
Monochrome isn't the same as b&w
@@bartvandevenne4725 Ok, have a nice day :)
I'm trying to do this. I have an XF10 as my daily set to whatever colour film sim I think will be best for the subject; it replaced my iPhone photography. Then I have an X-M1 with whatever lens suits the day, mainly street documentary and landscape, in the lovely X-Trans colours. Finally I have an X-E4 with the 18mm F2 set to one of several black and white recipes where I mainly shoot architecture which is my favourite subject matter when going out to shoot for a few hours.
Very good advice, presented well. I saw a video last year from B&W street photographer, Alan Schaller (on TH-cam) that corroborates your points and it changed my shooting for the better. Primarily, don't keep switching from B&W to color and back on an outing, because you can't "see" in monochrome if you have the option of color.
Today, I use Fujifilm cameras set to Acros for my monochrome. I have the adjustments fully tweaked out (highlight, shadow, filter, etc...) and rely on the terrific jpegs that result. I act just like I have real B&W film in the camera, meaning that if I come across o colorful scene, well, too bad. I'm shooting black and white.
Enjoyed your presentation!
I'm glad it was helpful! And I agree, immersing yourself in this B&W world is great and it does require to approach it in a different way! I'd be interested to hear what fuji camera are you using, I like ACROS more than monochrome, but ACROS is reserved for the newer cameras only.
Thank you vey much for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well, I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
I have 5 bodies. An X-T2, X-T3, X-Pro2, X-E3, and an older X-E2s for the earlier sensor, which gives a nice look.
I keep trying to do this with my X-Pro1 but the colors he gets out of it are too good to pass up. But I have a LUMIX LX7 point and shoot from around the same era and I’ve set it to be B&W permanently when my Fujis came along (about a year ago as of this writing) and I love it. It’s made that camera still quite fun to use and worth carrying along on a trip along with my X-Pro1 and some compact film cameras.
Definitely agree! The colours from these cameras are great! and to be honest this is one of the main reasons why people like us really enjoy using them.
But it does not have to specifically be a fuji camera, I think what you're doing is the right way to go, just have A b&w camera, does not matter which one, as long as you have a dedicated black and white camera that lets you focus specifically on that type of photography then it's all good 😁
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your experiences as well, friend! I appreciate it 🙌🏼✨
I do shoot in b&w. Kodak Tri-X 400 or Ilford HP5
Nice! How's the Tri-X 400? I keep hearing great things about it, would like to give it a try when I get a dedicated film camera.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
Excellent vid very informative thanks 👍
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching and for sharing a comment! I appreciate it 🙏🏼✨
My Leica M6, RB67, and Calumet 4x5 are my dedicated black & white cameras.
My Fuji X-Pro1 and X-Pro2 are my preferred color cameras.
Just fully commit, and shoot B&W film. I use a TLR as my dedicated B&W camera and the higher quality, more intentional effort, and shot limitations helps value the images more. Digital photography has its place too, but it’s only like getting your feet wet in the water per the subject matter of your video. Try putting your digital cameras on the shelf for a while, then try B&W film 100% for a month. You might like it.
I do like shooting in film! eventually I will try to get a dedicated film camera and make some videos about it, it's just that the cost involved in shooting in film, the film rolls, the development process, having a good quality negative scanner so I can get digital files that I can share in videos and social media, possibility printing files, is a bit much for my budget at the moment.
So I try to make the best of it, shooting in digital but with intentionality and trying to stay true to the original thought or feeling or the film limitations.
What stocks are your favourites? or anything else you'd like to share? Thanks a lot for watching and sharing your experiences as well! I really appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
i use a small 5.1mp fixed focus digital camera set to B&W at all times and carry it with me everyday
Jorge, another well made video on a very interesting topic. Although I very much enjoy color photographs I love old black and white photos that capture a moment in time long gone. I enjoy looking at photos from the likes of Robert Frank and Vivian Maher, just to name a few. I prefer the candid kind of photos; posed photos do very little for me. Things such as the old store signs, the clothes and cars of the period, old photos of familiar streets from my home town of NYC make old black and white photos fascinating for me. Although I was born in the early 70’s I feel like I connect more with 40’ and 50’s then I do with our current times and pop culture. I guess I’m an old soul as reflected in my taste in music as well. How would you recommend someone who loves this type of photo to try and recreate this kind of nostalgic mood in their current photos? Or am I asking for too much? Thanks
Agreed! Capturing moments in B&W can truly be wonderful.
