----- Original Message -----
From: jowilcox <jowilcox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, October 13, 2000 10:05 AM
Subject: RE: [OM] How do YOU multi-spot...?
> Forgive me, John -- this is not an attack on you -- but I've never
understood
> why this is viewed as approximating the zone system, since it really makes
it
> hash. Placing a value at zone III or VII is one thing, but why would an
> average between II or III and VII or VIII give the correct exposure?
Sure, it
> would be close, but is that good enough?
Sure, it's an approximation, but it guarantees that the values you want to
hold are there. Perhaps the term "Zone System" isn't accurate here, but the
term "long range gray scale" is. I don't see that it makes a hash of the
Zone System, only a short cut, and as I said, an approximation. Sure, I
"place" values, too. After all, the only way I know of to use the true Zone
System in 35mm is to have about five bodies. One is loaded with film for
normal development, one for +1, one for +2, one for -1, etc. It's either
that or shooting a partial "normal" roll, backing it out, and putting in a
+1 or -1 roll which may already have been partially used. That's a pain in
the neck. The bottom line is that the Zone System was not developed for
35mm photography, and those who admire it and insist of shooting 35 must
make approximations. So I guess my original words, "approximating the Zone
System" should have been "here's a way to get a long-scale negative, holding
the values that are important, or making the choice which ones to lose if
some must be lost." (With B&W, even the "lost values can be retrieved in
the dark room.)
Furthermore, in a high contrast
> setting using slide film, you might very well blow out highlights as well
as
> block up shadows.
Should have been more specific: I think only in B&W. I don't know much
about color, so Iuse autoexposure or spot the one element of the scene that
*must* be right.
>
> The general rule with slide film is to shoot for the highlights and let
the
> shadows fall. You can easily use the OM-2S for highlight preservation by
> putting the exposure comp nob on +2, spot highlights, and shoot. This
would
> keep them at a Zone VII. I have to admit only to doing this when shooting
> sun-lit snow, but it's been infallible in those circumstances. This seems
> more faithful to the zone system than spot averaging, IMHO.
Whatever works. Again, I should have said that Pearce (and I) were talking
about B&W which has a longer contrast range that color--especially--slide
film. I said that this is only one method I use. Sometimes, in fairly
ordinary lighting circumstances, I just use a gray card and rely on my film
speed and developing tests to give me a good negative.
>
> Sorry for the long-winded diatribe.
I don't think this was a diatribe, so no apology is necessary. I could have
been clearer about what I meant, and you pointed out where Pearce's system
wouldn't work. BTW, wouldn't it work if you limited your "Zones" to five
and then made decisions about what, if anything, had to be saved in the
image?
JP
PS Check out the time of this post. I traipsed all over a Civil War
cemetary today. I think I got some good shots, but having had back surgery,
I knew I was going to pay. There seems to be plenty of time to answer long
posts at 3:30 AM.
>
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