There are apparently several books out now that purport to explain the zone system in digital terms. I have no idea whether or not they manage to do this successfully. Then there are Ansel Adams own tomes on the subject which used to be required reading for anyone who was seriously interested in photography involving the darkroom... even a digital one (although they were written well before the advent of digital photography).
When you're just starting out they can be a bit daunting and for that reason I don't recommend them for beginners. However, if you have a clear understanding of camera controls and how they affect exposure, they're well worth the time to digest.
--Ron
The zone system is a holistic view of the art of photography. It originally covered everything from the previsualization, through exposure, development and copying to the completed print.
The wikipedia article gives an idea of what it is about and if the ideas seem interesting enough to delve deeper into. For further reading I would start at Picker's book rather than Ansel's trio (see the list of references in the wiki). Understanding how it works with silver makes the modern adaptations to the digital world much easier to grasp.
I agree with Ron that the subject can be daunting to the beginner, but it is a great way of understanding more about light.
May keep this written down for future reading. As far as getting that deep into photography. But can understand how it would improve. Just by reading some of your replies on other things, my knowledge is only scratching the surface. But, I will not be at this level long... :-)
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