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david,
i will try and recap what i told you in my previous email. first, it occured to me as a "traditional" zone system photographer, that there were only five zones comprising five film speeds and five developement times. n-2 to n+2 didn't seem right to me. certainly this did not describe the infinite exposures possible that can occur when doing photography. by accident, i purchased a copy of "beyond the zone", and a light went on. exposure and developement are on a continumm that does not comprise five STATIC exposures or developement times. i knew that more exposure needed less developement and vice versa, but the expo/dev software, gave me an awareness of the different film speed/exposure/developement combinations. now, and very importantly, i had a tool to match my negatives to my paper es. i had been taught to try and make a negative "for grade 2 paper", what ever that means. now, i can pick my own es (using the software) for my own grade of paper and get much easier negatives to print. of course, the final image is the end result of all this information and learning, and I believe that learning the btz system is worthwhile for the final product (our image) and to understanding photography. i use the zone system in my palm pilot with expo/dev because i do a lot to table top work, but in the field, i rely on the incident system. as stated in phil's book and in the newsletter, one should know both systems to be able to take advantage of their strenths, and to know their weaknesses. i believe that people who criticize the btz system, in general, are not well versed in its virtues. generally, one is "down on" what they are not "up on". in my opinion, the traditional zone system and the btz system are complimentary, not mutually exclusive, and the two systems should be integrated for knowledge, understanding, and most importantly, image creation. i would tell photographers that they should use any system that produces images of their vision and liking. the btz system has helped me understand the photographic process and has made it easier for me to concentrate on the creative part of photography. just an after thought. in phil's book, he does not in any way denigrate other exposure/developement systems, but explains them in detail. also, his explanation of metering and the different metering techniques available is also well documented. phil has given readers the ability to have an open mind, all the while informing them of the photographic process. phil has allowed the photographer the ability to test and use his own materials in an optimum manner, doing away with myths and hearsay. i hope this discourse is not just "preaching to the choir" of btz users, but will inform non-btz users of the system and its merits. any responses or remarks are welcome.
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