Inspection development and Zone System

[Dan Smith]

Since learning to develop film by inspection, I have been doing a lot of it. I h ave also heard and noticed both that in past years, Fred Archer and AA started w orking on the Zone System about the time a lot of the inspection development was going by the way. Does anyone have any historical references, articles or whate ver on this change in development methods. If one develops by inspection all you really need is solid shadow exposure and p ossibly an indication of where highlights might need to fall as a help in initia l planning of the development...a rough guide as to maybe giving a bit more or l ess development, the final decision being made as you view the negs under the gr een safelight. If you do this, the constant zoning, testing and obsession with m inute changes seem to go out the door. Time is approxiate til turning on the saf elight & seeing your negatives density. Temperature really doesn't matter, other than being in the ballpark. Developer aging isn't much of a factor either. Deve lop, look & see, and put the negs in the stop & then finish up. So, anyone out there know of information sources on inspection and Zone system d evelopment?

[Jim Chinn]

I cannot specifically answer your question, but the March/April issue of View Ca mera magazine carried an article titled: "Joel Leivick, Quarrying Images of Carrara". The end of the article contains a section discuss ing Leivicks technique which includes developing under a safelight. I have not checked, but perhaps he has a site where you could inquire about his technique i n more depth. Regards, Jim Chinn

[Doug Paramore]

Dan, as you probably know, AA developed the Zone System as a teaching tool. It actually started out as a pretty simple method of exposing and developing to get the kind of negative that would allow one to record the scene as visualized and allow control of lighting conditions. It has, over the years, been beat to death by nit-pickers and those who would rather test than take pictures. One of the factors which brought about the change from inspection development to time and temperature was the shift from ortho film to pancromatic film. The ortho used to be easy to handle under a safelight. Another factor is that too many of us just can't really judge a negative under a safelight, especially with the accuracy needed. After many years of film developing, I cannot tell with accuracy the difference in a zone V and zone VI negative density even in the light and with a dry negative. I know that I have not directly answered the question you asked about methods.

[Sal Santamaura]

Go to www.michaelandpaula.com and click on Writings. There's a lot of information there under Michael Smith's article on developing by inspection.

[Pete Andrews]

Maybe development of negatives by inspection could be dragged into the 21st century by the application of modern technology. Illumination by infra-red, and inspection by CCD camera or image intensifier could make it as easy as print development, maybe easier. 0.1 lux sensitive surveillance camera modules, complete with IR LED illuminators, cost about #50 ($75 US) these days. Cheaper than a high-end safelight. Just a thought.

[Sean Billy Bob Boy yates]

Hey Danno, I just remembered, Aaron Siskind used to D.B.I. his 120 rollfilm.