 Robin Davies |
Using the Zone System with Color Slide Film I've studied the Zone system, and it makes sense to me. It also makes sense to me that the Zone system should be equally applicable to color slide film, but the details of its application are not entirely clear. Since I'm using slide film (Fuji Velvia right now), I understand that I should be concentrating on highlights to determine whether I'm exposing correctly, but I'm not quite straight on what overexposure looks like on color film. I rarely seem to burn out my white highlights, but sometimes I seem to lose detail in areas of very saturated color. Is this a symptom of overexposure? I'm assuming that if I lose detail in the black and white layer, even though the color layers are still perfectly colorful that I have overexposed the film. Is that right? In the same vein, I'm curious how color saturation and overexposure or underexposure relate. It would seem to me that if I'm leaving detail in the black layer that I am reducing color saturation. When using a film like Fuji Velvia, will underexposre increase or decrease color saturation? Should I compensate spot meter readings taken from color areas, or should I use the spot meter reading to decide whether my black emulsion layer will still contain detail? Thanks,
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Hermann Graf |
Robin, the Zone system works only with B&W. The reaction of color film to the variation of development conditions is different, and, as far as I have heard, does not yield satisfactory results.
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
Strictly speaking, Hermann is correct. However, there is a modified Zone system for color film. It is more focused on the use of exposure and placing colors into zones. Once you get used to how it works it makes metering and exposure very accurate. Overexposure on color negative film results in higher contrast and more saturated color. Overexposure on slide film gives you just the opposite results. Underexposure of slide film results in increased saturation. Pushing slide film (especially Velvia) results in higher contrast and saturation. Metering for the color zone system is a matter of knowing what colors correspond to what zone. The easiest way to meter with slide film if you can't determine what is a mid tone is to find a white. Meter the white and open up 2 stops. If you relate the shades to white I've found it's easy to compensate for the zones. A white skin tone is 1 stop under white and 1 stop over 18% so you open up 1 stop from the meter reading.
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Vincent Lowe |
Have a look at Campbell Photographic Arts - He has produced what he calls the Chromazone system which is based on the zone system but uses a set of coloured cards. You pick a card which most nearly matches the main colour of your subject then meter the card. The card has an exposure correction factor printed on it and you simply adjust your exposure accordingly.
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Piper Lehman |
Vincent, I've taken a look at the Chromazone system at Campbell's site, and was wondering if you knew of anyone who has purchased these products. Can you recommend from experience? Thanks, piper lehman
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Vincent Lowe |
I've bought the system myself but not very long ago and to be honest I've hardly used it yet. Initial results seem good though. I'll report on it later when I've had more experience of it.
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
No offense to Vincent but it sounds like a waste of money. It just takes a little practice to recognize what colors correspond to what zone and then make the necessary compensation. Shooting b&w film will help you to see things in terms of tone and not color. After a while you will recognize yellow as one stop over 18%, white as 2 stops etc.
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Vincent Lowe |
No offence taken Jeff - but some of us ain't clever enough to remember things like that! I've been taking both B&W and colour for over 25 years and still get it wrong now & again. Anyway, it won't be the only thing I've wasted my money on over the years - anyone want to buy a colour analyser?
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Piper Lehman |
Too late now anyway! EEK! Oh, well.... They advertise a money back guarantee, so I guess I can always send it back if it sucks. Thanks, guys. By the way, I went photo-book happy at Amazon last night and bought two of Shaw's books (I'm thinking they'll both probably be chocked full of the same info) and the smaller Kodak guide (I already have the big, heavy one) along with various other photo-paraphenalia-for-suckers (I believe that's the section title over at Amazon's camera shop....)
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Vincent Lowe |
You're not the only one who's a sucker for books - Calumet in Manchester (UK) had their annual clear-out sale last Saturday and I bought 4 books, all about a third of list price. 3 books on digital imaging (one on B&W techniques) and one on night photography. Star buy though was a Tenba backpack - again about a third of list price. I got lucky for once - I usually see bargains like that about a week after I've paid full price!
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Piper Lehman |
Um, excuse me, Vincent, but I've just perused your personal gallery--what the HECK! do you need the ChromaZone System for?? I'd say you've got it down pretty darn good... Piper (perpetually clueless)
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Vincent Lowe |
Thanks Piper. As someone on another discussion thread remarked, in thirty years ya get lucky sometimes. Actually, I sometimes use a MPP 5x4 camera and it's not practical to bracket exposures (costs too much!) when there is some doubt so I'm trying to get it spot on first time (besides, I'm a sucker for gadgets!) If you'd like to see some more of my stuff have a look at http://www.vlec.u-net.com/foto-ndx.html Cheers... Vince
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Piper Lehman |
Okay. It's official. I hate you. (Not really) piper
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