Regarding your question, I think I would try to find the common denominator of all of those eras and photos that really speak to you, and perhaps try to either replicate that (Just to get you comfortable until you develop your own twist) Or modernize it a bit.
That might mean shooting in specific places that have the same vibe, or specific objects (old cars etc), or people that enjoy dressing a particular way. Etc. Hope that helps!
Thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts! I really appreciate it! 🙌🏼✨
Other than places such as Cuba (sans clothing), it can be as difficult as creating a period movie set. While you can search and follow various historical reenactment events, but my advice is to create your Star Trek's Kobayashi Maru Scenario. That is, for practice in developing your eyes of seeing, to use present setting, but with the past photographer's mindset. Similar to Robert Frank and Vivian Maher come out of a time machine in 2021. 🙂
@@bfs5113 I think you’re right. It’s about composition and subject and if I can imitate that from the likes of Maher and Frank that’s taking my photography in the direction I’m looking for. In doing so I think with time I will , as say, develop my own photographer’s vision. Thanks
@Mike Zielinski yes I remember in the late70s and early 80s my dad shot with a Minolta SLR and the pictures had a special look to them that you really can’t replicate with a digital although I believe with the right formula some digital cameras can get close. I would like to buy a film camera like what my dad had but the one thing that makes me hesitant is the cost of developing the film.
If you look at most old B&W photos you will find that they are low contrast and not very sharp. I have played around with images in photoshop and dropping the contrast and adding some Gaussian blur helps. Also shoot in manual focus helps as it's hard sometimes to get the focus spot on and you could use old cheap vintage lenses if you have a system camera. One last thing.... DXO do the Nik collection of plug-ins and they do one called Analogue efex Pro which is excellent to make your images look like they were taken in the 40's/50's. Good Luck experimenting.
i was just thinking about this recently, i want to improve my b&w
This is a way to start, removing distractions, allowing yourself to see the world in a different perspective, and removing friction from your equipment so you can focus on what you want to do. Shooting B&W film is also a fun way to do that as well!
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well! Good luck! ✨
Back in the film days I always had a camera loaded with B&W film and a 56mm lens. Looking through the viewfinder was no different than my cameras with color film. It became a thought process or an attitude. I carried that over into the digital age. When I see in B&W I will covert those images in DXO Photo lab with Filmpack. I can select many different film simulations to mimic the films that I used in the past. I’m with you from the standpoint of trying to shoot the photos the way you want them to look right out of the camera. I just found your channel, subscribed and will be watching more of your content. Thanks.
When I shoot in black and while, I use my Nikon F2A which was made in1979. I see in color all the time. Even shooting black and white, I see in color. Can't turn color off. I do like the contrast between color and black & white, it moves a subject from looking like a circus to a more somber mood. I suggest using a real vintage camera. So many great cameras out there like the Nikon F2 variants, the Nikon FM and the FE2. Other brands like Pentax are just as good for B&W photography. I prefer using film as it is the "real" thing, not a simulation. For 30 years I shot film. Love it, it is different, and you should try it out. It's a different world with a camera that has a film advance lever, a dial for shutter speed, one for ASA/ISO and an aperture ring on the lens. Nothing more. Just meter the scene and fire away. The simplicity will overwhelm you. It may even be a religious experience where YOU are in total control.
My Ricoh GRD1 is my dedicated black and white shooter. I love it
Very cool, how's the Ricoh GRD1 holding up? would like to give those cameras a try in the near future.
