This the helpfile for the first level of the Zone System Emulator (basic level). This level of emulation allows you to 'meter' on one of five subject areas and expose according to that 'meter reading'. This file is provided as a jumpstart into using the emulator to see the effects of certain primary principles of the Zone System. If you have arrived at this file directly from a search engine, you may load the three-frame emulator screen that everyone else is looking at by clicking the word "Emulator" at the top of this page.

To use the emulator:

1. Set your screen width.
2. Click one of the five subject areas listed in the control panel (lower left frame)
3. Click the 'Submit' button in the same frame to see the effect of your actions.

Using the emulator at this level is really easy. Let's walk through each of the five possible actions. We will work from top to bottom.

1. Pants
   1. Click the 'Pants' radio button
   2. Click the 'Submit' button
   3. You should get the graphic below.
      Notice that the pants are reproduced as middlegray
      

2. Outfield
   1. Click the 'Outfield' radio button
   2. Click the 'Submit' button
   3. You should get the graphic below .
      Notice that the outfield is reproduced as middlegray
      

3. Shirt
   1. Click the 'Shirt' radio button
   2. Click the 'Submit' button
   3. You should get the graphic below.
      Notice that the shirt is reproduced as middlegray
      

4. Infield
   1. Click the 'Infield' radio button
   2. Click the 'Submit' button
   3. You should get the graphic below.
      Notice that the infield is reproduced as middlegray
      

5. Base
   1. Click the 'Base' radio button
   2. Click the 'Submit' button
   3. You should get the graphic below.
      Notice that the base is reproduced as middlegray
      

You noticed that everytime you 'metered' on a subject and submitted the form, the subject that you metered on was reproduced as middle gray. That is the whole point of your camera's metering system (traditionally speaking anyway).

Knowing this, you have a brand new tool to use in your photographs. You know that if you:

1. meter on a particular subject area
2. expose at the recommended meter reading
3. make a 'standard' print

   and

4. have properly calibrated you equipment for
   1. filmspeed
   2. normal film development
   3. creation of an unmodified 'standard' print

you will get middle gray in the part of the subject you metered on. This will be true whether you meter on snow, a human face, the moon, or any other subject. Note that calibrating your system is not a trivial task.

Providing the exposure that will reproduce a subject as middle gray is the exact job description of a light meter. Careful use of this principle is the thing that makes a spot meter such a powerhouse of a photographic tool. A spotmeter allows you to meter on a small section of the subject, just like the way we were using the radio button in the emulator.

Congratulations! You are gaining the kind of understanding that will ultimately offer you an amazing degree of creative influence in the photographs you create. You may now begin to choose which part of the subject will be reproduced in the middle gray part of your prints. To achieve real control over middle gray will take many hours of work calibrating your system, but you can start by using the filmspeed and development time that the manufacturer recommends.