Subject: What densities at which zones?
From: "~BitPump"
Date: 8/10/2004 2:04 PM Mountain Daylight Time
Message-id:

Hello,

With a group of friends we are trying to calibrate our 4x5 systems for the
Zone System.
Could anybody please inform me about the densities of each zone for
different developments (N-3, N-2, N-1, N, N+1, N+2).
Preferably according to Woods.

After reading many books, brochures and web pages, we are currently more
than confused and would like an advice from somebody experienced.

With best regards,

Andrzej

It works best when your negatives are calibrated to a specific paper. I usually
standardize to a vc paper w/o a filter which is about the same as a grade 2.
Your film, film developer, paper, and to some extent paper developer are a set
that need to be calibrated together.

There have been many writeups on how to calibrate using the method Fred Picker
first wrote about in his book The Zone VI Workshop. By using this method and
calibrating to a grade 2 paper you will end up with very standard negs that can
then be printed on a variety of papers.

steve simmons
www.viewcamera.com