D80 - B&W mode

Anthony, all digital cameras (I think) actually take the image in b/w and then this is interpreted to colour by the software to give the raw image file.
Now when you set your camera to b/w the camera is doing a b/w conversion from the colour file just as PS does. What you see on your camera lcd and the thumbnail of the nef is a jpeg of the image from your camera settings.
The NEF you see ( in colour) in PS is the raw file without the camera settings applied.
Is one better than the other? That is a personal preference and I suggest that you experiment with using the b/w in PS and see what you like.
Just remember that the lcd shows the camera setting interpretaions and raw files show the data before you apply your interpretation. They are just different.

 

When you record in B&W on the D80, it records only the .jpeg as a B&W conversion, with the RAW file retaining a colour version.

When I'm thinking of doing B&W for certain shots, I'll switch to B&W (because I particularly like the conversion the camera does, and as well, lets me check how well it suits the composition) but keep my quality mode on RAW+Fine. That way it records both the B&W and the colour versions. I used a boosted contrast in my custom setup, as I like it better.

Here's an example, unprocessed:

 

Can you shoot in B&W on the D80 or just take the original image and make it B&W in the Menu??

 

Is that so? I had the understanding (I might be wrong as I'm no expert) that it is the other way around. CCD can only see colour (RGB for example). Any in-camera conversion to BW or sepia is done in software.

 

B&W conversion in Photoshop using channel mixer gives much richer B&W pics from a colour capture.

 

The idea that the channel mixer is a better monochrome converter is in comparison with desaturation, the first avenue many take in photoshop when making colour photos black & white, and one which robs the photo of much of it's richness. While the channel mixer definitely gives you more control over your black and whites than either desaturation or the D80's B&W mode, I've found that the D80's conversions (which are much more than just desaturations) to be comparably "rich" or "deep".