Using my RH Designs Zone Master II Darkroom Meter

In this video I show you how I have been using my new darkroom meter to create beautiful prints in record time (for me anyhow). It is very useful as it allows me to make adjustments to work prints using RC papers that are more affordable and generally easier to work with. When I am happy with the print on RC paper I can print the final image on my prefered fiber based paper. This saves a great deal of materials for me and has made printing much more fun and intuitive.
It IS and expensive piece of gear and yes, the same results can be achieved using traditional methods, but as illustrated, it has features that save not only materials, but time.
Find out more about the timer (no affiliation, just a fan): www.rhdesigns.c...
Find Me Online:
Website :: www.chrisswartwood.com
Instagram :: @chrisswartwood
Email :: [e-mail]
Gear Used:
Camera: Sony A6000 :: amzn.to/2mdXm9L
Lens: Sony 10-18mm :: amzn.to/2mdXplX
Lens Sigma Art 30mm 1.4 :: amzn.to/2QYjmoK
Tripod: Manfrotto :: amzn.to/2lOx69L
Ring Light: Newer Ring Light :: amzn.to/2mUP6iu
Fill Lights: amzn.to/2me3r62
Microphone: amzn.to/2mUK3yF
Lapel Mic: amzn.to/2me6Y4c
Audio Recorder: Zoom H4n :: amzn.to/2mUMFN4
Video Monitor: Aputure VS2 :: amzn.to/2mNCCIZ
The gear links above and any Amazon links I post are Amazon affiliate links and it helps with the time and costs associated with producing this show. Any views or opinions are my own and come from a place of honesty and sincerity. I hope you enjoy the videos and my channel and leave me your notes or feedback in a comment below. Thanks for watching!
-chris

[@dochertyinbc]

Is it just me, or is this guy a real nice person?

[@stephenscott2802]

This was a really nice video description of actually using the Zone Master in a real world situation. The manufacturers descriptions and demonstrations are helpful but nothing beats seeing the unit used to make an actual print. Many thanks for taking the time to create such an informative video. You have one more subscriber and RH Designs have just sold one more unit!

[@filmic1]

I was gifted a complete darkroom and in it was an Ilford EM10 Exposure Monitor. I'm guessing this in the forerunner analogue version of yours. Neat.

[@lichtmaler]

Another thing that pops to mind - which isn´t covered by the video - each paper responds differently. So there must have been some alignment of the sensitivity of the paper.

[@alessandroserrao9422]

This saves tons of paper, chemistry, water and frustration. Money very well spent!

[@gregorylecomte90]

Didn't know it existed but now I got to get one ! thanks for sharing !

[@lillianvalentine1975]

we have the zonemaster II, so far its been helpful in zeroing in much more quickly than test strips.

[@randallstewart175]

I'd love to have one, but I can do much the same with more inconvenience using most any darkroom meter. So, convenience is priced today at about $350 incl shipping, straight from the factory in England. The big advantage here is that it is pre-calibrated for current papers, assuming you aren't using some exotic paper developer. If you have to calibrate it for your particular usage, $350 gets hard to accept.

[@lichtmaler]

This was very useful to get an idea of what the device is capable of. But for someone who does not own the device, it would have been nice to have a brief run-through of its functions.

[@fangzhenyuinca]

have been thinking about purchasing the stop clock pro for a very long time, finally about to make a purchase, went to SDS website, add it to the cart, then saw they posted a video link, very surprised to find this video is so new. Please make more videos on stop clock pro, very helpful my friend.

[@jorgemtrevino]

Hi, I hope you're still there and this video hasn't beem _orphaned._ I stupidly decided that everything I did in the darkroom for almost 50 years had been bested in orders of magnitude by digital, so I got rid of my darkroom (probably the best _amateur_ in my home state). Having several fine film cameras that I wanted to keep using I kept the film gear but let go the rest (for a thank you). Fortunately, the ZoneMaster II was not included in the enlarging lot and I kept it. Sometime during the big lockup of 2020 I realized darkroom is not about results, *it's doing it* exactly like a trip is not the destination but the route. A friend gave me an enlarger, I had kept the trays and stuff (the GraLab 300 was my timer for film). A couple of EL lenses were around and I was printing chem in a week. My ZoneMaster II is getting me prints 90% perfect all the time, it's just got a quirk. I cannot adjust the step size. It's now at 1/6 but I want to increase it an 1/4. I enter the adjustment routine but when y press [X] it does nothing, the changes don't get saved and I have to turn the meter off. Do you know if there is a way to reset it to "factory settings"? The manual says nothing and their site seems abandoned.

[@IainHC1]

Wowww....... What a tool!!! I never knew these existed!! :-) Cracking portrait :-)

[@amazingjournal]

Great video, I want to print again!

[@dochertyinbc]

Great portrait, and great print.

