Rating: 
Summary: Hats Off to the Author
Review: As someone who has taught the zone system at the college level for many years, I find this book to be both helpful to any photographer - and faithful to the fundmentals of the zone system. Clear graphics and text combine to take much of the mystery out of exposure control. No camera, no matter how expensive, can guarantee the right exposure - that's always a creative decision. This book will help you understand that process. The "cheat sheets" at the end of the book can help anyone to take creative control back from the high tech camera and put it in their hands and heart - where it belongs.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ !
Review: Bahman Farzad is a marvelous teacher. If he can teach me he can teach anyone. I have been taking photos for 20 years and never knew how to do it correctly. I bought high end cameras and used them in Programmed Auto mode. I went digital a few years ago and did the same thing....Programmed Auto. I recently purchased a Nikon 5700 and have been stuggling with it. I was ready to give up. Then someone told me about this book. It has made all the difference imaginable. I had to reread some but finally the "lights went on". For taking digital or film photographs this is a book that everyone who picks up a camera should read. Actually I bought both of his books and don't regret it for a moment.You can have all the camera technology money can buy but if you don't know the basics.......why bother. Don't get me wrong...I am not Ansel Adams. But I do know how to take photos in Manual mode, spot meter and make correct exposure decisions all because I read these books.
Rating:
Summary: Confused Photographer no More!
Review: Bahman's book is worth every penny, and then some! It is simple, easy to understand, and accounts for very light reading. I didn't need a phD to understand the mechanics of exposure, nor had difficulty understanding the Zone System. I found other books quite daunting. What I found most helpful were the illustrations that accompanied the sections being discussed -- it has been proven that illustrations help people retain more information rather than words... and Bahman has used this medium to get his learning points across very well. So, if you've been wanting to get better pictures (and not spending a bundle on film) get the book. I have been taking better pictures in the last couple of weeks... and while I'm still learning! One other thing, Bahman, unlike some authors, is accessible, and does spend time anwering e-mails!
Rating:
Summary: Every photographer should read
Review: First off....if you buy this book skip Dr. Farzad's other book on "On Camera Spotmetering". This book includes the latter. In fact many pages in the Zone System book are simply lifted from the Spotmetering book (or is it the other way around?). Either way the Zone System book is a more thorough review of the exposure techniques and not that much more complicated that the on camera spotmetering book. In fact I find both books very easy to understand. Any beginning photographer should read this book. The book does have some minor typo errors and is only in black and white print (appropriately enough I think since camera light meters see everything in shades of grey...no color is involved) but it explains the subject well. It is repitious though and I often lose my patience with author as he repeats the same points over and over again. However, if you consider who the target audience is (artists are not very technically inclined....and would be terrified by involved theory) Dr. Farzad is right on track. Still as an engineer I am not used to this level of repition in the texts I read. It requires a little patience but the photographer is well rewarded with a better appreciation and understanding of how to take good photographs.
Rating:
Summary: Every photographer should read
Review: First off....if you buy this book skip Dr. Farzad's other book on "On Camera Spotmetering". This book includes the latter. In fact many pages in the Zone System book are simply lifted from the Spotmetering book (or is it the other way around?). Either way the Zone System book is a more thorough review of the exposure techniques and not that much more complicated that the on camera spotmetering book. In fact I find both books very easy to understand. Any beginning photographer should read this book. The book does have some minor typo errors and is only in black and white print (appropriately enough I think since camera light meters see everything in shades of grey...no color is involved) but it explains the subject well. It is repitious though and I often lose my patience with author as he repeats the same points over and over again. However, if you consider who the target audience is (artists are not very technically inclined....and would be terrified by involved theory) Dr. Farzad is right on track. Still as an engineer I am not used to this level of repition in the texts I read. It requires a little patience but the photographer is well rewarded with a better appreciation and understanding of how to take good photographs.
Rating:
Summary: This is a straight forward book
Review: I always had a hard time reading "technical books" about exposure and ligth isues, and even worst since english is not my mother language. This book was CRISTAL CLEAR to me. The concepts are explained in the most simpliest basic way, that even a person that does not have knowlegd about cameras or photography can grasp them. And the best part... guest what, I am now taking wonderful photos. Thank you.
Esteban
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally well written and easy to understand
Review: I am a fairly new photographer, and was consistently dismayed by the quality of my photographs (especially in high contrast situations). I picked up this book, and was really glad to find that it covers the basics of how the lightmeter in a camera works. The examples are very clear and easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in improving the quality of their photographs. In addition, the author has an excellent web site, and is very helpful with answering questions.
Rating: 
Summary: An SLR Beginner's Book
Review: I bought myself my first SLR just recently. I have never heard about the zone system before but had the opportunity to use manual SLRs (Canon AE1 Program) several years back so I had some idea about the features available to an SLR; but it was just "point and shoot and hope the picture turns out well" kind of stuff. Anyway, the book is quite simple to understand. It really gave me a good idea on how the camera metering works and how to go about using the SLR in manual mode. I now enjoy using the manual mode of my camera instead of the auto features. However, the discussion sometimes becomes too simple (specially the analogies) that I get lost at times. Better stick to the actual context on the camera subject than the analogies. The illustration pages could've been printed in color for the readers to appreciate how the author exposed the pictures. Finally, on my last few notes, the index section is a bit messed up. The last topic on the last page was not completed. But it's not that significant and I belive you would not lose that much info.
Rating:
Summary: Eliminating the Mystery of Exposure
Review: I can honestly say that anyone who has ever looked through a camera's viewfinder can benefit from this book. Bahman Fazard takes an otherwise confusing aspect of photography and put it in a format that anyone can understand. Like most amateur photographers, I viewed EXPOSURE as the "Rocket Science" of photography. The more I read on the subject the more confused I became. "The Confused Photographer's Guide to Photographic Exposure and the Simplified Zone System" by Bahman Fazard has taken the mystery out of obtaining the correct exposure. This book is a MUST for all photographers striving to be a little better.
Rating: 
Summary: Easy to understand
Review: I have always heard of "Zone Photography" but never really understood what it was. After readiing thei book I have a much better understanding of what it is and more important, how to use it.
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