Left or Right (Eye)

[drisley]

Which eye do most photographers use when looking thru their SLR viewfinder? Left or right?
Is one way more technically correct than the other?
When I use my left eye, I can stabilize the camera more (since my nose presses up against the lcd). This is great for low light shots.
However, using the right eye allows me to look at the overall scene with my left eye.
So, I'm sort of trying to decide on one method and stick with it.

[sdommin]

Just like we are either left-handed or right-handed, we all have a dominant eye. Find out which of your eyes is dominant and go with that!

[schmoelzel]

Left eye seems wrong..........

[aam1234]

There is a test you can do to determine which eye is the dominant eye. I'll ask a colleague tomorrow.

[ohenry]

Dominant eye...in my case, my right eye

[drisley]

Thanks for the replies!
The worst thing about using the right eye is that you kind of end up not looking straight on as your head rotates to the left because of the nose hitting the lcd.
From what I understand is that the viewfinder on the 1 series cameras actually protrudes out farther from the camera than the other DSLR's.
I wonder why they just dont do that with all the DSLR's?

[CoolToolGuy]

Drisley,

For the 20D and the Drebel (perhaps others?) Canon sells an eyepiece extender that does what you suggest. It fits over the fitting for the rubber frame, and gives you an extra 10-15 mm.

Have Fun,

[jgbeam]

I'm left handed, footed and eyed. I'm real good with drive up ATM machines and coin toss toll booths. :lol:

Jim

[skiphoto]

I use both eyes, swithching every 100 shots or so when shooting events that have few breaks and I am shooting from 7:00 to 7:00pm. I find that the variety allows me to stay fresher for longer

Jeremy

[CoolToolGuy]

I'm left handed, footed and eyed. I'm real good with drive up ATM machines and coin toss toll booths. :lol:

Jim

I am left-handed as well. ATMs are the left-hander's revenge - have you ever seen someone who had to open the driver's door and turn sideways so that they could use their right hand at an ATM? :lol: I have! :lol:

As they say, 'Everyone is born right-handed, but only the greatest can overcome it.' 8)

Now back to your regularly-scheduled thread.

Have Fun,

[BearSummer]

Hi Drisley,

You should use whichever is your dominant eye, and i guess the next question is how do you know which one it is?

1, find something distant to point at
2, with both eyes open using your index finger on your dominant hand point at the object so that your finger covers it
3, without moving your finger close one eye
4, open the other eye and close the first one

with one eye your finger will be on the object, with the other it will have moved away. The eye which has the finger over the object is your dominant eye

Best regards

BearSummer

[Belmondo]

I have alway shot with my right eye. I don't know why except that I am right-handed and right-eye dominant. Lately, I 've notice that all my shots tend to be crooked (i.e. horizon not level).

Last time out, I tried shooting with my left eye, and the problem seemed to go away. I'm not sure why, but if I get consistent results, it's a quick, easy, and free solution to what has been a persistent problem.

[CyberDyneSystems]

I am "right eyed" ... I know many right handers that are "left eyed" though so the two don't necessarilly go hand in hand.. (or eye in eye?)

Drisley.. if you are comfortable using both eyes.. I would not try to "stick with" one.... this essentially make you "ambidextrous" with your shoting eye... you yourself have described in your post just a few of the possible advantages...

I would do my best in your situation to maintain this flexibility. You never know when a situation,.. or god forbid,. and ailment may come up where you will find your other eye comes in handy.

[Tomsk]

Right handed, right footed.

Normally I use my left eye on a still camera, but I can use my right.
I use my right eye on a camcorder and keep my left eye open.

[Tom W]

Right eye on the camera - otherwise, I'd be turning the dial with my nose. :)

I do keep both eyes open though. Especially if I happen to be shooting sports. I've had more than one foul ball launched my way. And, it was a line drive!!

[billsh]

That's an interesting question drisley. I'm right handed but left eye dominate. This has been a problem for me shooting clay targets and hunting, but I never thought about photographing with my left eye. I will try it next time and see if there's a difference. One thing I learned from the shooting sports is the big advantage of shooting with both eyes open. This may translate to photographing as well.

