Like I said, flare and many other factors are incorporated into photography. Photographic scientists and engineers have worked hard in order to make photography work without having to understand it. As I've shown, flare is also incorporated into the Zone System, albeit unintentionally. For those wanting to discuss and understand the photographic process with all the factors that come into play within the process, they should be part of defining, analyzing, and explaining the process else there will be a gap in understanding how it works.
There's an easy way to extrapolate what is considered normal flare. Kodak considers a CI 0.58 for normal processing. The LER for the middle of a grade 2 paper range is 1.05. The average scene luminance range is 2.20 logs.
1.05 / 2.20 = 0.477
Take off a stop from the luminance range
1.05 / 1.90 = 0.553
Close but not exact. Take off another 1/3 stop.
1.05 / 1.80 = 0.583
So, Kodak considers the average flare to be 1 1/3 stops. Flare is part of their normal.
Flare helps make sense of the photographic process.
What if the lens is wide open and I'm using shutter speeds to control exposure? Wouldn't flare from a brightly lit white card be in play even though I'm exposing for low values?
But what of the flare factor when enlarging? One stop? The image on the paper will be lower in contrast to some degree than the information on the negative, unless the negative is contact printed of course. If you assume a 1 stop flare factor, then an LER of 1.05 with consideration of one stop of enlarging flare, then a negative density range of 1.35 ( and higher CI) would help to offset losses from flare with enlargement, would it not?
You might be onto something there. But be careful, I wouldn't want you to overdevelop on account of some theory we haven't hashed out yet.
I already develop to a NDR of 1.2 and I'm certainly not overdeveloping. Using ZS vernacular, that's a range between a Zone VIII target density for "normal" development of 1.3 down to the EI threshhold of 0.1 at Zone I. IMO, I don't think it's useful to discuss a range on the negative that exceeds the upper limit of the textural range i.e., Zone VIII, perhaps to Zone IX, which I do not consider specular in nature...............or, a range that falls below the threshhold. Referencing Stephen's post #87, I consider the "minimum" illuminance to be the threshhold point at Zone I and the "maximum" illuminance to be, probably a Zone IX illuminance, but I currently have completed tests using Zone VIII as the important upper limit of the density range.
I already develop to a NDR of 1.2 and I'm certainly not overdeveloping. Using ZS vernacular, that's a range between a Zone VIII target density for "normal" development of 1.3 down to the EI threshhold of 0.1 at Zone I.
Does this print on Grade 2 (or the equivalent filtration) for you or do you have to go to Grade 1? Anyway I just don't want you to change to 1.35 based on this discussion if you already found 1.2 works.
I was going to carry my tests through to the end and draw a chart of my 4-quadrant tone reproduction before deciding my desired target range. Then I found that real negative that "proved" what my target range should be, and short-circuited my plan to carry my tests to the conclusion.
After all, I had my answer.
Does this print on Grade 2 (or the equivalent filtration) for you or do you have to go to Grade 1? Anyway I just don't want you to change to 1.35 based on this discussion if you already found 1.2 works.
The short answer is, yes. I base that on just how easily I can produce a very satisfactory "straight print", no dodging or burning or other measures. In the way of an explanation, that is, a decided upon enlarging exposure time that fulfills my expectations (visualization if you will), both in the high value tonal area(s) of the print in the regions of Zone VII and VIII and the low value area where I made the particular shadow "placement". If I can achieve that, then I know I have something I can work toward within the confines of the information in the negative for the print I saw when the exposure was made. For me, I don't find any glory in making a satisfactory final print from a difficult and fussy negative, I find it annoying and who wants to be annoyed while in the darkroom.
I realize that some of the wordage here is somewhat cliche', especially for anyone who is fluent with the ZS, but being cliche' in no way diminishes the method.
A direct determination of the effective density range of the negative can be made with a photometer by measuring the maximum and minimum illuminance of the projected sharp image on the enlarger easel.
NDR is used a lot in these discussions, but I believe the way it is used and thought of is not consistent among us, perhaps it is and I'm just not seeing it. Do these discussions of the "maximum" illuminance include even the specular densities.
No, they don't include the specular densities. Say you contact print your test wedge. Your NDR would be related to the corresponding patches that gave you reflection density range in the print of (Todd/Zakia recommend 0.04 to 90% of paper dMax).
I see we discussed this about a year ago. Chuck, do you still aim for 1.1 to 1.2? Nothing much has changed for me in the past year, except my enlarging lens got dusty in that year and had to be cleaned again.
http://www.apug.org/forums/forum37/84994-critical-thinking-2-normal-negative-density-range-zs-vs-tone-reproduction.html
This is an excerpt from the ANSI/ISO paper standard. They tend to use very precise language. In this context, effective density range isnt referring to the actual density range of the negative but its equivalence at the paper plane.
I can only determine the NDR from the actual negative. With VC paper, determining the amount of filtration that best suits the range I develop to is a simple enough thing to do.
If the ISO guys determine NDR at the base of the easel when rating paper, that doesn't mean you have to. Ansel Adams didn't use an analyzer at the easel so I won't tell you to.
It would include flare if you did. But by the time you get to the enlarger, you no longer have "only one shot to get it right." You don't have to set exposure based on estimates of subject luminance, or estimate camera flare based on your optics, the subject and the direction of the light. You don't have to figure out film development time to make it come out with an NDR that you want. You already did all the dangerous work.
Now with a good negative, even if there is flare at the enlarger, you have the luxury to try different times and contrasts until it works. Whether or not the range fits the paper, exceeds it or is shorter.
The thing I'm missing in my tests......
I know CI is important to these discussions that are highly technical in nature. But, a ZS practitioner (if he or she considers themselves strict about it) does not really consider CI or any other measurement of contrast that connects points on the curve with a straight line. It's the comparison of the entire curves of at least two films or one film with different developers that is considered most valuable. It's just a thought.
To apply Contrast Index in the darkroom you have to solve "word problems" to find development times.
It may help to walk right up to the subject and take really close up meter readings. The reading I get underneath a car is greatly different when I spotmeter from a distance, and when I walk right up to it. Maybe note both meter readings. It might turn out your spotmeter has same/similar flare as your camera making the spotmeter reading accurate at predicting what hits the film.
Seems to me any discrepancy between meter reading and actual result... would be flare.
I have to disagree with this one Bill. First, not saying anything is wrong with CI, only that within the context of the ZS (yes, I'm speaking as taught in The Negative), CI is not needed to find "N", "plus", or "minus" times. It certainly can be if one chooses to employ the ZS using CI, mean Gradient, whatever, to find their times, but as it is taught from the source, it is not. I've got development times for TMX with d-76 1:1 and hc-110 1:63 and 1:119, I did not use CI to determine them, they were determined as taught and they work quite well. My comment about ZS practitioners was poorly worded, there are many ZS practitioners, but it is evident that there are those who are quite fluent with it and those, well, I'll just leave it there.
With d-76 1:1, which is quite a straight-lined curve in my process, gamma can be easily determined, however, finding gamma, is not required to find development times.
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