RE: [Leica] Grey Zone

["Jonathan Borden" <jborden@mediaone.net>]

Anthony,

	It is YOU who is having the problem getting the correct exposure, not the
rest of the group. Granted, many photographers can get acceptable exposure
without using the Zone system however, it has been suggested that this
method will help you to understand how to expose (and develop) B&W film in a
better fashion. Rather than tediously argue about the merits of the Zone
system, I recommend that you obtain a book, read it, understand it, try it
and then decide whether or not to use it. It is really that simple.

Jonathan Borden


>
> It seems like an unnecessary complication.  Why not just pick the
> brightest part
> of the photo in which you want to see detail, and the darkest
> part, and make
> sure they are no more than five stops apart?  If they are more
> than five stops
> apart, you have to decide which end to sacrifice.  Simple.  Why
> bother with
> zones?
>
> Some of the references I've seen to the zone system (or should I
> capitalize it
> as the Zone System) talk about it almost as a religion.  I'm
> really suspicion of
> anything that sounds like a religion.
>
> Furthermore, since you really have no control over the lighting of a scene
> outside a studio, wouldn't it be simpler still to meter for the
> most important
> part of the image, and then just let the rest fall where it may?
>
>   -- Anthony
>
>