Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/26

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Grey Zone
From: "Anthony Atkielski" <anthony@atkielski.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 01:45:15 +0200

From: Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>
Sent: Monday, September 27, 1999 00:40
Subject: Re: [Leica] Grey Zone


> It's great to have definite ideas as to where your
> thresholds are in a numerical sense so you can count
> on your fingers.

It seems like an unnecessary complication.  Why not just pick the brightest part
of the photo in which you want to see detail, and the darkest part, and make
sure they are no more than five stops apart?  If they are more than five stops
apart, you have to decide which end to sacrifice.  Simple.  Why bother with
zones?

Some of the references I've seen to the zone system (or should I capitalize it
as the Zone System) talk about it almost as a religion.  I'm really suspicion of
anything that sounds like a religion.

Furthermore, since you really have no control over the lighting of a scene
outside a studio, wouldn't it be simpler still to meter for the most important
part of the image, and then just let the rest fall where it may?

  -- Anthony