Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/01/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I had formulas that you could plug into a spreadsheet, to determine how many feet in front of and behind your subject were in focus. I printed them, but then later there was a thing called a Palm Pilot you could consult. Again, perhaps not optimum for sports. Then there was the gear, backpacks, big tripods, changing out film holders at night while normal people were down at the bar. Now I bitch about the size of my Canon outfit and am happy with the Fuji X and a little bag. But some things never change. Fred Picker made a statement concerning his print washer that silver particles settled faster than the water, and there was a big controversy on that. It devolved into whether vermouth settles to the bottom of the martini. Ken On 1/30/2014 5:33 PM, Jeffery Smith wrote: > I learned the Zone System from Fred Picker books, and used a Soligor spot > meter (with Picker?s adhesive zone system guide stuck to it). I loved the > ritual of determining exposure using the Zone System, but I wasn?t > shooting street photography at the time. Sometimes using the current auto > everything cameras (with face recognition, etc.) feels a bit like shooting > a deer with a laser guided missile. > > Jeffery > > On Jan 30, 2014, at 5:24 PM, Ken Carney <kcarney1 at cox.net> wrote: > >> Hi Ted >> >> When I shot LF I went through all the zone system stuff. I pulled out my >> Pentax spotmeter this week and it has the film speeds taped to it for >> film and developer combinations at N-1, N-2 and so on. Very helpful if >> you are shooting sheet film and developing one sheet at a time - perhaps >> not the best approach to covering the Olympics. When I took up 35mm I >> discovered The New Zone System by Jim Brick. It has no doubt been posted >> many times before but here it is: >> >> There are four zones. >> Zone Good, Zone Bad, Zone Ugly, Zone Butt Ugly. >> >> To use the system: >> Wake up. Get out of bed. Go outside. >> >> Zone Good >> It is light overcast, light shadows but good light direction. Normal >> contrast. >> Expose normal (eg: ASA-100 @ 100) develop normal. >> >> Zone Bad >> It is dismally overcast, no shadows, perhaps even drizzle. Low >> contrast. >> Underexpose one stop (eg: ASA-100 @ 200) overdevelop 20% >> >> Zone Ugly >> The sun is out, sky is clear with puffy clouds, and there are blatant >> shadows. High contrast. >> Overexpose one stop (eg: ASA-100 @ 50) underdevelop 20% >> >> Zone Butt Ugly >> The sun is squinty bright, cloudless sky, and the shadows really >> deep. Very high contrast. >> Go in, and go back to bed!. But, if you are a die-hard... >> Overexpose two stops (eg: ASA-100 @ 25) underdevelop 30% >> >> >> On 1/30/2014 10:04 AM, tedgrant at shaw.ca wrote: >>> John McMaster wrote: >>> >>>> You are correct Lluis, over 16 years since I last developed a B&W film! >>>> Zone system all the way, spotmeter, exposure tests for base density >>>> then development tests for highlights all measured on a densitometer - >>>> how quickly I forgot :-(> >>> Hi John, >>> When I read about the shooting methods of many of the crew I become >>> amazed I ever got an exposure during my 65 years of exposing film on any >>> assignment in my life? >>> MY METHOD......"OBSERVE - SHOOT!" :-) KISS! :-) Of course many times I >>> took light meter readings, generally landscapes and available light >>> photos of my children. Or working a crowd situation? I would take a >>> reading, then see what the camera was reading and if they were close? >>> generally were... SHOOT! Letting camera set and go with what it felt fit >>> to use. >>> >>> Imagine me shooting in an operating room and taking meter readings for >>> every frame when on the last book. WOMEN IN MEDICINE! Where I exposed >>> 500 rolls of tri-x at ASA 800 using three M7's and a couple of R8's only >>> a quick peak at the shutter speed red in the view finder. If it looked >>> cool? 99.9% of the time it was "CLICK!" >>> >>> So you can imagine my surprise of many of you lads and all the testing >>> and checking you went through. The zone system? My interpretation of >>> the zone system? >>> >>> That's the demilitarized zone between the 2 Koreas and all you need to >>> know about that?????? DON'T GO THERE! ;-) I could never understand >>> about all the time wasted figuring it out unless you were shooting rocks >>> and ferns and peeling paint? REAL LIFE MOMENTS? And shooting 36 frames >>> nearly every frame under various light conditions? >>> >>> In any event as many of the LUG CREW who go through all the digital >>> techie stuff, I still try to keep it KISS as much as possible as I'm >>> shooting . It'll still be my method as I begin shooting with a new book >>> designer and editor next week producing a book on the University of >>> Victoria's School of Medicine and it's ten year celebration. >>> >>> However I'm in awe of the folks who have the patients for all the extra >>> "checking" and adjusting you go through in capturing your exposures. In >>> deed great admiration! >>> >>> HENNING RESPONDED: >>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Comparing B&W M9/MM >>> >>> >>> "I would say expose for the highlights, because if they're overcooked >>> you'll never see them again. Process (develop) for the shadows. This is >>> closer to how one treated slide film and in that sense it's like all >>> digital files. With the MM files you just have more DR and can easily >>> pull things out from the shadows when necessary.<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>> >>> I suppose one could offer: "What works for one shooter is total >>> confusion to another?" >>> >>> BOTTOM-LINE? "Whatever ones method is, as long as the end result is a >>> cool dude photo? Who cares how you capture it? Unless a special effect >>> is required for a similar looking image... IE: SWISHY - PAN IMAGES >>> CREATING SPEED APPEARANCES?" >>> >>> cheers, >>> ted >>> >>> >>> >>> "wHAT'S GOOD FOR ONE IS TOTAL CONFUSION FOR ANOTHER? tHE >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information