Tulips Outside My Window

I find digital conversions to black and white obnoxious, difficult and not always successful. This one, however, works beautifully.

My understanding is that sensors in digital cameras actually only capture light and dark, then translate that into a color image. Then us users have to then translate that back to black and white - say what? Give me a black and white digital camera that gives me the initial capture (not the setting on current cameras - just another translation that is better done manually later). Come on manufacturers!! (I know, use black and white film instead of digital...)