Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]From: Johnny Deadman <deadman@cinematic.freeserve.co.uk> Sent: Saturday, September 25, 1999 19:30 Subject: [Leica] Grey Zone > RE your gray identification problem, I strongly recommend > getting a basic book on the zone system, which will make > it much easier for you to get your exposures right. I've read a bit about the zone system, and I can't see anything special about it. It seems like just a very complex way to explain exposure. And since so many good photographers have not used it or even heard of it, I have presumed that I could expose correctly without bothering with the zone system. > EG if you can't find an 18% grey, knowing that caucasian > skin (Zone VI) is generally one zone lighter than 18% > grey (Zone V) means that you can confidently meter off > your hand, open up one stop, and be in the ballpark. > Similarly, you can meter off something white that you want > to retain full texture (Zone VII) and know that you should > close down two stops from there. So all I really need is a list of zones. I'll grant that such a list would definitely be handy. > If you are technically minded, and you seem to be, you > should find the Zone system easy to learn. I'm not sure that there is really that much to it, but I'll look around and see. > Knowing the Zone system is like understanding scales in music. Not knowing the zone system does not seem to have handicapped too many photographers. -- Anthony