If you use multigrade paper, you don't necessarily need to tamper with the film development, unless you like to make things more complicated (keeping track of which film holder is which) and only print on Grade 2.Originally Posted by monochromeFan
If you use multigrade paper, you don't necessarily need to tamper with the film development, unless you like to make things more complicated (keeping track of which film holder is which) and only print on Grade 2.
I have an interest in 4x5 film usage, just not at the moment as I am really trying to learn a method using 35mm and 120 format.
The most coherent explanation ive found online is the "take a meter reading on the spot you want to be zone 3, then increase the shutter speed by 2 stops. Then go home and develop the roll by reducing the time 15% per stop you increased the shutter speed by"
Lambrecht has portions on zone system that make sense, but the bulk of it is like discussing the recipe for doctor pepper in a way that only only a PHD in chemistry would understand.
Ive read the david vestal book The craft of photography,, and most of what i can comprehend from what his own friends call "a rambling narrative", is that you merely take a meter reading on the shadow area you want to have detail in, and develop as normal"
And as far as the suggestion to change the shutter by two stops and then develop per listed manufacturer time.. listed manufacturer time is merely developing for middle grey/zone 5. Isnt that going to cause isues?
it's bracketing the exposure .. if you take a meter reading the meter says F11 @ 1/60th. .. you expose 1 at that setting, and the other ones at either at F8 @1/60 ( double the light ) + F16@1/60 (halves the light ) or F11@ 1/30 (doubles the light ) + F11@ 1/125 (halves the light ), changing 1 full Fstop is exactly the same amount of light hitting the film as changing 1 full shutter speed .. once you expose the film and develop it at the manufacturers time you will see "normal" processing the 30% +/- basically is the N+/- that zone people might refer to ... it will make more sense after you bracket a roll you'll actually SEE what this all means ... just be consistent
Ansel's books will certainly cover EVERYTHING you need to know about the Zone System, but aren't necessarily easy to understand. Save yourself a lot of headache and get a copy of "The Zone VI Workshop" by Fred Picker (mentioned above, too.) Fred took quite a bit of criticism for his book being "too simple", but IMO the teachings therein will provide you with a solid start.
Ansel Adams’s book should be straight forward enough but you can make it real simple:
-Set meter 2/3 stop slower than the film’s ISO speed
-Meter shadows
-Make exposure 2 stops faster than the meter indicates for the shadows
-Develop normally, print on variable contrast paper
The rest is mostly gobbledygook mixed with word salad and ancient history.
I shot 35 mm 4 decades with one Pentax HI. Never a meter or flash.
Mail film.
I have many of the slides
In some ways I regret taking one college photo class 1998
I did all assignment twice.
Wet and DIGI
Ruined my life!
LOL
Tin Can
Dyed-in-the-wool Zone System user here.
Over the years, I have simplified my Zone System practices to eliminate a lot of the testing and calibration that most texts have you do in advance of really getting out and making photographs. Similarly, I have streamlined my Zone-System practices for roll film.
Since you are interested in using 35mm and 120 formats at the beginning, here's my down-and-dirty approach to the Zone System for roll film.
Exposure Index
First, set your exposure meter to 2/3-stop slower than box speed. 90% of Zone System testing for personal Exposure Index (E.I.) ends up here; you can adjust later, if you have to, but you likely won't. By the way, this 2/3-stop adjustment basically just compensates for the difference in exposure arrived at by Zone-System metering.
Metering
If you have a spot meter or spot metering capabilities with your in-camera meter, choose a shadow value that you would like rendered as a "textured black" and place that in Zone III. Zone III is two stops less exposure that what the meter tells you (the meter always wants to expose at Zone V).
If you don't have spot metering capability, just go ahead and use your in-camera averaging meter. You can even use your camera on auto settings. When metering like this, you only have to watch out for situations that will fool the meter, especially very high-contrast scenes. For high-contrast scenes, give an extra stop of exposure. The same for high-key scenes (scenes with almost all high values, e.g., scenes with lots of snow or white sand).