Thanks for watching, friend! I appreciate you taking the time to share a comment as well! Cheers 🙏🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez my GRD1 has a thing where if I’m shooting color, it’s best to not go beyond 400 iso. The grain/noise is a mess. BUT in black and white it looks so good still! But for best shots, 60-400 iso is best. And despite older camera’s auto modes being crap, this camera in auto works really good still. It nails exposures
Well done, when i switch to black and white i photograph with totally different mindset.
100% agreed! Visualizing in B&W, and having the settings baked in, and knowing that you can't just cheat and switch to colour for a bit, or apply a B&W filter later is the key for me. Accountability.
Hope this video was helpful and entertaining, thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
did this with my a6400. Sony's color science just didnt work for me and I went back to my starter Nikon D90.
I love that you can shoot in B/W, review photos in B/W, and import them in B/W to Lightroom all as .arw RAW files and never see color the entire time.
Still, I run a yellow/orange filter to force myself to commit and it has become my daily carry camera
I guess I am a "weirdo".. got into photography about 1 year ago and I ONLY shoot B&W..... as a matter of fact, shooting in color has been quite a challenge for me...
Will explore B&W for a longer period before moving to color...
But what it matters the most is that, I am happy!
I use my Xe1 or my nikon d70 for that. And results are amazing for such old cameras. My ricoh can also use as bnw camera, but to make it easy I have my Panasonic CM1 mobile, with some adjustment results are amazing for a phone.
Thanks for the video.
Great to hear that! How's the X-E1 treating you? I might pick one of those up in the future to talk about it here on the channel, so i'm curious to hear what you think!
Thanks a lot for watching, and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼😁
I am partially color blind, shoot most of the time in bw, but use chrome in fuji. Sometimes.
I have multiple film backs for my Mamiya RB67 Pro SD
One is for Rollei Infrared 400 Black and White Negative Film or Ilford HP5 Plus Black and White Negative Film
Another film back is for CineStill Film 50D Color Negative Film, CineStill Film 400D Color Negative Film, CineStill Film 800T Color Negative Film, or Kodak Professional Ektar 100 Color Negative Film
Digitally, I have two Sigma SD14 with one set for Broad Spectrum with the IR Blocking filter removed
Jorge excelente Pode hacer otro video pero en español de todo BNW y el Altro contraste en BNW
I just found your channel, great stuff! I like to shoot RAW + JPG. I shoot the JPG in B&W and then I have the color version (RAW) if I want/need it.
My walk around camera is a Fuji X100V and I’m thinking about pairing the Leica Q2 Monochrome with it. Essentially turning the Fuji into the color camera.
I’m currently renting the regular Q2, planning on posting a Q2 vs X100V kind of TH-cam video after I send it back.
Interesting! How's the Q2? eventually I'd like to get a Leica so I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the camera.
Nothing wrong with shooting RAW + JPG, whatever works for you and helps you practice your craft!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well, I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
"I shoot the JPG in B&W and then I have the color version (RAW) if I want/need it".
Please explain the above. I have a Sonya7Riii and would love to shoot in Black and White but don't want to miss out the color..
Thanks.
Awesome video ❤ information ❤
I like b&w, but why? Wasn’t black and white just a technical constraint? Then again, so was charcoal pencil! I think I’ve confused myself again! 😁 I might just keep shooting in colour but print on dot matrix.
Great video, Jorge! If I only shoot in the Monochrome mode on my camera, can I expect to get the same sharpness and resolution advantages I would if I had the CFA filters removed from the sensor?
I see no one replied to this comment, so I will. The answer is NO. Those advantages that dedicated monochrome sensors have pertain only to them. A colour sensor, due to having the Bayer array in front of it, will still perform as such, even when we choose 'monochrome' from the different profiles available in the camera menu. Hope this helps. Cheers.
