DynaTone Exposure System Vs Zone System

Zone System
The Zone System is a photographic technique for determining optimal film exposure and development, formulated by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer. Zone system’s zone texture chart is designated to pre-visualize scene tonality by texture visibility, and the chart is developed according to a sequence exposed texture from white-till-no-texture to dark-till-no-texture, and then divided the total step in 10 step thus we get 10 stop of exposure texture range from lightest to darkest tonality. By using this 10 stop of texture we can easily visualize Zone and alter the texture detail according to our need. And the Zone System is developed according black&white photography principal, thus it’s best for high dynamic range B&W photography.

But when this system apply to color photography, the texture chart might needed to re-calibrated according to color photography theory. The color presented in our vision is consist of the mixture of lightness and color of the light sources, reflected diffuse light with color of light sources and reflection object color, brightness of the object color under the light sources and the overall luminance of the day. We can’t expose a color photography like a black&white photography

example: if we plan to expose a green leaf, if we try to rise exposure value to 30% lightness, then the leaf become light pale green, if we try to decrease the texture detail by underexpose the leaf, it become dark and dirty green.

What is DynaTone Exposure System
DynaTone mean “Dynamic Tone”, it simply mean the system is utilize tonality to pre-visualize correct exposure, and DynaTone it’s designated to alter or develop high-dynamic-range (which the method of create color high dynamic image is unlike B&W images) or high texture range image, it’s designated to expose every tonality at the scene as what visible with our eyes.

DynaTone Exposure Reference Chart
The exposure reference chart is developed by capturing a set of tonality from 25% to 75% tonality and segmented according to the tonality percentage to develop the reference chart with the usable exposure tonality zone from 5% tonality till 95% tonality, all together it’s 9 tone zone. And the DynaTone exposure reference chart is designated to pre-visualize a set of tonality within the specific Tone zone.

 

Exposure and flash compensation-Nikon&Canon

Camera exposure compensation:
Camera exposure is set on the camera body and affects both ambient and flash exposure for Nikon; but only the ambient exposure with Canon cameras.

Flash exposure compensation:
Flash exposure is set on flash unit itself. Flash exposure compensation affects flash output only. Changing flash exposure doesn’t affect ambient exposure.

Nikon Vs Canon (Exposure compensation)
Nikon camera allows you to change exposure compensation which sets overall exposure (flash and ambient exposure) even if you are in Manual mode. But in Canon camera, you can’t dial exposure compensation in Manual mode.

With Nikon, the camera exposure compensation for ambient light and flash exposure compensation are cumulative when ambient light is low and flash is using as a main source of light. For example, if camera exposure compensation is set to +2.0 EV and flash is set to -2.0 EV, it would cancel each other resulting 0.0 EV for overall exposure compensation.

But when ambient light is strong and you are using flash as a fill light, camera sync speed (using Auto FP High speed sync decrease the power of flash output) and apertures and other settings come into play to determine overall exposure with combination of flash exposure and camera exposure compensation.

And the flash mode in Nikon have three difference mode, 1) iTTL Balance Fill, 2)iTTL and 3)Auto Aperture (AA), and this three mode will expose a scene in three difference level of shadow fill-up value. Within the three mode, iTTL flash exposure give you a strong “front light” feel, and iTTL/BF give you a very light shadow fill without notice the direct front flash light.

But with Canon, flash exposure compensation and camera exposure compensation aren’t linked together, as they are with Nikon. So with Canon, in manual exposure mode, you can only set flash exposure compensation which doesn’t affect ambient exposure.

Apply To Nikon
When apply DynaTone with nikon camera, if camera exposure compensation is -2.0, and shadow needed to be increase from 80% to 75% lightness, flash exposure compensation have to set +0.7, thus according to DynaTone the shadow has increase exposure of +0.7 and mean the shadow is expose at -1.3 stop equivalent to exposure compensation without flash.

Apply To Canon
if we using the same sample from above, -2.0 exposure compensation to expose a scene, to increase 80% shadow to 75% lightness, thus our flash compensation needed to be set at -1.3 DynaTone, with this the scene will be exposure at DynaTone 80 and the shadow will expose at 75% DynaTone.

 

Reflectance Light Metering Doesn’t Read "gray"

You and Me Has Make A Mistake
Neither it’s independence nor camera build-in exposure meter nor even incident light meter it isn’t designated to TURN every tonality to 18% reflectance gray. Most of the metering system is performing an average luminance measure, and the average luminance measure is executed by utilize the diffuser dome or multi segment pattern sensor plate, all luminance gathered will be calibration by the exposure calculation program, and the program will finalize a exposure setting (Neutral Exposure) which will expose any solid flat surface to look like 18% gray reflectance card’s tonality (brightness same as 18% gray reflectance under direct sunlight)

The 18% Reflectance Reference Standard
The 18% neutral gray reflectance card is designated to be use as a RESET REFERENCE when we needed to evaluated exposure from a critical scene, but today, most of the photographer use it as the white balance RESET REFERENCE card. The card is best use as a VISUAL REFERENCE CARD when you learning DynaTone Exposure System.