Sony SLT a65, just set the "Creative Style" to B/W and the viewfinder shows B/W ;-)
or post-process
I do actually have two Sigma Foveon cameras ( DP2 and DP3 Merrill ) where the sensor is layered and each RGB pixel is layered on top of another. The detail you get out of those sensors is amazing the first time you see it. Black and white converts better too. That said I would still like a true monochrome camera to play with at some point.
It's not even clear to me how to establish a like-to-like sensor resolution.
Me too! The big ker-chunk on my Pentax 6x7 or my Nikon F2 is very satisfying. I also don't mind the weight of either one. Granted, I don't take these cameras hiking. I actually prefer having a little heft to keep things steady.
Infrared on film is harder as it's difficult to judge how much infrared light is available. The focus point is also slightly off. Live view definitely helps in that regard.
I would recommend starting with infrared sensitive film ( e.g. Adox HR-50 ) and a red filter which will give infrared-ish results ( https://50mmf2.com/writings/adox-ir-hr-pro-50-film-review ). Since it sees visible light as well, it's easier to meter for and also focus.
Good luck!
I also love black and white films. I've not tried monochrome digital cameras yet but I doubt that you would get the same output as black and white film.
Not much of a fan in color photography when shooting 35mm but it gets interesting again in medium format ( or larger ). Pulling out the slides you've developed for the first time is a magical experience.
Long live film. It got me into many interesting things that I didn't think I would ever so. Like write a ( small ) blog about photography ( https://50mmf2.com ).