Nice content. I use an XPro3 and an x100v. Both are setup to shoot RAW/JPEG. I shoot Acros JPEG’s. It has made me a better photographer. Rarely do I use the RAW photo now to convert to black and white. I just purchased a RicohGRiii. It is setup the same way. Regards…..Wayne
Interesting to hear what cameras you use, How's the GRIII treating you? I keep hearing good things about it.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it 🙌🏼✨
I really like the Ricoh a lot. It is a large field of view than I am used to. However, what I like about it is I just put it in a small bag, set it on snap focus and go out on the street. The x100v requires more intent and I am fine with that. However, there are times when I just want to point and shoot. For example, we spent 5 days in San Francisco over the 4th of July. Two mornings, I went out early just to take photos of streetart and grafitti and the occasional building. It was the perfect alternative. Hope this helps. Regards….Wayne
Loving this content!
Thanks for your kind words, Miguel! Hope it was useful or at least entertaining. Thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment, i appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
As someone with a long history of b&w film use, I had no problem switching to shooting RAW and continuing to do ALL my work in b&w. I thought I might have to shoot b&w jpegs with them but found it not necessary. However I know far too many from that background who were totally discombobulated in their work by having to see their initial exposures in color. There are advantages to working from color RAW to get one's b&w though - so I tend to advise shooting RAW+b&w JPG and then stacking them so that all that can be initially seen on the computer are the b&w. Another advantage is that occasionally someone else has a use for the color version and it's there for them. Total emersion though is most likely the way to get started.
Interesting to hear your thoughts on this! I do vote for happy medium, I guess shooting in actual film is the total immersion way, and shooting in raw/colour and changing things later not so much.
But there's nothing wrong with different styles and approaches as well, Sound like you found a way to make it work in your benefit, and keep you going, and that is the most important thing at the end of the day!
Thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez By the way I also shoot Fuji. Here's almost 50 years of b&w (probably why color RAW doesn't distract me) - w/me still at it in town locally. Always an "amateur" - jamescraigphotography.com. I've watched b&w go from very popular to a subset of color, depressing.
I see color, prefer color and shoot color. That said, I have been to places (a statuary garden and an abandoned shipyard) that lend themselves to B&W. I tried color at these places for a few images but did not like them. So, I used my second camera set to B&W and shot the whole day in these places in monochrome. I liked the images and decided to use that camera (a Sony RX100V) as my dedicated B&W. To make things easier, my color camera, a Nikon Z6 seems to usually have the Nizon Z24-70 S f/4 lens on it and the B&W RX100V comes with a Leica lens with same 24-70 zoom range but with a bit faster lens with an f/1.8.
I love your philosophy!!
Thanks for your kind words! I hope it was useful or entertaining, and Is good to hear other people have similar taste when it comes to their philosophy and their craft!
Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it 🙏🏼✨ and Happy holidays! 🎄
Completely agree
Thanks for sharing that, I hope the video was helpful or entertaining, and thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts! Cheers! 🙌🏼✨
Appreciate this vid in B+W!
I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment as well! I appreciate it 🙌🏼✨
I have a dedicated color camera (a Fuji GS645). All other cameras I frequently use (several 6x6, a 6x9, a 6x14, plus the 5x7 and the 11x14 large format) I usually only shoot b&w. Even my digital camera (Olympus Pen-F) is set on monochrome per default.
That's awesome! Last time I saw a GS645 was in Japan.. How's the Olympus Pen-F treating you? have heard good things about it.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez The Pen-F is the perfect camera for me. Obviously, it can shoot RAW, but I'm a JPEG-shooter, I don't edit my pictures. And there is no other camera I know of, which JPEG output can be as much customized and fine-tuned as with the Pen-F. I don't think I will need any other digital camera ever, unless a completely new technology may arise.
I purchased a Leica M a couple of weeks ago and thought about picting up a Monochrom M, but with range finders you don't see through the lens (unless in live view) so I went with a normal M . I use my X-E1 and TTArtisan 35mm lens for my monochrom camera and really enjoying it.. Great video...
Wow, how's the M treating you? Leica M's are a very distant goal/dream for me haha. Also interesting to hear you use the X-E1 as well, sounds like a portable/compact X-Pro1. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that as well!
