Zone scale for Pentax V

[Tony Lakin]

Hi
Does anyone know where I can get a download of a zone scale for my Pentax V spotmeter, I have tried Google to no avail, I live in Great Britain and last time I checked Calumet wanted silly money for shipping from the US (not stocked in Calumet UK) I am currently using one that I made myself from paper but has seen better days and always was kinda ugly, any help much appreciated.

Thanks
Tony

[Doremus Scudder]

Hi,

Try here

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/articles/ZoneDial.pdf

Best,

Doremus Scudder

[Tony Lakin]

Hi Doremus
Thankyou for your reply, unfortunately I don't think this will work as it is not designed for the Pentax meter. if it did fit it would be upside down.

Regards
Tony

[Bruce Barlow]

I know of a download for the Pentax Digital, but not the Pentax V.

I'd suggest spending half an hour making one and attaching it with transparent tape. That's what I did to replace mine. Use the download to get the general idea.

[Leonard Evens]

I agree. Make your own. It is pretty easy if you don't insist on labeling with a gray scale. The gray scale looks nice, but in practice, it doesn't help much beyond the roman numerals.

[kjsphotography]

I just put a piece of white tape on the meter and drew the scale on by hand.

[Tony Lakin]

Hi again
OK made my own in Photoshop, took a while, I added a sort of grey scale as a guide, just for the hell of it I would like to make the 'grey scale' as accurate as possible in the Photoshop colour selection palette you select equal amounts of red, green and blue to make shades of grey on a scale of 0 (black) to 255 (white) can anyone tell me how the numbers work so that I can simulate zones 1 to 9.
I have attached a Photoshop PSD file (editable in PS) of the scale in case it is of use to anyone else.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions:) :):)

P.S.
Couldn't attach PSD I think the file size is too large find attached Jpeg instead if anyone would like the PSD please send your Email address the file size is about 1.3MB.

[dan nguyen]

I hope this will be helpful...

[Vaughn]

I use a Zone VI'ed Pentax Digital Spot and I use the Zone System (more or less). Frankly, I tore off the zone scale off my meter as I personally found it more distracting than useful.

Vaughn

[Bill Kumpf]

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...s/ZoneDial.pdf


A comment about the two disc zone dial: This design does not compensate for the film speed. It is set up for ASA 125.

If you shoot at a different E.I. you will need to adjust the reading.

If memory serves, the Pentax V readings are in E.V. The measured E.V. is manually transferred to a dial to read f-stop and shutter speeds. The film speed adjustment is also set manually on that dial.


I use one because my tested film speed is E.I. 125 and I have enlarged the zone dial where even my old eyes can read it………………

[Michael Kelly]

Tony's PSD file (jpeg) is just right for a Honeywell Pentax 1/21 spotmeter when you print it at 21% of the image size (and monochrome, the "7" spot's a bit cyan).

Thanks Tony! (I know, this is a year later... meh..)

[Turner Reich]

On the last Southwest trip my zone dial, some kind of plastic, fell off my Fred Picker "Best damm Meter the World" meter. I haven't bothered to glue it back on and guess what? Yep, I don't need it anymore, I guess I learned the Zone system. Thanks Fred, RIP.

[ljsegil]

Tony's file also fits perfectly on the Spotmeter V. Thanks Tony.
LJS

[john borrelli]

I used Dan's download it worked great.

I have the digital version of the Pentax meter. Once I got the article on my screen I measured the zone strip on the first page up against my meter. I just made some marks on a little piece of paper based on the meter, put it up to the screen, I think I needed to make a small change in the pdf size before printing(There is the usual Adobe zoom tool) to match the meter's spacing.

I printed a nice copy with photo paper, I trimmed it down, cut a little of the zone V triangle so I could see the meter's orange indicator underneath, put a piece of scotch tape on the top to cover, then double sided tape that is made to mount prints on the bottom to stick it to the meter. That is it!

Thanks Dan!