[Leica] Zone System

["Gib Robinson" <gilbert@sirius.com>]

Dan,

[You wrote]

I assume that the Zone System was Minor Whites name for controlled
development of film so that it could be printed on the papers of limited
contrast range available in the days of yore.

As far as I know, the zone system originated with Ansel Adams; and, in my
view the best explanation of the System is to be found in his books,
particularly "The Negative". Adams lays out ways of varying exposure and
development processes to produce negatives with ideal tonal range whether
the original lighting in the scene was flat or high contrast.

I find Adams a very good explainer of his system. He's a good writer --
clear, logical, detailed. To me the zone system did for B&W photography what
Goren's system did for bridge. It gave people a way to deal with complex
variables in a systematic way. While both systems have been improved (and
your variation may be an improvement for you), the basic designs in both
cases are still very usable.

- --Gib