Thanks for bringing it up.

[drisley]

Hi Drisley,
with one eye your finger will be on the object, with the other it will have moved away. The eye which has the finger over the object is your dominant eye
BearSummer

Excellent! Thankyou. With that method my left eye is dominant.
But I think I will continue using both as CDS mentions.
It will depend on the situation.

Right eye on the camera - otherwise, I'd be turning the dial with my nose.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

CoolToolGuy, have you tried the eyepiece extender? Or has anybody else?
I thought I heard that it really makes the viewfinder dark or blurry or something? If not, I definatelly am going to order one.

[Jesper]

This is one of those things that we've discussed before on the forums.... (a few months back).

I'm left eyed, right handed, left eared (have a telephone always on my left ear).

I don't believe either left or right eyedness is more "technically correct" than the other. It's just like left or right hand preference. For some reason, in the past children were taught to write with their right hand, even when they were left handed, because the majority of right handed people for some reason thought that right handedness was better.

For me, my left eye is the right eye..... :D

I've never accidentally turned the dial on my 10D with my nose, but the LCD gets always smudged because I have my nose against it...

[Belmondo]

Oh, to be a Cyclops and not have to worry about this..... :cry:

[CyberDyneSystems]

I know from Scottes that being left eyed is a problem where CF#4 is concerned... you tend to stick your thumb in your eye! :?

Interesting though.. I know as a shooter that being right eyed/right handed is an advantage.. (and safer really) ...do left eyed shooters shoot rifles left handed?

Where being left handed really sucks is trying to be a carpenter... all the tools are right handed... (at least the saws are,.. I guess you could say most drills work eitehr way) Long and short.. lefties are much more likely to have a powertool related accident :(

[CyberDyneSystems]

Drisley,. the eye extender sucks :(

[Liang]

I am right handed, right footed but left eyed.

[Belmondo]

They do make left-handed rifles, but they're rare. A leftie would have no trouble firing the weapon left-handed. It's all the other things that would be inconvenient, especially with bolt-action rifles..

[ejwebb]

Right-handed but left eye dominant. Plus, it seems more natural to me to use the left eye because the camera is then braced against the face for more stability. It also seems to disturb my glasses less for some reason. LCD smudges are a probelm, though!

[billsh]

CDS, For a shooter being right handed and left eyed is a big disadvantage. If you can switch to shooting left handed, thats the best solution, but for most of us, the old dogs and new tricks scenario prevents that. Two other options are:
1) close your left eye, which makes your right eye dominate but you lose about 30% peripheral vision.
2) use a dot or something similar on your glasses to reduce your left eye's vision which forces your right eye to take over dominance. This allows you to keep both eyes open and still maintain your peripheral vision.

This is probably more than you wanted to know, but something I have dealt with.

[billsh]

sorry double post

[Tom W]

They do make left-handed rifles, but they're rare. A leftie would have no trouble firing the weapon left-handed. It's all the other things that would be inconvenient, especially with bolt-action rifles..

My friend shoots competition matches left-handed, but with a right-handed semi-auto rifle. He's had a few hot cartridges land on him, and even had a couple down his shirt (he's since learned to seal things off a bit better).

[jgbeam]

I am left-handed as well. ATMs are the left-hander's revenge - have you ever seen someone who had to open the driver's door and turn sideways so that they could use their right hand at an ATM? :lol: I have! :lol:


Yes, I have. Even seen them get out of the car to do it. I've seen some right handers twisting around at the toll booths too. There's not much else favoring us southpaws. :(

Jim

[timmyquest]

Typically when i'm shooting, as my sig states, i use my left eye.

When i'm following action and not using a lens longer then 100mm i will indeed use my right eye in the camera and left eye to follow the action.

I've tried this technique in football and it typically does not work. For vollyball, basketball, etc the focal length is typically close enough to my eye to where i can look through both without going cross eyed. And really, it's the only way i found to be succesful.