Thank you very much for watching and taking the time to comment as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez I'm really enjoying the M and getting the hang of the focus system.. It produces great images and has really slowed me down. The menu system is very basic and I don't spend any time in it while out..
The X-E1 is outstanding and using it with 3rd party manual focus glass is great and using zone focus really helps. I only have one auto focus lens left and thats the Fujifilm 27mm 2.8 that keeps the X-E1 kit nice a small when used.
My dedicated black and white cameras are film cameras like the Zeiss Super Iconta, Kiev60, Nikon F100 and Canon EOS 1n 😊 . I prefer back and white photos; mutch of my work is delivered in B/W. As main camera i use a Fuji 100S connected to a PC in studio; the B/W conversion is after the shoots; done on PC using DxO Silver Effects; a fantastic BW conversion tool.
Good points. I should try out my digital camera in black and white to improve myself before wasting more black and white film lol. Though I do love the look I'm just not as good as I would want to be with it.
95% of the time I shoot in monochrome and I love it. Thanks 😊
Good to hear that other people are also being mindful of B&W, what camera are you using? or do you have a dedicated B&W camera?
Thanks for watching and for sharing a comment as well! cheers 😁✨
Your comment about associating color to astrophotography is interesting. When I was in school long ago, B&W was really the only viable emulsion for star pictures including special low reciprocity emulsions that were limited bandwidth. I find color images to be beautiful, but still think of B&W as “natural”
Always shoot in B&H
Using Sony. And Fuji and lumix but shoot jpg plus raw
So often end up using Iford or Kodak or Fuji or custom presets But love having B&H on lcd or EVF when composing
Interesting, I want to try ilford B&W film, no the quest starts to find the ultimate (affordable) B&W camera haha.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
Agree so much on your view of intentional shooting compared to creating b/w in post process. I use an old Fuji X-T1 set for b/w (unfortunately acros, my most beloved b/w film is not available on that camera) or an analog camera with b/w film. Also, when shooting panoramas, I dont stitch images in post, I shoot panoramic in camera using X-pan setting on my Hasselblad X1D.
Good to hear that some people enjoy shooting like that as well! And Acros is what I miss the most about my X100V, I really love that film simulation. Luckily we can still buy the actual Acros film, but still..
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 😁
You made some excellent points and gave great advice. I've been shooting B&W since the 1950s. In the film days, my dedicated B&W camera was my Leica M3. I rarely shot color with it.
I'm a devotee of getting it right in camera. In the film days, the closer to correct you could get the technical aspects of capture, the less gymnastics you would have to perform in the darkroom. I also filed out my negative holders so that I could print "French frame", showing a black border around the image to show it was composed correctly in camera and not cropped.
Your advice about dedicating to only shooting B&W when going out will help you see in tonalities instead of colors. If you don't train yourself to see in B&W, the color contrast that you see, say medium red next to medium green, will show very little difference in tonality in B&W. The huge advantage in digital is the ability to immediately see tonality.
While the dedicated monochrome cameras from Leica are lovely (and insanely expensive), cameras like Fuji have an advantage of having different filters built in to the JPEGS or they can be applied in post to a RAW file. With dedicated monochrome cameras, you have to attach the filter on the lens itself. With my Leica M3, I usually shot with a light yellow filter, but could change my red or green filter as needed. I have used a Leica M Monocrom and while I could see the advantages, they were not better enough to make me want to buy one instead of using my excellent Fujis for B&W.
Finally here's an interesting personal tidbit since someone else mentioned Ansel Adams. I have a BFA from Art Center College of Design. Before I attended, Ansel Adams taught there for awhile. It was during his Art Center tenure that he and Fred Archer codified common photography knowledge into a more consistent and repeatable approach, which they called the Zone System. Over the years I used the Zone system frequently, both in personal and professional work. I used to mix up special developer formulas from individual ingredients to take full advantage of the approach.
I'm really glad to hear other people's thoughts and their process as well, I agree with what you have shared. I think we need more intentionally and to take control of our craft and not the other way around!
Thank you very much for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
While I'd love a dedicated BW camera to get rid of the Bayer Matrix, there is an advantage to shooting color.
