Recommendations wanted for book on Zone System

[amisoll]

I already have Ansel Adams' series of books but for a beginner I find them too technical to understand. Can someone recommend another source for the Zone System.
Thank you for any and all information.
Amisoll

[amisoll]

I already have Ansel Adams' series of books but for a beginner I find them too technical to understand. Can someone recommend another source for the Zone System.
Thank you for any and all information.
Amisoll

[Ralph Barker]

You might give the search function a try. There have been numerous threads discussing books, including non-AA books on the ZS.

[David Karp]

Try the Zone System for 35mm photographers. Totally non-technical, and not really only for 35mm photographers. I think there is really only one chapter that applies to 35mm. The author is Carson Graves.

[Eric_6227]

"The Practical Zone System" by Chris Johnson. It's a great book.

[Gregory Gomez]

Try these books:

1. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584280557/qid=1148346272/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

2. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0966081714/qid=1148346272/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

3. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240803280/qid=1148346272/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

4. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240802039/qid=1148346272/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

5. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817405747/qid=1148346519/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

6. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0960628606/qid=1148346519/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

7. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0821221868/qid=1148346668/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

8. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0821221876/qid=1148346668/sr=1-6/ref=sr_1_6/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

9. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/082121750X/qid=1148346668/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

10. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0821225758/qid=1148346821/sr=1-12/ref=sr_1_12/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

11. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0821219561/qid=1148346821/sr=1-15/ref=sr_1_15/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

12. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817463534/qid=1148347089/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-5576876-7999215?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

[Capocheny]

Amisoll,

Try the following book:

The Confused Photographer's Guide to Photographic Exposure and the Simplified Zone System

By: Bahman Farzad

It's quite straight-forward... :)

Cheers

[Ron Marshall]

The Art of Photography, by Bruce Barnbaum, covers the zone system well, and is easy to understand, but it is out of print. If you can find it for a used for a reasonable price it is worth having.

[Jay Wolfe]

I'd recommend Picker's book with the gray cover: "The Zone VI Workshop." It's very practical and easy to follow.

[Kirk Fry]

[zone sytem books?]

There is of coarse the classic "Zone System Manual" by Minor White. Mine was published in 1968, fourth edition, fourth printing. $2.95 it says on the cover. And gas was $0.33 a gal. It is a bit "dated" but zone 5 is still zone 5 on film or pixels....... Just that now you can mess with the curve easier in photoshop instead of playing with the developing time. :-) K

One should not overlook past masters of the art.

[Doremus Scudder]

I found the Minor White book mentioned above indispensible for calibrating without a densitometer. I would recommend it as well.

[Brian Ellis]

If you're talking about the section of "The Negative" dealing with the Zone System, that's written about as simply as it gets. I don't mean any disrespect but if you don't understand it because it's too technical that may be because you lack a good foundation in the basic technical aspects of film photography. Rather than trying to find a simpler explanation of the zone system, you might consider a book about the basics of film photography in general, then revisit Adams' book to learn the zone system. The knowledge you gain by doing that will be of use to you not only in understanding the zone system but in many other aspects of photography.

Just a thought. If you nevertheless want to jump into the zone sytem then the book I'd suggest is the same one Jay suggested, Fred Picker's "The Zone VI Manual," if you can find it. It has a lot of good information in it besides the zone system stuff and it's written in a way that's very easy to understand.

[tim atherton]

Fred Picker's "The Zone VI Manual,"

If you mean "The Zone VI Workshop"? plenty of copies available for $1.00 upwards...

[reellis67]

I'll third Minor White's "Zone System Manual". I was able to pick up the concepts readily after reading this book. It is well written, easy to follow, and cheap.

- Randy

[John Dziadecki]

If I recall correctly, Ansel covers the basics of the Zone System quite succinctly on one page in the appendix in back of his last revised "The Negative".

The previously mentioned Picker "Zone VI Workshop" takes the reader through the process step by step and explains things very well. Picker's three VHS tapes are fun and informative and are found now and then on eBay.

White's "Zone System Manual" -- the slim little yellow book -- works for some and not for others. White's "New Zone System Manual" expands on and clearly illustrates the ZS principles laid out in the previous work.

And you may wish to check in your area for someone who teaches the Zone System. There's nothing like a hands-on workshop!

[Brian Ellis]

Fred Picker's "The Zone VI Manual,"

If you mean "The Zone VI Workshop"? plenty of copies available for $1.00 upwards...

Yes, sorry, I did mean The Zone VI Workshop and I'm glad to hear they are plentiful used, mine was invaluable when I first became serious about photography.

[tim atherton]

i meant to add, just do an ABE search for "Picker" and "Zone"

[Brian Ellis]

"If I recall correctly, Ansel covers the basics of the Zone System quite succinctly on one page in the appendix in back of his last revised "The Negative."

Actually he devotes all of Chapter 4, 50 pages worth, to the zone sytem.

[Donald Qualls]

"If I recall correctly, Ansel covers the basics of the Zone System quite succinctly on one page in the appendix in back of his last revised "The Negative."

Actually he devotes all of Chapter 4, 50 pages worth, to the zone sytem.

He does, but then he covers it again in the appendix, very briefly. At least in the 1982 edition, which is the one I have.

No budget for densitometer or even spot meter, but even the basic principles are useful...

[Patrik Roseen]

In my experience the Basics of the Zone system is rather easy to understand but I too had problems understanding the rational for N-1 or N+2 development and the effect on contrast etc. The perfect negative workflow is also usually very theoretical and I have not yet put myself through this exposing lots of different negatives...developing in different times etc to determine my own process...
The turning point for me came with reading John Blakemore's Black and White Photography Workshop, which includes a good description of when to apply N-1 or N+1,N+2 development with informative pictures. It also includes lots of nice examples of darkroom printing workflows, including split filtering, preexposure of paper etc. Good Luck

[amisoll]

Thank you all for your prompt replies. I managed to find the Fred Picker Zone VI workshop. I am looking forward to learning about the Zone system and large format. Up until now I have been using a 35 mm camera, primarily in black and white and doing my own developing. Some of my work can be seen at www.amisol.ca