[CoolToolGuy]

Drisley,

I have the eyepiece extender on both DSLRs. I knew I wanted it after getting greasy noseprints all over the LCDs of my digicams. It works for me - I haven't noticed a problem using them. The worst part (for me) about having them is that the rubber eyecup sticks out from the back a little further, and is easily knocked off when slinging the camera in and out of the bag. I have gone through 2 eyecups in the year-plus that I've had the Drebel. I still prefer the extender. Maybe I'll try to glue the eyecup onto the extender.

Now let me put in my 2 cents on the original question since I briefly hijacked the thread. I use my right eye to look through the viewfinder, mostly because when I started with a manual-wind film SLR it was much more convenient - operating the film advance lever while using your left eye is pretty near impossible. I'll probably stick with that unless I notice some deterioration in my eyesight.

Have Fun,

[thomascanty]

I use my right eye. Good thing that's my dominant eye, because I don't think I could use my left. I can't squint just my right eye closed to look through with the left. That's a result of being hit in the side of the head by a flying baseball bat when I was 5 or 6 years old.

[aam1234]

Hope I don't hijack the thread but since we are talking about eyes, how about glasses. Do you take them off or keep them when shooting.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Damn Tom,. :( with me it was a hard ball at age 3... a fractured skull resulting...

[Scottes]

Hope I don't hijack the thread but since we are talking about eyes, how about glasses. Do you take them off or keep them when shooting.

The diopter , which is about 2000 short of what I need, so I leave them on.

[Jon]

Left hand, left eye, contacts. My prescription's so bad that I couldn't see the entire viewfinder with glasses (sorta like the eyepiece extender without the reducing optics). Gotta pull out the reading glasses to chimp though.

[cmM]

how does a left handed photographer press the shutter? :P

(I use the right eye).

[Jon]

how does a left handed photographer press the shutter? :P

(I use the right eye).

Hold the camera inverted - avoids noseprints on the LCD and minimizes the impact of the lens hood shadow when using the built-in flash and wide lenses!

:{)#

[CoolToolGuy]

how does a left handed photographer press the shutter? :P

(I use the right eye).

Hold the camera inverted - avoids noseprints on the LCD and minimizes the impact of the lens hood shadow when using the built-in flash and wide lenses!

:{)#

Geez, I never thought of that - do you use your thumb to press the shutter?

Must make for some interesting flash shadows... Great nostril lighting...

Have Fun,

[Wildman]

Right eye since cataract surgery on that side... might change after the left one gets the same treatment, though I have always shot a rifle aiming with the right eye. In the old days, using the left eye could result in a shell casing in your forehead.

[Moppie]

Wow, interesting thread.

Im left handed, right eyed, and shoot a camera and a rifle right handed or left handed depending on how im feeling and where the target is.
Recently played a game of paintball and the gun spent pretty much equal amounts of time in either hand, with no ill effect on accuarcy. I do the same with a friends rifle on his farm, I use which ever shoulder will give me the most stable platform in the un-even paddocks.
Last weekend I shot some snowbourders jumping into the harbour off a ramp, and used both eyes depending on where I was positioned relative to the ramp.

Iv also tried a left handed bolt action, it felt very odd.

[bosamar]

I'm right-handed. I shoot with my left eye.

[thomascanty]

darn Tom,. :( with me it was a hard ball at age 3... a fractured skull resulting...

Oddly enough, I didn't end up with a fractured skull, or at least I wasn't diagnosed with that. I got quite a few stitches out of the ordeal, though. The doctor also said that if the bat had hit me in the temple, about a half inch from where it did get me, I would have likely been killed.

how about glasses.

I keep them on. I can't see a damn thing without them, so I don't have much choice. They've never really gotten in the way for me.

[Andy_T]

I'm right handed, but left-eyed, too, because the eyesight of my right eye is pretty bad.

I normally shoot cameras with my left eye, and rifles with my right eye and hand, because if feels awkward to shoot rifles left-handed.
When in the army, I shortly considered shooting left-handed, but because we used a bullpup gun (Steyr AUG), this would have been a pretty bad idea, anyway :roll: .

Best regards,
Andy

PS: Now you can guess which army I served in... there are not many armies in Europe using this gun...

[DeeplyDigital]

Now you can guess which army I served in..

