As previously stated, a grayscale can be created using most photo editing software. Thing to know... simply changing a photo from color to grayscale generally won't create a desirable image. Usually some tweaking of the image is required. I'll post a couple examples here in a few minutes...
Chris
Alrighty...
Here's the original image:
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Now here's the original image converted to grayscale:
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Now here's the original picture taken in B&W mode on the camera:
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Finally the edited version of the original image taken in color, converted to grayscale:
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Quite a bit of difference between all the images. The converted grayscale and the B&W have few differences but when compared side by side you can see the differences.
For me, I really like the soft glow of the bottom image. Some of the clarity is lost during the difuse, however I feel the picture has a more artistic value to it. For instances where you are trying to keep the maximum amount of detail and clarity but still want the "B&W" effect, I simply recomend taking your pictures in B&W. For some reason grayscale looks less natural, IMO...
Chris