Beyond the Digital Zone System - Bibliography and Links

This, Polaroid Land Photography, and The New Zone System Manual are the definitive original sources for the zone system. If you think the zone system just means dividing everything into ten zones, give all three of these books a thorough read.

Ansel Adams, Polaroid Land Photography

Minor White et al., The New Zone System Manual

Phil Davis, Beyond the Zone System

Current edition is the fourth; I actually own the third. Phil Davis was the guru of practical sensitometry, and extended Ansel’s ideas about careful measurement and analysis of one’s photographic process. I have followed his example and applied it to digital photography.

Ansel Adams, Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs

It’s like a workshop with Ansel himself.

Michael Frye, Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Masters

More examples, this time using a digital camera.

Christian Bloch, The HDRI Handbook: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists

Jürgen Gulbins, Photographic Multishot Techniques: High Dynamic Range, Super-Resolution, Extended Depth of Field, Stitching

Jeff Schewe, Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS5

Bruce Fraser et al., Real World Color Management

This, Color Confidence, and Fine Art Printing for Photographers contain essential information about the color management and printing end of the digital photographic process.

Tim Grey, Color Confidence: The Digital Photographer's Guide to Color Management

Uwe Steinmüller & Jürgen Gulbins, Fine Art Printing for Photographers: Exhibition Quality Prints with Inkjet Printers

Glenn Rand, Chris Broughton, and Amanda Quintenz-Fiedler, Capture: Digital Photography Essentials

I confess that I have been reluctant to recommend any of the currently-available digital zone system books, because I do not believe that any of them hits the nail on the head. Capture comes close; it correctly defines “zones” as “the values, or the light energies, that reflect from the subject and are used to previsualize the final image”; and it contains a lot of useful information about the nuts and bolts of digital photography in general. But the testing method is oversimplified; and even though the description of how to make use of the captured zones is correct, the “0-to-X” anachronism is still recited in rote fashion.

The following statements are correct, based on the response of most digital cameras:

Using the handheld meter, measure the light reflecting from the brightest point in the image for which you want detail. This is zone VII.

If the detailed scenic dynamic range is six stops or less, the exposure should fit well within the capacity of most sensors.

If the detailed dynamic range is beyond the capacity of the sensor, normally beyond seven stops, you must make a choice.

But, based on the above, the following cannot be correct, as zones above VIII are not included in the image:

Described briefly, there are 11 zones that range from zone 0 to zone X (10).

Last are the light zones: VIII, IX, and X. These three light zones add energy and life to the image.

A more correct statement would have been something like, “The zones that are captured in most digital images range from zone I (pure black) to zone VIII (pure white).” Remember, the number of zones recorded in the image depends on the capture medium and the subsequent process. There are not always ten zones. Ansel himself said this. If you don’t believe me, start with Polaroid Land Photography.

	Ansel Adams, The Negative This, Polaroid Land Photography, and The New Zone System Manual are the definitive original sources for the zone system. If you think the zone system just means dividing everything into ten zones, give all three of these books a thorough read.
	Ansel Adams, Polaroid Land Photography
	Minor White et al., The New Zone System Manual
	Phil Davis, Beyond the Zone System Current edition is the fourth; I actually own the third. Phil Davis was the guru of practical sensitometry, and extended Ansel’s ideas about careful measurement and analysis of one’s photographic process. I have followed his example and applied it to digital photography.
	Ansel Adams, Examples: The Making of 40 Photographs It’s like a workshop with Ansel himself.
	Michael Frye, Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Masters More examples, this time using a digital camera.
	Christian Bloch, The HDRI Handbook: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists
	Jürgen Gulbins, Photographic Multishot Techniques: High Dynamic Range, Super-Resolution, Extended Depth of Field, Stitching
	Jeff Schewe, Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS5
	Bruce Fraser et al., Real World Color Management This, Color Confidence, and Fine Art Printing for Photographers contain essential information about the color management and printing end of the digital photographic process.
	Tim Grey, Color Confidence: The Digital Photographer's Guide to Color Management
	Uwe Steinmüller & Jürgen Gulbins, Fine Art Printing for Photographers: Exhibition Quality Prints with Inkjet Printers
	Glenn Rand, Chris Broughton, and Amanda Quintenz-Fiedler, Capture: Digital Photography Essentials I confess that I have been reluctant to recommend any of the currently-available digital zone system books, because I do not believe that any of them hits the nail on the head. Capture comes close; it correctly defines “zones” as “the values, or the light energies, that reflect from the subject and are used to previsualize the final image”; and it contains a lot of useful information about the nuts and bolts of digital photography in general. But the testing method is oversimplified; and even though the description of how to make use of the captured zones is correct, the “0-to-X” anachronism is still recited in rote fashion. The following statements are correct, based on the response of most digital cameras: Using the handheld meter, measure the light reflecting from the brightest point in the image for which you want detail. This is zone VII. If the detailed scenic dynamic range is six stops or less, the exposure should fit well within the capacity of most sensors. If the detailed dynamic range is beyond the capacity of the sensor, normally beyond seven stops, you must make a choice. But, based on the above, the following cannot be correct, as zones above VIII are not included in the image: Described briefly, there are 11 zones that range from zone 0 to zone X (10). Last are the light zones: VIII, IX, and X. These three light zones add energy and life to the image. A more correct statement would have been something like, “The zones that are captured in most digital images range from zone I (pure black) to zone VIII (pure white).” Remember, the number of zones recorded in the image depends on the capture medium and the subsequent process. There are not always ten zones. Ansel himself said this. If you don’t believe me, start with Polaroid Land Photography.