Samsung EX2F Raw vs RAW vs RAW+the various JPG modes

You're not doing anything wrong, and neither is the camera (if I understood you correctly).
Raw files do not undergo the processing to make jpegs, so they don't go through the black and white conversion. If they did, then many people would be very upset about having lost the color from their raws. The raw file is meant to represent as close to the sensor data as is reasonably possible, though sometimes a manufacturer will tweak things a little, even when it may look like the data was changed, it's usually not, rather some metadata was included that the raw processor in a program like Lightroom is reading and following (e.g. lens distortion correction info). Here is what those modes do on most cameras:
Jpeg: you get a jpeg with all the jpeg processing applied, black and white in your case.
Raw: you get a raw file that depends on your camera manufacturer (e.g. .cr2 for Canon, etc...) this has no jpeg processing done to it. A white balance is chosen by the camera for display, but it can still be charged to anything. This will not be black and white as that setting is only about jpeg processing. The only way to have a black and white raw is to use a monochrome sensor, Leica makes such a camera.
Raw+/raw + jpeg: The name can vary slightly, what this does is to save both the unprocessed raw and the processed jpeg. So you should get a color raw and a black and white jpeg in your case. If what you meant in your post is that when using this mode you don't get the black and white jpeg.... then that is pretty unusual.

Okay. Maybe I was misunderstood. What I wanted to know was why when I shoot in RAW or any of the RAW + modes, I cannot shoot in B/W. I can shoot I RAW mode in B/W with my Fuji X10 and my Pentax MX-1. With my EX2F, I can only shoot B/W when in *.JPG mode and NOT in RAW Mode. One would figure that when designing a camera with RAW mode, RAW+ mode and *.JPG and an articulating screen with a F/1.4 Schneider - Kreuznah lens the engineers would NOT omit this function.

Firstly, the EX2F is one of the very few cameras that has little or no compression of RAW files, which gives a very clean image. Shoot RAW, convert to 16-bit tiff in Samsung's converter, post process in whatever suits you and change to grayscale, even in free FastStone. This shot was taken RAW with my D700, converted to 16-bit tiff in ViewNX2 and then into grayscale in FastStone.

Old barn at Montrose.

Field near Maryhill.

Skipper494 wrote:

Firstly, the EX2F is one of the very few cameras that has little or no compression of RAW files, which gives a very clean image. Shoot RAW, convert to 16-bit tiff in Samsung's converter, post process in whatever suits you and change to grayscale, even in free FastStone. This shot was taken RAW with my D700, converted to 16-bit tiff in ViewNX2 and then into grayscale in FastStone.

I use ADOBE DNG converter. Does the Samsung converter produce better results?

Did not open the C.D. yet as I still can return the camera if I am not satisfied with it. Right now I am using Adobe Elements 11. Will have to try FastStone. I do not covert from *.SRW to *.DNG. I just use Elements 11 to convert from *.SRW TO *.JPG.

Firstly, the EX2F is one of the very few cameras that has little or no compression of RAW files, which gives a very clean image. Shoot RAW, convert to 16-bit tiff in Samsung's converter, post process in whatever suits you and change to grayscale, even in free FastStone. This shot was taken RAW with my D700, converted to 16-bit tiff in ViewNX2 and then into grayscale in FastStone.

Old barn at Montrose.

Field near Maryhill.

I thought that the whole purpose of RAW files was:

1.) The file is uncompressed.

2.) The file let's you "develope" it the way you want to.

3.) You mean to tell me that there actually are RAW files that are compressed?