[@clivevincent4969]

I have used RH stopclock for many years but never thought to invest in the zone master. Great that you can pre visualise the tones. Can definitely see how one of these can save time and paper on test strips. Never seen one of these demonstrated before, really informative video! Inspiring wise words at the end! Really nice portrait your wife took too! All the best for 2019, look forward to seeing more from you.

[@GRAINTV]

Thank you Clive!!

[@louismasson2278]

I really appreciate you making the video ad sharing your knowledge with us ! Thank you ;)

[@GRAINTV]

Thank you! We're all learning together!

[@rgrbrn]

Great to have your videos back! Great work as always

[@GRAINTV]

Thank you!

[@darrin7717]

Enjoy your content as always Chris. Fantastic portrait work Jenn.

[@GRAINTV]

Thank you!!! And I will let Jenn know!

[@cyrildescoursiere9060]

You deserves so much more suscriber. Thank you.

[@GRAINTV]

We have been growing steady and I'm glad you're along with me on the journey!

[@bthemedia]

Think we need an intro to the tool first, hard to follow what all the letters, numbers and lights mean. Got the general idea though :)

[@GRAINTV]

Check the manufacturers link in the video description. They explain it far better than I could.

[@luxinterna3370]

i bought one. its really easy to use. just use it like your normal light meter and zone system.

[@KaidFN]

GRAIN TV i think so

[@CertainExposures]

Thank you for sharing this information. Your wife took an amazing photo! I cannot wait to try developing/printing myself someday.

[@777millertime777]

Amazing tool! I'd love to invest in one of these as well as the f-stop timer

[@GRAINTV]

The timer is so good, i'd start with that.

[@josephasghar]

I picked up the timer at thrift store prices, so the analyser won’t seem much of an outlay. I won’t give up on test strips though - all part of the joy.

[@dbw]

Can you share the settings you use for Ilford Art 300 Paper please. Nice video by the way

[@GRAINTV]

Hey Ian! I havent done a calibration for the Art 300 paper, but when I do I'll post it for you here. Thanks for watching!

[@petersimpson3450]

Hi Chris, Firstly thanks a lot for the great work you do on your channel. You alomg with a few other guys on KZbin inspired me to get back into film and I've since built a dark room. By chance I happened to come upon an Omega enlarger the exact same model as yours. I also now have an RH Designs analyser. Can I ask how did you wire the stop clock to run the enlarger? Mine has the crazy 7 pin plug from the timer to the head. Did you replace that plug? Thanks mate, hope I'm not too late to the video post to get an answer. Cheers.

[@lukemakayabu4369]

Bloody brilliant!!!

[@fingerprinz]

Your channel is amazing. Thanks for sharing!

[@richardg6109]

Interesting. Nice work.

[@user-ul4us5re4x]

What brand is your 8 x10 easel? Where can I buy it? Thank you very much!

[@timdavies2701]

Does the Zone Master make the F Stop Timer obsolete??

[@alexcaligari]

I wanna know that too, also if I buy an analyzer pro that has the same features as zone master2, what s the point of buying the zone master?

[@analogadventure3147]

A meter like this would solve alot of the problems i have in the darkroom. Great video as always, and its really fun that you introduce us "newbies" to this type of tech. I see ebay dont have nothing like this to offer. What is the price of this beauty? Thanks again for posting this video. Inspires me to go in the darkroom every video you post, man.

[@GRAINTV]

Thank you!!! Trust me, I'm a newbie too!!

[@AmitJoseOverton]

Thanks Chris, great video. I just got my analyser pro a couple of weeks ago. Would be great to hear from you what you‘ve learnt over the months and how you select which areas of the image you meter?

[@adrianlong6701]

Great video

[@fbraakman]

Chris how do you connect the analyzer to your enlarger if you don't have the RH F-stop timer?

[@keehjm]

Thanks for the video but which one do you recommend for color prints?

[@christiancardona9889]

Hi, thanks for the video. Is there also a "split grade" tool in which the meter proposes two different filters to be complemented? I've seen it with other meters like the one from Heiland electronic from Germany. There is a video in german showing the procedure. Looking forward for more content explaining this great meter

[@Ballisticone]

love the video. you dont even have to do the test strips.

[@johntaylor4056]

Enjoying your channel very much. Have you used the Zone Master with Ilford Art 300 fibre paper? If so what settings did you dial in?

[@jordyw.3836]

Great video as always :)

[@GRAINTV]

Thank you Jordy!!🙏

[@gchristopherklug]

So, really excited to see this video. Question: is there a ‘base’ paper it assumes you are using to come up with those times? And how do you add new papers if you want to?

[@GRAINTV]

The default paper is Ilford RC as it is the best selling paper worldwide. You can calibrate new paper types into the mater (up to 8 I believe). Most of the popular papers are in the manual for you to add in. The meter also came with a step wedge and instructions on how to calibrate new paper types too so you can use any paper you like.