In post processing you can use channels to manipulate the colors, in effect, like using color filters on an old BW camera.
Smooth skin tones with a Green filter . . . darken skies with a Red or Orange filter . . .
I'd say 90% B/W. My cameras (various old Fujis) are typically set to Monochrome (Y) or I have a film camera with B/W film in it. My editing is the other way around than most people, I sometimes check in Lightroom if a photo also works in color.
That's interesting to hear, any preference on the B&W profiles? just monochrome or do you also use ACROS as well?
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts as well! Cheers! 🙌🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez The only way I can use Acros is in my film camera, but it's way too expensive and I prefer TMax. ;)
My Fujis predate the Acros profile, Monochrome is all I can get, but I never felt like missing out. Sometimes I throw a Neopan film profile from On1 over my B&W shots to get a bit more of that analog effect, mostly when I print large and want a more pleasing grain.
Nice video; of my digital cameras - that I use the most - two have monochrome sensors (one of them is the original - and still best - M Monochrom), then I will use the SL for when i need colour. I always shoot raw only, digital post processing is simply today's version of Dark Room developing. All the film rolls in my fridge are B&W, so, yes, i am partial to B&W ... even though I do enjoy beautiful colour images too, I find colour to be a bit "distracting"; for example, if i go photograph in VERY colourful places, like India, I try to shoot only in B&W....I know, it sounds counter-intuitive, but it works for me!
Interesting to hear your experiences! I would love to try any Leica Monochrom cameras in the future, and I guess it makes sense to shoot raw if you're shooting with Leica's.
I agree with you about colour being distracting, I watched recently an interview with Fan ho and he said the same thing, how B&W creates a separation from our reality, so it's less distracting.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts as well, I appreciate it! 🙏🏼✨
Pentax LX + 35mm B&W Kentmere & Kodak T-Max 400ASA
Great option! Want to shoot more in film int he future! Thanks for watching!
I love Black and white. Images . I use two film cameras both shooting Black and white film ( different film stocks) my colour work is digital. . I look at this from the point of view of subject. Certain subjects, to my vision, deserve treatment as either colour or black and white. Using the Street. photography genre, a contrast subject in shadow and light is best photographed as Black and white. A subject like a Parade or Chinatown or India’s Holiday celebration is best taken as a colour image as colour is more faithful and descriptive of the subject matter. And yes, I develop and print my own film.
Agreed! I like that approach you mention, and you're correct, I do love B&W, but like I mentioned in the video, forcing that style on every single type of photography does not work.
Thanks a lot for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts! I appreciate it! 🙌🏼✨
I mostly shoot in B&W. When shooting B&W, I see the world in highlights and shadows. When shooting color, I look for pop and uniqueness.
Great video!
I shoot monochrome and I lust over a true monochrome camera, but all my fuji cameras, including my gfx50 just don't shoot monochrome right. It is what it is. the best camera I ever used for monochrome was the Nikon d3s. Also I own 2 older/oldish hassy bodies that are spectacular for monocrom, the CCD sensor is something special. but fuji not so much.
I only shoot bw. For the last 4 years, since switching to Fuji and changing my genre to street / documentary. I do all video also in bw.
Interesting to hear, I definitely think black and white is timeless and classic, but haven't considered focusing solely on that. How's that experience treating you?
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share a comment as well, I appreciate it! 🙌🏼✨
@@Jorge-Perez I prefer it. Looking at the world through shapes and tones, light and shadow… brings out the artistry of everything. When I look through my viewfinder I don’t see life, I see art. Funny… I was just saying this morning that I wished they made glasses that made you see in black and white.
Why shoot in jpeg?
I do not understand what is the conclusion of your video regarding to the title.
Why do I need a dedicated BW camera is not clear for me sorry.
I wish more camera manufacturers had black and white only cameras. If it truly is just leaving off the RGB array in manufacturing then why not sell some that way?
