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The Zone System for 35MM Photographers: A Basic Guide to Exposure Control
 
 
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The Zone System for 35MM Photographers: A Basic Guide to Exposure Control [Paperback]

Carson Graves (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)


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Book Description

0240802039 978-0240802039 1997 2nd
Thousands of photographers have used the simple techniques described in this book to produce consistently excellent negatives and luminous prints. In this long awaited new edition, offering updated material and examples, Graves shows photographers how to apply the principles and procedures of the Zone System to both black and white and color photography. His proven methods allow even beginning photographers to relate the theory of the Zone System to their own equipment, materials, working procedures, and photographic tastes. Better still, the book imparts the understanding that the Zone System is not just a technique, but a way of thinking about photography that allows its practitioners greater freedom and creativity.

Graves' approach is based on the experiences and successes of hundreds of students. Special attention is given to the needs of roll film users with methods adapted especially for 35mm cameras. Over 80 illustrations, including full pages of color, provide clear examples of the techniques described. You won't need to learn logarithms or buy special equipment. This is not just the easiest to understand explanation of the Zone System available; it is a way to change your whole perception about the photographic image.

Carson Graves has been teaching, exhibiting, and writing about photography for over twenty years at schools and workshops around the country, including Arizona State University, Ohio University, and the Maine Photographic Workshops. He is the author of another highly respected photographic manual, Elements of Black & White Printing (Focal Press).

The easiest to understand explanation of the Zone System available.
Explains how the Zone System allows photographers to use the full creative potential of their cameras and film.
Based on the results and success of thousands of students.


Editorial Reviews

Review

My congratulations to Mr. Graves for a worthwhile contribution in a field where so much that is written only muddies the waters. --Bob Shell, Shutterbug

Here is the Zone System without tears. --Popular Photography

[N]ow there is a book available that tells exactly how the zone system can be used in smaller format photography, and how uncomplicated it actually is. What better motivation can there be for a photographer. --Walter Frost, The Boston Globe

From the Publisher

Graves' approach is based on the experiences and successes of hundreds of students. Special attention is given to the needs of roll film users with methods adapted especially for 35mm cameras. Over 80 illustrations, including full pages of color, provide clear examples of the techniques described. You won't need to learn logarithms or buy special equipment. This is not just the easiest to understand explanation of the Zone System available; it is a way to change your whole perception about the photographic image.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 130 pages
  • Publisher: Focal Press; 2nd edition (1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0240802039
  • ISBN-13: 978-0240802039
  • Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #226,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Zone System for Everybody, December 16, 1999
This review is from: The Zone System for 35MM Photographers: A Basic Guide to Exposure Control (Paperback)
Carson Graves' The Zone System for 35mm Photographers is both more and less than its title suggests, but mostly more. I'm an amateur photographer who has been using his best understanding of the Zone System for a few years. I don't use my view camera as much as my Leica, though, so my ears definitely pricked up when I heard tell of a book about adapting the System to roll-film. I've always been frustrated by the difficulty of that. Anyhow, I got the book through Amazon. The "less" is that there really isn't an overwhelming amount of information about squeezing the Zone System into the 35mm format. Some of it is commplace (e.g., shoot the whole roll in more or less identical light circumstances, and to make this easier, use 24 rather than 36 rolls, etc.). Some of it is not commonplace and is very useful indeed (maybe worth the price of the book). But what really makes the book worth it is that it is a very clear and concise overview of the Zone System itself. I've read Adams, Minor White, John Schaeffer, and others, and this may well be the best explanation I've read to-date (I can't say to what extent this is so because I have in fact read the others). Graves' explanations are really usefully different from the others'. A specific example: I've always been EXASPERATED by the Adams-White-Schaeffer explanations of how to test film for EI and development for times and so on. It's like you need either a densitometer (reach for $500+) or a PhD in calculus. I have neither. Graves describes -- clearly -- a very practical method for testing film speed and development times. That part of the book is outstanding and worth the price without a doubt.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast reading guide to exposure control, December 18, 1999
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This review is from: The Zone System for 35MM Photographers: A Basic Guide to Exposure Control (Paperback)
Great book. I went from a "4" to a "9" (on a scale of 1 to 10) in terms of my ability to control exposure and get the results I wanted after reading this book. It's clearly written and a person can cover the major topics in just one day. A+
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I saw the light, and It was a Zone IX!, July 22, 2000
This review is from: The Zone System for 35MM Photographers: A Basic Guide to Exposure Control (Paperback)
If you intend to be serious about manual photography, you'll need to have an understanding of the zone system, and if you intend to have an understanding of the zone system, this book is for you.


While not circumventing the science of the zone system, Carson Graves prudently focuses more on application of its principles. Basically, this book will give you a clear understanding of what the zones are, how to relate them to real-life objects, how to understand what your light meter is telling you, and a lot more...


Do ya like pictures, Sonny? This book is full of 'em! The technical points about previsualization, judging contrast, etc. are really driven home by informative photos, drawings, and graphs.


On top of the basics, Mr. Graves "takes it to the hole" when he deftly explains advanced stuff like finding your exposure index and adjusting your development times...This book is an easy (and educational) read with just enough seriously technical stuff in it to warrant flaunting it in front of all the ladies (or guys) to show them what a brainiac you are. But YOU would never do that, you're way too cool...


All jokes aside - this book will give you knowledge, and through knowledge, control. Don't miss it.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
When photographers first encounter the zone system, they are often overwhelmed and rightfully put off by complex descriptions of exposure calculations and the jargon of logarithmically derived film densities. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
exposure index test, previsualized tone, indicated meter reading, light reflectance contrast, normal contrast scene, strongest chroma, normal contrast paper, exposure placement, low contrast scene, shadow densities, maximum black, highlight densities, high contrast paper, print tones, zone system, most important highlight, medium speed film, shadow density, high contrast scene, gray card, film density, film base, color negative film, meter readings, test card
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