Eyes - Right or left?

[dll927]

This is one of those questions I'd bet most people don't even give much thought to. I've always been mostly a left-eye user, even though that does put you nose in the way with most cameras. This is not to say I can't use the right eye, but 98% of the time it somehow always winds up in front of the left one.

Here's another one: I wear glasses that by now are trifocals. Which part do you look through? It's usually recommended to use the upper (distance) section.

 

[tedwhite]

I'm left-eyed, so with an RF camera I usually apply black electricians tape to the back so I don't get nose oil all over the cladding.

Oddly, I shoot a handgun right handed but sight with the left eye. I shoot a rifle from my left shoulder and sight with the left eye. I write left handed and eat right handed. I kick a football with my left foot and throw it with my right hand. When I golfed, I used right-handed clubs.

None of this bothers me in the slightest. I mean, why be normal?

 

[RayPA]

Check this thread out to test your eye dominance.

🙂

 

[JohnL]

I'm right-eye-dominant, but both eyes work, and as mentioned previously, I've been trying left eye for verticals, releasing the shutter with my right thumb, below. This is working well for me.

 

[projectbluebird]

I couldn't remember offhand so I grabbed a few of my cameras and spent a few minutes pointing them around the room. Turns out that with RFs, I'm mostly left eyed, but not always. SLRs are right eye only.

Wasn't there an illustration in a leica manual about using your forehead to brace the camera? That would favor lefties...

 

[Michiel]

Both.

I like my Yashica's 6x6 viewfinder 😀

 

[tedwhite]

Projectbluebird:

It seems that it's my rather large nose that braces the camera. My forehead's too far back (somehow that sounds so neanderthal).

 

[shutterfiend]

Right eye has been my eye of choice. However I've been practicing with my left eye held to an upside-down Rollei 35S with a Sunpack flash attached. It must look really odd with a flash almost twice the size of the camera. But it's the best fit so far.

 

[tkluck]

Right eye. My left eye is bad, I couldnt focus a camera with it. My right eye is quite good.

Left eye, but for the same reason. Can't see out of the right one.
Also makes shooting a bolt action rifle an interesting experience.
And I resent paying for a pair of binoculars. (try and find a really good monocular!)
Won't even talk about 3D movies...
Why do I have to pay full price for contacts? (the injustice!)

...and exactly why did I bid on a stereo camera on Ebay? (my name is Tom and I have a Gas problem. Hi Tom, welcome to RFF)

 

[polaski]

Right eye but both eyes open.

Right eye but both eyes open.

the US Army taught me to simply ignore what the left eye sees (unless of course is a big guy coming right at you). Very useful in crowd situations.

Not useful for artistic composition, because no matter what I try to ignore, I'm still seeing in binocular vision, rather than in a two-dimensional plane.

 

[arbib]

Left Eye. can be a pain with smaller Manual Advance Film Camera's.

 

[Superbus_]

Right eye but ocassionaly I use my left eye. For example when I'm using my old fashioned zorki 1 I use my left eye for the subject and my right for focusing.

 

[wotalegend]

I am right-eyed and left-handed. We live in a right-dominated world and cameras, particularly RF cameras, are just one of many hand-operated implements which seem to be designed for the right. Not just the viewfinder, but also the shutter release and film advance knob/lever. (There are some exceptions - the Exakta SLRs, and the Moskva MF folders) Being in the minority in terms of handedness I have found over my lifetime that I have just adapted to the tools available. For example, left-handed scissors were not available to me when I was growing up so I adapted to right-handed ones. I have since tried to use left-handed scissors and found them very difficult. I have been using cameras for nearly fifty years and it just seems natural to use my right eye. I really don't know whether that is a result of adaptation or heredity.

Cheers, PN.

 

[Bingley]

Left-eyed although right-handed. Makes "shooting with both eyes open" a little difficult.

 

[angeloks]

Left-eyed, left-handed.

 

[Covich]

I am right eyed left handed.

 

[Rodinal Addict]

Left eye. Tried like crazy to use my right for RF shooting, just can't.

 

[raid]

When I play soccer, I kick the ball with my left foot. When I take photos, I place the viewfinder at my left eye. Is there a connection? I am right handed.

 

[rxmd]

Hi Raid,

contrasting case here: left-eyed, right-footed 🙂

Philipp

 

[dee]

No brainer - literally - left eye deestorted by central serous retinopathy - 2 stops darker and smaller image - so brain prefers the other !!! it's more right or wrong ...