Austria or Ireland?

J.
-

[RichardtheSane]

Drisley,. the eye extender sucks :(

I second that :(

[Olegis]

Right-handed, left (!) - footed, right eyed.
Always use my right eye.

[Persian-Rice]

I'm a righty, but I feel more comfortable using my left eye. I have been trying to use my right eye, but I find it uncomfortable.

[drisley]

I think I've fallen into a certain groove now.
I use the right eye since I am now experimenting with using the * button for AutoFocus. It's almost impossible to use your left eye with this method because, as someone mentioned, you keep sticking your thumb in your right eye :lol:
When holding the camera vertically (without a grip), using the right eye works awesome.
CoolToolGuy, so you dont notice any image degradation in the viewfinder with the extender?
CDS, why exactly does the extender suck?

[Persian-Rice]

I use the extender, no degradation, and who cares if it did, its just your viewfinder. The only downside is that it makes the viewfinder look smaller.

If you are of olive complexion, you will agree that oily skin and big noses are a common problem haha, the extender really helps keep the camera clean. Thank god my family is not blessed with big noses or I would have to stack the extenders :D

BTW Dris, if you are poking yourself in the eye, I don't think trying to decide what your next lens is going to be is your biggest problem. hahaha

[CoolToolGuy]

CoolToolGuy, so you dont notice any image degradation in the viewfinder with the extender?


I came into the DSLR world from FD Canons, and there is image degradation from the git-go. Canon has no problem stating that the DSLRs (perhaps the 1 series excluded) have a 95% viewfinder, which no one seems to have a problem with. In the FD world they tried like crazy to get to 100%. And as Persian-Rice notes, it is only for your eye, not the sensor. Look what Canon did with the 20D - reduced the mirror to accomodate the EF-S mount.
It works for me. It costs about $15 USD. Give it a go - the worst that happens is you waste $15, and you take it off.

Have Fun,

[drisley]

:lol:
Ah yes, I guess it would make the viewfinder look smaller.
Maybe the local camera shop will actually have this in stock so I can try before I buy. However, they dont seem to ever have anything in stock!

You know, I tried my friend's old Canon FD film camera from the late 80's. I honestly didnt see any improvement in the viewfinder size or brightness vs my 20D.

Oh, I just checked. The eyepiece extender costs $37cdn +tax +shipping! :shock:

[Andy_T]

Now you can guess which army I served in..

Austria or Ireland?

J.
-

J,

cool, I didn't know that they also use it in Ireland :lol:

Of course, as it was developed and manufactured in Austria, we really don't have much choice here 8)

Best regards,
Andy

[CoolToolGuy]

:lol:

You know, I tried my friend's old Canon FD film camera from the late 80's. I honestly didnt see any improvement in the viewfinder size or brightness vs my 20D.



I guess we could set up some sort of comparison test with whatever camera you are referring to as well as my F1 and A1, plus whoever else would want to chime in on this 'ruler test', and compare the results after developing, printing, scanning, posting, whatever...
But I know that neither of my film cameras have the same viewfinder 'crop factor' that my DSLRs do...
And I also know I like the eyepiece extender well enough to have it installed on both of my DSLRs. YMMV...

Have Fun,

[Persian-Rice]

:lol:
Ah yes, I guess it would make the viewfinder look smaller.
Maybe the local camera shop will actually have this in stock so I can try before I buy. However, they dont seem to ever have anything in stock!

You know, I tried my friend's old Canon FD film camera from the late 80's. I honestly didnt see any improvement in the viewfinder size or brightness vs my 20D.

Oh, I just checked. The eyepiece extender costs $37cdn +tax +shipping! :shock:

I just bought a used one from some guy in Vancouver for $20 cdn including shipping............

[Jon]

:lol:

You know, I tried my friend's old Canon FD film camera from the late 80's. I honestly didnt see any improvement in the viewfinder size or brightness vs my 20D.



I guess we could set up some sort of comparison test with whatever camera you are referring to as well as my F1 and A1, plus whoever else would want to chime in on this 'ruler test', and compare the results after developing, printing, scanning, posting, whatever...
But I know that neither of my film cameras have the same viewfinder 'crop factor' that my DSLRs do...
And I also know I like the eyepiece extender well enough to have it installed on both of my DSLRs. YMMV...