That's it, and that's all I ever do with roll film as far as E.I. and metering goes.
Development
Develop your film using the manufacturer's recommended time for whatever developer you are using. This will get you in the ballpark. Don't worry about adjusting development for different contrasts and different scenes; with roll film you're only looking for a good "Normal" development time.
(By the way, reducing development by 15% for each stop of adjustment is not applicable here; it's about finding N- times. Worry about that when you start using sheet film, or not at all.) Note that there's no such thing as "Developing for Zone V." "Normal" development is what gives you the right contrast for normal scenes; the manufacturers' recommendations for film-developing time is designed to give "Normal" contrast, or very close to it.
Printing and Film Development Time Check
If you are making prints in the darkroom on silver-gelatin paper, then what you want to do is make your best print from a normal-contrast scene (a scene with average lit and shadowed areas, e.g., a sunny day with clouds where the main subjects are in the light). Use VC paper. Adjust contrast to get the shadow detail and highlight values you like best. Keep good notes about contrast settings/filtration. Do this for several normal-contrast scenes. After you have a few good prints from normal scenes, average your contrast settings and see where they are. If they fall in the middle of the contrast range, say from grade 2 to grade 3, then you have a good film developing time. You're good to go!
If you consistently need higher than grade 3 contrast to get good prints of normal-contrast subjects, increase your film-development time by 10%; if you consistently need lower that grade 2 contrast to get good prints of normal-contrast subjects, reduce your film-development time by 10%.
Go out and make more photos. Develop and print them. Keep good notes on the contrast settings for normal-contrast scenes. If you still need to adjust your film-developing time, do so. Keep checking this and adjusting till you have a developing time that gets most of your normal-contrast scenes between grade 2 and 3 contrast settings/filtration. You probably won't have to adjust more than once or twice. And, you'll have made good prints in the process.
High- and low-contrast scenes will simply need higher and lower contrast filtration to print well. That's what VC paper is for. The control is the film-development time for normal-contrast scenes.
Hybrid Work-flow
If you plan on scanning and digitally printing your photographs after dealing with them in post, then disregard all the above about printing and contrast. You'll likely be able to get good prints from negatives developed as described above.
Adjusting Your E.I., If Necessary
There are several ways to check if you are exposing optimally. The easiest, however, is to simply keep an eye on the shadow detail in your prints from negatives made with no contrast filtration (this latter is important! - If you use a colored filter when making the photo, then don't use these negatives for evaluating your E.I.). If shadow detail in the areas you metered and placed in Zone III is consistently not adequate, decrease your film speed 1/3 stop and try again. Don't go much farther than that, though. If you seem to need more adjustment than a full stop from box speed, you're likely doing something else wrong.
If you like, you can make "proper proofs," proof prints where the clear rebate of the film gets just enough exposure to reach almost maximum black on the paper. Read up on this first if you want to try this; it comes with its own set of subjective problems.
After you've done all this, you are using the Zone System for roll film. Go have fun.
Best,
Doremus
I like your response. Many are not aware that one of the main reasons for Adams zone system was to target a grade #2 paper for final printing, which required a method to meter and develop to match that paper. At that time, VC papers were pretty poor quality. The #2 paper gave the best image quality. As time marched on, VC papers improved, and began to replace graded papers, I would say in the 1980's. Today, many "great printers" use VC papers and split filter printing, among other methods, to get surprisingly good results.
Alan Townsend
For me, a "proper proof" is a must have tool because it enables me to easily see if anything wonky is happening in my processes.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2385/...beb41d1232.jpg
goign by that the proper method would imply that when using a 400 iso film,
-set the camera meter or handheld unit to 250 iso,
- take a reading on what i want to be my Zone 3 shadow spot..
- increase the exposure by 2 stops
ie if meter says f/11 @ 1/15, change the camera settings to f/11 @1/60 and take my shot
-when roll is used up, develop at box speed of 400
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