The modern DSLR camera is designed to operate efficiently over a wide temperature range. However, I find that shooting in cold weather requires certain precautions for your camera and yourself. Use fresh or fully re-charged batteries--cold reduces battery power considerably. Carry a spare battery if possible in a warm inside pocket. Wear gloves, and keep the camera under your coat when not shooting. Body heat will keep it warm. To avoid condensation on lens and metal parts, place the camera in a tight plastic bag before coming back indoors. This minimizes the amount of air surrounding the camera as it warms up and hence the amount of condensation. (Some photographers place packets of silica-gel in the plastic bag to absorb moisture). For extreme, below zero arctic conditions, pros usually have a repair shop winterize the camera by removing all the lubricants and replacing them with a special low-temperature lube. This can be an expensive lube job.Even though a B&W image can be effective, shoot with the digital camera in color adobe RGB mode (perhaps RAW as well). Then, in post-production convert your shot to B&W by 'desaturating' it in photoshop. Sometimes this desaturation process can result in a slightly flat or low contrast image which you can then improve with levels, or simply by using the 'add contrast' slider in photoshop. Photoshop pros often use 'channels' to get the full range of detail and contrast in a B&W conversion, but there is a bit of a learning curve to channels. ©YaleJoel.