Mike- Saying it makes NO sense seems rather harsh... Two or three reasons come to mind. Then again, we're all somewhat crazy here: a) I may not know up front if I want the final result in color or in B&W. I guess I could carry another 35mm body, or another back for the medium format. But I'm getting old, and I have more important things to lug around. However, if dedicated B&W film performed better than converted color the extra weight would be worth it. Still, for capturing the "fleeting moment" it is problematic juggling two bodies. b) To adjust image tone up front using B&W film, I'd need to carry around several colors and densities of B&W filters, and I'd have to get the filtration correct in the camera. With color film, as long as I'm not asking for anything too outlandish that would cause blocking in the negative, I can experiment with infinitely variable filtration in the comfort of my computer room. c) Conventional B&W processing costs a fortune, if you can find someone who can do it without screwing up. This is totally the reverse of thirty years ago. Since B&W is done in such low volumes one can never really be sure of the quality control. For the C-41 chromatogenic films this is not an issue, which is why I included some of them in the above list. Even so, if folks would show me that conventional B&W actually performs better than converted color or the chromatogenics, I still have a tank and reel somewhere down in the basement. So, today I shoot color negative, (mostly Fuji Superia Realia), and if I want B&W I convert in Photoshop. I'm not saying this is the best way to go, and I'd hope this thread uncovers some good information. [I still need to find a way to display the hypertext properly... Star?] In some Extreme cases, like needing deep red filtration, my method does not work well. But I seldom use my really deep red filter... A couple things I'd specifically like to know. In what cases are the C-41 B&W materials valuable? For conventional B&W, what are folks preferred developers and processes? What has replaced my old favorite, Panatomic-X ISO32?