Far from provocative, I understand precisely whence you come.
FWIW, the only reason I started printing pt/pd or Palladio was, as you,
the prints of Frederick Evans. I loved his subject matter. I loved the
way he handled it. And I loved the medium he used to interpret it!
What the PC-6/BTZS gives ***ME*** is the ability better to match
any scene regardless of its SBR (subject brightness range) to the
characteristics of the paper. The system has less to do with figuring
the correct exposure than it does with figuring the right exposure given
the development time (and, therefore, contrast) necessary to match the
subject brightness range to the paper. Evans likely did something
similar by trial and error. We know that his materials were inherently
more contrasty than today's materials. Whether it was because of the
acid/amidol developer or the way the nature of the emulsion on the glass
plate, I do not know. But clearly the Evans' glass plates that George
Tice has in his possession, for example, are much more contrasty than is
the norm today. Other glass plates of roughly the same era, produced in
this country, are equally contrasty.
In any event, I commend the system to you attention.
Particularly on those days when we do not get maximum sun, compensation
of some sort is useful to get a sufficient density range on the
negative. The PC-6/BTZS combination does that for me! Cheers. Jim