For someone who shoots on B&W film, the lack of color can be a feature.
Yes, you will definitely notice this if you shoot alot - composition in B&W images is more about geometry and symmetry and texture, and you look at colours differently two, you are always thinking, that's a vivid contrast in colour but they will be the same tone of grey. Shooting colour with the intent to convert later, is as you say a different mindset.
But not film B&W, which has a different colour and contrast response to "let's remove all the saturation" viewfinder B&W.
Personally I'm happy with a 100% digital workflow. In fact these days I take most photos on an iPhone, and leave the SLR at home.
But I also know that film and optical filtering look different..
You can produce an imitation of a film look with digital processing. But it's an imitation. There are subtleties of colour, grain, contrast/brightness response, and differential colour resolution that are very complicated.
And different films respond in different ways. Everyone can see the difference between digital, budget Kodak, and a roll of Fujifilm Velvia.
And if you're shooting medium or large-format, that's a different ballgame again.
Don't believe me? Take some pictures of a fire. The film and digital versions will look completely different.
Is it worth the effort? For snappy snaps, certainly not. Digital kills it for convenience.
But if I worked as high-end commercial landscape, architectural, or art photographer, I'd certainly consider film for at least some projects.
I agree with that. I find that looking at good B&W photos is similar to listening to acoustic instrumental music. Where the characteristics of the music are passed through an instrument without coloration by voice or by other instruments
Yes, you will definitely notice this if you shoot alot - composition in B&W images is more about geometry and symmetry and texture, and you look at colours differently two, you are always thinking, that's a vivid contrast in colour but they will be the same tone of grey. Shooting colour with the intent to convert later, is as you say a different mindset.