For your information Pentax makes dedicated b and white camera you would be surprised. Leica is not the only one. And the price diferencial is astronomical and just as good, it’s as good and you would save thousands.
Fujifilm is colour camera, cannot produce monochrome Raw File, the only dedicated monochrome camera is Leica Monochrome and Phase One. I have Fujifilm camera before switching to Leica, the tonality not even close
Agreed! the dream is to have a monochrome Leica at some point in the future haha 😂
How's your Leica treating you? Curious to hear your thoughts about it.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts as well! Cheers 😁🙏🏼
I'd love one. But I'm not paying $8,000 for one. Leica makes accessibility hard for aspiring artists with their ridiculous prices.
@Mike Zielinski I have 3 vintage Pentax SLRs Mike and you're right! I love the look of film.
How about buying an old film camera and put in a BW Film? Self developing and printing is so much more fun than post production.
Apart from that BW is about seeing contrasts.
Agreed! I like shooting in film, but it's the price and time involved that does not align with my current ways. Shooting and nailing film can be very satisfactory, as well as expensive and time consuming.
But I still do it every-now and then for fun. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment as well! Cheers ✨🙏🏼
@@Jorge-Perez thanks for your answer! I still shoot BW in film, colour digital out of cam. If you shoot film as hobby it isn't that expensive, but I know what you mean. I am low on money too. The big advantage with mirrorless digital cameras (untill shortly I only used compacts in digital as opposed to fully mechanical in BW) is that you can change your display to BW anytime. So people very low on money can switch with only one camera.
Great vid. Very helpful. I shoot 99% in color and then end up converting to B/W in many cases. Interesting, most people like my B/W pictures. Typical comment from all ages...B/W is timeless. I need to push myself more with B/W...Thanks for the "shove".
My pleasure haha. There's nothing wrong with converting your colour photos later on, if you enjoy it then that's all that matters. But being a bit more intentional might be useful or improve your skills a bit, just food for thought!
Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to share you thoughts as well! Cheers 😁🙌🏼
🌟⚡️
B&W 90% of the time on my digital cameras; 100% on my film cameras.
Leica M3
Lovely... how's the m3 treating you? Eventually I'd like to try a couple Leica cameras, it's on my list haha.
Thanks for watching, cheers! 🙌🏼
@@Jorge-Perez it is not a bad camera. Film is a different workflow from digital. With B&W film you are committed but you get great quality. If you shoot JPEG you have to nail it but even then you don't get the full potential of RAW files. If you really wan't go get great raw figure out a workflow that allows you to get great conversions when you import.
You also need a dedicated monochrome sensor.
Intelligent and erudite. Robin Witting England
Subscribed !!! Dope video man. Interesting enough, I just shot the X-Pro 1 in B&W the other day. If you get a second, in the "CAMERA BASED" playlist on my page, you'll see "X-Pro 1 In 2024." Let me know what you think !
The best black and white film simulation comes from Olympus. Trust me. It’s a perfect tri-x replica.
You may WANT a dedicated B&W camera but you don't NEED one. Unless that is, you're a rich professional photographer with money to burn. If you can't be bothered to learn how to quickly set up your camera for B&W then you probably need a dedicated camera for everything., e.g. landscape or street photography or portraits or even selfies.
Get b&w film and a cheap point and shoot ;D
Working on it haha, film can be a bit expensive to work with, but definitively enjoying it. Video coming soon!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share a comment! cheers ✨🙌🏼
Very nice video. All my cameras are primarily set for b/w photography, always jpeg set to my taste, ie an orange filter. / Ulf
Good choice! Committing is the way to go, what are your main cameras? curious to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment as well! Cheers ✨😁
@@Jorge-Perez Thanks Jorge. I started digital photography 12 years ago with Panasonic GF1, 2015 I switched to GX7 and 2020 to GX8. I have two of each and own them all with 11 primes from 12mm to 137 mm. Still own my original 14-45 zoom lens. 2 GF1, 2 GX7 and 1 GX8. Forgot that I started 2007 with Canon G9, have two of those aswell! Have a great week / Ulf
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