D80 Black and White Setting

Recently purchased a D80 and I'm having trouble setting up for Black and White photos. At the "shooting menu"

when I try to select "optimize image", I get a message that reads "this option is not available with current settings".

When I check CSM/Setup Menu - My Menu - Shooting, I see that Optimize Image is checked and there is an arrow

with a "Set" option to the right. When I toggle to the arrow it justs unchecks the Optimize Image. How do I set this

up to take black and white photos?

 

I've been through the manual repeatedly as well as another book on the D80, neither helps. Thanks.

Why limit yourself by generating black and white in the camera? It's so easy to do good conversions in post-processing. Really, programs like photoshop or lightroom or capture nx will do just as good a job if not better than the D80.

Are you selecting "Done" and "OK" after completing your "Optomize Image" menu selections? If you don't do this, the camera will ignore the selections you have made.

In CSM/Setup Menu, try setting it to "Full".

It only works in PSAM.

If the guy wants to use the in-camera B&W mode we should not try to discourage him from doing so. I personally believe there is huge potential in

in-camera B&W. With Nikon you can add filter effects (orange, red, green, etc) making it at least as versatile as Tri-X, with the added benefit of

seeing and evaluating the results immediately. In the D300 with control over sharpening, contrast, and subtile degrees of tinting it is truly suburb.

The point is that when you set the camera to shoot in B&W, you think in B&W and see the results in B&W. A B&W state of mind...

You're right Sanford. And besides, its one of the fun things a Nikon D80 can do..

Sanford has a good point that I'll expand upon....

 

If you set the camera to capture B&W, but shoot in NEF+JPEG, you will get a B&W JPEG and a full color NEF raw file that you can convert later in Capture/Photoshop if you want to experiment. The display on the camera will show what you shot in B&W, so you get in that B&W state of mind. But in the background you always have a full-data file. Yet another "fun thing the D80 can do".

Thanks folks for all your responses . I really would like to see the B/W picture when I take it if that is possible. I do use the "done" or "ok" commands to input changes. I'm in "full" mode. In CSM/Setup the "optimize image" shows selected. But when I go to the "Shooting Menu" the "Optimize Image" bar is in light gray with a palette/N showing on the right side but it won't let me select it. I just get the message "this option is not available with current options. Is there somewhere else I should be selecting options besides these two locations?

Joe, that is some very good advice, i never thought of that. Even though i count on converting most of my shots o B&W later, i like to control the processing myself, but it's good to get an idea of the shot that was taken in B&W. The Raw + Jpg idea is brilliant.

I'm curious, Jim, have you solved your problem?

Stanford... WOW! I like your statement! When I bought my D80 I was so happy knowing I could shoot color and B&W with

the same camera without changing film or SD :) but I was told to do it in post processing. But as you say, the B&W state

of mind is important. After I take everything in color I don't really like to change it to B&W. It doesn't feel the same as when

you are thinking B&W at the time you take your shot. Thanks! I will set 1 of the shooting banks in my D300 to B&W. Rene'

All I can think of, Jim, is to try a complete camera reset to default. The default camera settings will absolutely allow you

select Black-and-White from the Optimize Image menu, unless there is something wrong with your camera. As has been

stated, you can only select this option for the P,S,A, and M Modes.

 

Any color image can be duplicated in Black & White from the Retouch Menu.

One more nice thing about Black and White on the D80: it produces wonderful images all the way up to ISO 1600, and _can_ get usable images even at 3200. I really like to occasionally set my D80 to B&W ISO 1600 with a fast prime and shoot handheld in "available darkness," long after I've abandoned hope of a decent color image. If you shoot smaller b/w JPGs, you can also fit a trillion on a memory card, which can liberate you to experiment. As an added bonus, your computer will seem screamingly fast when it processes them.