Response to loss of shadow detail - Xtol

Don is right. Keying your exposure off of Zone 7 will almost guarantee that you will lose shadow detail if you have a scene with a long scale. Typically, you should meter the shadow area you want some detail in and place it on zone 3 (i.e., give two stops less exposure than the meter indicates for that area), then develop until your high values are where you want them to be. To make sure your highlight values will fall where you want them, you should also measure the highlight value you want some detail in (Zone 7). If this falls outside the area you can capture with the exposure you have determined (for the shadows), then you will either have to pull or push when you develop. Calibration is necessary to determine what the true exposure index is for your film/camera/lens/development technique combination.

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