[@luxinterna3370]

Did you stop down before metering? how does the meter know wich filter you are using , and how much light the filter absorb.

[@GRAINTV]

You meter with white light, no filter after setting the aperture and focus. I usually print around F8. After placing the measured tones on the grayscale the contrast desired will be indicated on the meter and then you place the appropriate filter under the lens before printing.

[@luxinterna3370]

@@GRAINTV i bought one and it works great. its so much fun to work with. i rarely need more than one sheet of paper

[@terrywbreedlove]

I have printed through the back of my paper a few times LOL

[@GRAINTV]

Oh man, it’s easy to do. Keeps us humble lol. How’s your darkroom coming along?

[@terrywbreedlove]

Doing good but let me tell you a funny story from just yesterday. I shot a roll of TRI-X 400 35mm and exposed it at 1600 iso planning to then push it just one stop in development. All for just a test to see what happens with the grain. Turns out my daughter poured my Developer out and replaced it with water. I got nothing from that roll and it took me hours to determine what happened. Just one of those life moments we will laugh about years from now.

[@GRAINTV]

That is too funny and probably a head banger figuring it out!!! I’ve been wanting to shoot a roll of tri x with the rebate edges showing cause i don’t like the barcode that shows on HP5. Is it silly to judge film by the aesthetics of the debate edges? Lol.

[@Foxglove963]

Chris Wardwood. Your prints on RC paper won't last, they'll FADE in sunlight. For archival results, use baryt paper and ALLWAYS conclude with selenium toning. That way, your prints will last thousands of years.

[@GRAINTV]

If you watch the video and pay close attention, you will hear me say that I did use both fiber paper and selenium toning for my final print. I also say that I use the RC paper for working on prints and use a function built into the meter to adjust my times for printing on fiber paper. And I personally couldn’t care less about my prints lasting thousands of years. I see people stress over this all the time and it generally seems ego driven. Thanks for watching.

[@Foxglove963]

Grain TV. Ego driven? That's ridiculous. If you don't want your work to last then you can't be an artist. Those people who buy a print from you could sue you when it fades. Use your knowledge to prevent fading. It's not some silly fad. Karel Appel the painter knew nothing and could not care less, he mixed any paints he liked, the result is now that the paint "melts" and drips on the floor of museums. Its all about RESPONSIBILITY.

[@GRAINTV]

To each their own my friend. Again, all my sold work is done on fiber and toned for archival permanence so I do take great care - but personally wishing my work would last thousands of years don’t concern me but it that’s what drives you then go for it.

[@Foxglove963]

Grain TV. Being a true and honest, responsible artist should concern you. According to chemists, your use of fiber paper followed by archival toning ensures the archivality of the prints for as long as the carrier of the image (paper) holds out. Hence those who inherit your work won't be forced into restorations, if at all possible. I recommend you abandon your "it dont concern me" neglective and insipid careless additude by reason it is not the way of the true artist. Photography is the marriage of science and art and the artist should use the best materials available. The Neolithic designers of stone circles were also artists, and the erection of a stone and its placement in the landscape was both an art and technique, their work is solid (bar vandalism) and we can still admire it today. In museums some photographic images can only be vieuwed by lifting a protective cloth. Suggest you surf to The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs, traditional and digital color prints, color negatives, slides, and motion pictures, (and including archivality of black & white prints, and framing) by Henry Wilhelm. Preservation Publishing Company. USA. The Wilhelm Research Lab is the world authority on preservation of photographic images. Henry Wilhelm is one of the founding members of the American National Standards Institute subcommittee founded in 1978 to write the now completed ANSI IT 1990 Standard on test methods for measuring the stability of color photographs. He is also a member of the ANSI subcommittees on test methods for evaluating the stability of black and white films and prints and is a founding member of the Photographic Materials Group of the American Institute for Conservation.

[@GRAINTV]

Thank you for this very long and thorough explanation of 'true artistry'. I'm afraid your approach is a little too abrasive for me. Thank you for letting me and others know your opinions and concerns of the need for archival permanence. My, "It doesn't concern me' attitude has taken me some time to achieve, but only after an exhaustive obsession with the need for "permanence'. You need to ask yourself why you feel the need to BE permanent. Have you ever seen a Tibetan sand mandala? If not, please youtube and enjoy and if yes, then tell me if those monks are not true artists and tell me if they know or care about the The Wilhelm Research Lab. If you wish, please feel free to post a link to your own work here. Consider it my way of helping your work last thousands of years because as they say, "The internet is forever" and to my knowledge, Wilhelm hasn't released any new findings on whether or not fiber paper can outlast the world wide web. I guess we'll see...and I guess the only thing you'll have to worry about is whether or not anyone will care about what you've made...