Left-eyes vs. right-eyes

[VinceC]

This mainly affects those with R3a's, Canon P's, M3's, Nikon RF's and other bodies with close to 1:1 viewfinders.

I've run across several unrelated threads in which folks who are left-eyed say they can't take advantage of the ability to shoot with both eyes open, as they'd just be staring at the back of the camera. As a Nikon RF user, I've always been a both-eyes shooter but am right-eyed.

Anyway, it occurs to me that a leftie shooters ought not feel left out. The whole idea of using this technique is to have the viewfinder frame floating there while you examine the scene with both eyes wide open. So there's no real reason you couldn't keep your dominant left eye open while bringing the camera viewfinder up to your nondominant right eye for framing.

On the other hand, the drawback is that it does require unlearning a lifetime of camera usage, so it's not necessarily a practical suggestion. Still, I thought I'd toss around the idea.

 

[VinceC]

>>Turn your camera upside down and try using the other eye<<

Actually, in the interest of science and the bridging of cultures, I was going to try that very experiment this evening when I get home from work.

 

[hoot]

Generally the dominant eye has to be closed to make use of the other eye.
Otherwise it causes optic confusion for the old brain box.

As a both-eyes-open right-eyed shooter, I just tried turning my M3 upside down and keeping both eyes open while holding my left eye to the viewfinder. At first I saw nothing, but after a few seconds, the framelines and rangefinder patch appeared and I could use my left eye to frame. If I can do that as a right-eyed shooter, there's no reason why it shouldn't work the other way around.

 

[Little Prince]

Turn your camera upside down and try using the other eye.🙂(

If nothing, that will be an interesting sight! Tripping the shutter at the bottom of the camera with your left thumb 😕.

At first I saw nothing,

Not an encouraging thought when you want to go shooting 😀.

 

[vincentbenoit]

Anyway, it occurs to me that a leftie shooters ought not feel left out. The whole idea of using this technique is to have the viewfinder frame floating there while you examine the scene with both eyes wide open. So there's no real reason you couldn't keep your dominant left eye open while bringing the camera viewfinder up to your nondominant right eye for framing.

I'm left-eyed, and am planning to do just what you suggest when I get my R3A.
Cheers
Vincent

 

[Kin Lau]

I'm left-eye dominant, but I switch focus to either eye, so it's not a big problem for me but I do know that many people have difficulty with that. You can train yourself to see with either eye.

 

[vincentbenoit]

You can train yourself to see with either eye.

That's what I've been doing over the last few weeks, it's not as difficult as I first thought it would be.

 

[hoot]

Not an encouraging thought when you want to go shooting 😀.

Heh... What I meant was, I saw nothing through my left eye when my right eye was open. The right-eye view was so dominant that it simply eliminated the left eye view from my brain. Nevertheless, after a few seconds, the ol' brain adjusted perfectly well.

 

[VinceC]

Alright now, I've done it.

The upside down camera was workable. The focus patch was no problem to see. The framelines weren't as clear as when I'm looking at them with my dominant eye. They seemed to fade in an out of view. I sometimes need to close the good eye in order to double-check their location, then I'm good.

The other thing I tried was looking throug the viewfinder right-side up with my left eye and with both eyes open. That also worked fine. A big advantage to two-eyed shooting is the avoidance of eye-strain and eye fatigue, so I'd recommend it even if you're staring at the back of a camera with your gimp eye.

 

[Al Patterson]

Turn your camera upside down and try using the other eye.🙂
I'm left eyed. Leave both eyes open and use the right eye, I see nothing in a VF.🙁

Yeah, even with glasses I'm almost blind in my right eye...

Getting old is a bitch.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I've used my left eye 99.999% of the time. I am so used to using the right-handed cameras, I don't notice it. Only right-eyed people do when they have to switch, I guess.

It does make me upset when my Metz flash can only be tilted one way (for flash-bounce) when shooting vertically. Since I hardly ever use flash, I get mad about this dilemma only once in a blue moon. I do wish camera and camera-gear designers started thinking with both eyes in the equation. Don't they ever use both eyes?

 

[derevaun]

Adding a few seconds to rangefinder shooting doesn't sound very appealing to me, sorry. I do frequently keep both eyes open to avoid strain, and it's a natural, unconscious accomodation as are most accomodations to right-handed stuff. Sometimes we even have it better--fly reels, e.g. You should try it!

 

[jaypolaski]

Using an SLR, or shooting my rifle when I was enlisted was predominantly a left eye activity, but since I've actually trained myself to ONLY use my right eye with my RF... switching cameras back and forth gets weird for a few minutes (more than once I've tried to look out the solid part of an SLR top left corner before, and wondered why I couldn't see anything), but I quickly adjusted, and hoped noone saw 😀

 

[tedwhite]

I see through a camera with my left eye. Doesn't matter whether it's a Nikon SLR or a Bessa R or a Kiev. It's as natural, for me, as it would be if I were right-eyed. I just don't see much of an issue here. Use whatever eye works for you, hopefully your best eye. On my Bessa R I keep a patch of blue masking tape (peels off and leaves no mark) over that part of the back where my nose rubs so I don't get skin oil on the back.

Of course, the final solution, as I see it, is to chuck it all and get a Rolleiflex. Then you get to use both eyes.

Ted

 

[richard_l]

It's kinda weird turning the camera upside down, but 'down under,' like in Australia or NZ, they could hold the camera right side up and be able to see with both eyes with the left eye at the finder, because they are upside down, so their left and right eyes are reversed. 😀

 

[pvdhaar]

I'm left eye dominant, and made a serious attempt to learn to use my right eye to focus. Even after several weeks of trying, I couldn't get used to it. It just wasn't comfortable. I've since resigned to the idea that I'll never have the floating frameline experience..

 

[Doug]

Then there's the issue of which eye is obscured with the camera oriented for vertical shots... For right-eyed, you retain that clear view from both eyes only if you turn the camera wind-lever up. But this means awkward contortions to keep your left hand from obscuring the VF window... and the right arm in a strange high semaphore position far over your head! 🙂 Since I took on a used Leica M2 very early-on, I found that holding the wind lever down made for easier left-hand focusing, and both elbows could tuck into my sides for a steady hold. Less cold breeze in the right armpit too. 😛 AND, nicely enough, this position allows a two-eyed view if you're left-eyed!

 

[VinceC]

Experiment solved! Neither side has an advantage based on your camera orientation. The T-shirt should read "Lefties float vertically".

 

[tedwhite]

"Lefties float vertically." I knew there was a purpose to my life.

 

[nomade]

I'm left eyed, and i can't leave both eyes open...How do u do that!