Help with the Zone System

[Drew Wiley]

Julio - the problem with color chrome films is the reproduction of DMax, not its absolute value. At a certain point the shadows develop color crossover or graininess, and more often, have gradation impossible to reproduce. A good drum scan or competent darkroom
process will salvage as much as possible; but sheer densitometer numbers way down there
won't tell you much. I hesitate to say much here about the Zone System in b&w work.
Number crunching just seems to make it ten times more complicated than it needs to be;
and splitting zones into equal density spaces simply isn't how real film typically operates.
There's a reason a characteristic film curve is called a curve, and a reason why specific placement upon any curve is a creative decision. Most of the films Ansel used are gone anyway, and each one today is somewhat different. I have a superb densitometer that I
frequently use for certain things, but basic black and white printing is never one of them!

[sanking]

Drew,

Julio may have left the house!

Sandy

[ROL]

Drew,

Julio may have left the house!

Sandy

Sandy, you have no idea how much of a titanic struggle against my baser instincts it was not to respond to Drew. Thanks for setting my soul free.

[Brian C. Miller]

(Since Softfocus reinvigorated this thread...)

How can I get a copy of the series of articles entitled " The VIDEC System" by Andy Eads?

I found Andy's blog: The VIDEC System. Unfortunately, there's only one post, back in 2006.

Otherwise, that book itself is probably out of print. Try sending Andy an email through one route or another. He set up at least two different blog accounts, so one of the email addresses may still function.

[Andy Eads]

The whole book is posted on the home page now. Enjoy! --Andy

[Paul Hoyt]

Since you are performing the test as outlined by Adams, you must also have a access to his book and a graphical representation of the negative curve. It is not a straight line where each step is 0.3 increase. In the lower zones and higher zones the curve separates very little at a 1 stop change in exposure; the toe and shoulder of the curve. Your possible straight line section is Zone VI - Zone VII. What Adams is asking you to do is find the personal ISO that will have a density of 0.10 above fb+f for Zone I, and then find out how long you need to develop your negatives to have a density of 1.25 - 1.35 for Zone VIII. He also tells you what the approximate density should be for Zone V. If you find that 8 minutes in ID-11 (1+3) gives you both Zone V & Zone VIII densities in the range he has suggested, you are there. If it is close, then you can adjust accordingly. I have found using the range for both Zone V & Zone VIII densities has worked very well in Normal, Normal+ and Normal- development.

[Bruce Watson]

Since you are performing the test as outlined by Adams, ...

Um... you think he might have figured it out in the decade since he made the original post? One can only hope so.