Have Fun,

F-1 (both models) as a "pro" camera, had essentially a 100% viewfinder. The FTb, AE/AV/AT et. al had about 95%. Not sure on the A-1, but as the top of the A-line, I'd expect at least 98%. I don't recall my T-90's spec offhand.

[drisley]

I just bought a used one from some guy in Vancouver for $20 cdn including shipping............
Hey, good deal!
So, you don't find the image too small, or any problem seeing the readout?

[commando]

I am left-handed as well. ATMs are the left-hander's revenge - have you ever seen someone who had to open the driver's door and turn sideways so that they could use their right hand at an ATM? :lol: I have! :lol:

That's not so much of a problem outside the states and a few other weird countries ;) Although come to think of it i've never seen a drive thru ATM in any of the 15 of so countries i've been to (NZ/Aus/Europe).

[CoolToolGuy]

I am left-handed as well. ATMs are the left-hander's revenge - have you ever seen someone who had to open the driver's door and turn sideways so that they could use their right hand at an ATM? :lol: I have! :lol:

That's not so much of a problem outside the states and a few other weird countries ;) Although come to think of it i've never seen a drive thru ATM in any of the 15 of so countries i've been to (NZ/Aus/Europe).

I'm not surprised - drive-thru anything is an American kinda thing. :wink:
Do your banking from your car? No problem!

Have Fun,

[Moppie]

i've never seen a drive thru ATM in any of the 15 of so countries i've been to (NZ/Aus/Europe).


I know of a couple here in Auckland, theres even a few drive through deposit only tellers in some bussiness areas.
But thier not exactly common, but then we were the test country for EFTPOS and most lately online banking. We don't need drive through ATMS, I often go weeks with out cash, everyone now takes EFTPOS, even the ice cream truck.

I wonder how long untill we see drive trough photo processing?
You could make those Kodak print stations into an ATM style machine :)

[commando]

I know of a couple here in Auckland, theres even a few drive through deposit only tellers in some bussiness areas.
But thier not exactly common, but then we were the test country for EFTPOS and most lately online banking. We don't need drive through ATMS, I often go weeks with out cash, everyone now takes EFTPOS, even the ice cream truck.

I wonder how long untill we see drive trough photo processing?
You could make those Kodak print stations into an ATM style machine :)

Nice. I do use cash for low value transactions, to avoid bank fees, but you're right you can survive quite happily here without cash. I'm a little suprised even ice cream trucks take eftpos though! And you don't realise how useful it is until you live in a country where they're not common (Ireland for me).

[Persian-Rice]

Dris, it's smaller, but its not REALLY small, only slightly smaller.
When I first used it, I wasn't sure if it was smaller, I actually had to compare. I enjoy it, It's a matter of preference.

Post a WTB on FM, you will get some responses, some bought it and never used it, so they might want to sell. It's one of those things that you either love or hate. At most, you sell it on Ebay or FM if you don't like it.

[drisley]

Thanks PR.
I will see if the local store has one to give it a try.
If not, I will try what you mentioned.

[Aylwin]

Interesting thread!

Myself, I'm left-handed, left-eared (on the phone) and left-eyed (through the viewfinder)

[Andy_T]

Interesting thread!

Myself, I'm left-handed, left-eared (on the phone) and left-eyed (through the viewfinder)

Problem is that you can't take a picture and make a phone call at the same time then ... :lol:

Best regards,
Andy

[Radtech1]

I am right handed and shoot with my left eye.

[Sabarika]

Ambidextrous. :3
For writing, drawing, and other "detail works", I'm left-handed. But throwing, catching, most "hard work" stuff not involving writing (say, lifting, I put more weight on right) I'm right handed. Although, in a pinch, I can draw with both left and right hands at the same time.

Photography I favor my right eye, but it depends on how I'm holding the camera, really. :P

[C2S]

Why five threads of the same subject... (and to answer the question: right eye for me)

[bbqKing]

Both eyes, i think