Digital B&W?

[darich]

At this point I think I agree with everyone here that post-conversion beats the software conversion in-camera.

The best bet seems to shoot raw and postconvert to B&W.

The big question here is digital sensors don't have the great dynamic range of film, especially B&W film. What type of post processing techniques do you guys use to bring out more dynamic range?

The only option I know in photoshop is Image>Adjustments>Black&White

This lets you slide around the brightness fo each color channel (RGBCYMK)

Any other tips?

Going from memory here at work there are several ways of going black and white from colour. They're all worth trying because some methods work better with different images.
In PS CS2 -
Image>channel mixer>check the monochrome box at the bottom
Image>calculations>countless options for conversion
Image>saturation>move slider to desaturate

there are probably others that more expert users will tell you but i find i get good results using the calculations method.
All the B&W images on my website started as colour digital and some have come out really well.

 

[Garbz]

For a unique way which gives vastly different tones to any of the other approaches try converting to LAB colour selecting the lightness channel and then converting to greyscale.

Actually one of the most detailed methods I've seen came from a feature on B&W on Adobe's website. The photographer in question took the image. copied each red green and blue channel in greyscale to a new layer, as well as converting the image to lightness and dumping that on a new layer, and then dynamically mixed the RGBL channels using only layer masks. The tonality was stunning and I am not normally one for the ansel adams style black and white landscapes.

 

[cecilc]

Actually one of the most detailed methods I've seen came from a feature on B&W on Adobe's website. The photographer in question took the image. copied each red green and blue channel in greyscale to a new layer, as well as converting the image to lightness and dumping that on a new layer, and then dynamically mixed the RGBL channels using only layer masks. The tonality was stunning and I am not normally one for the ansel adams style black and white landscapes.

Now that may be the best way right there ... it would offer much more control of tonality ...

The only option I know in photoshop is Image>Adjustments>Black&White

Another way to make that conversion is to adjust the image in Channel Mixer and check the monochrome box .... then you can adjust the input from the 3 (or 4) channels to convert to B&W ....