Advice fron those who wear glasses and have a camera with 100% viewfinders? Please!

I have used varifocals for years and see everything pinsharp in the 7D viewfinder. The only limitation comes when I happen to wear the polarized varifocals. Sharpness as such is there, but the viewfinder brightness is not quite enough and I easily get some disturbing effects due to the polarisation. That's why I almost always have the two pairs with me to swap when photographing.

Like other people here, I wear progressive glasses. They are not bi- or tri-vocals, rather the focal distance changes gradually from top to bottom. I have to wear glasses all the time. Absolutely no problem looking through a VF. Of course some minor optical adjustment on the VF is needed, but it is done only once, the rest is taken care by the glasses.

same here, no problems. I did almost return my glasses when I got them new though, took me a couple of days to get used to them and things stopped looking like I'm drunk, LOL

I have a Pentax K-5 DSLR. An excellent, feature laden unit and I can easily adjust my multi diopters . I found what I needed when I first bought the camera and have left it on that setting.

I use bifocals and have for many years. I look through the viewfinder, using both bottom and top of my glasses...but generally am looking through the top of the glasses. I can see subtle changes of expression and miniscule details through my K-5 viewfinder with my bifocals.

When I first got bifocals I had some difficulty knowing whether to look through the bottom or the top of the glass lens and sometimes found myself having difficulty looking through the wrong bifocal lens for the vision need I had at that moment.

It took me about 6 weeks before everything all sorted itself out. Now using the proper bifocal lens...comes automatically.

I don't know how long you have used bifocals but if you are new...there will be a period of adjustment.

Also I just wear one pair. Wearing two different glasses I would think I would find confusing for a longer period.

Same for me 5d3 and varifocals no problem at all.

phantelope wrote in post #16795132
same here, no problems. I did almost return my glasses when I got them new though, took me a couple of days to get used to them and things stopped looking like I'm drunk, LOL

Actually, it is more than a couple of days, my doctor told me right away that it would take about a couple weeks, and it did. But since then I would not have it any other way, and I have had only progressive lenses for the last ten years.

I wear progressive lenses and have the viewfinder optics adjusted for viewing through the "distant" section. No problem with sharpness, only with coverage.

As far as I know, viewfinders are designed so that whatever is displayed in there (image as well as data) is seen by the eye as being located at infinity.

No problems with my progressive tri-focals other than the usual smearing!

I have always wondered if anyone purchased the Hoodman glasses.
http://www.hoodmanusa.​com/products.asp?dept=​1067

agedbriar wrote in post #16795379
As far as I know, viewfinders are designed so that whatever is displayed in there (image as well as data) is seen by the eye as being located at infinity.

Since my vision is corrected with contacts for myopia (short-sightedness), if the "displayed image" including data were correct for infinity then I would need no diopter adjustment because my distance vision (including infinity) is perfect.

However, I *do* require diopter correction which leads me to believe that your understanding may be incorrect.

This is just one of the many frustrations from getting older!

Dwain

MakisM1 wrote in post #16786871
Looks like I am not the only old geezer around here...

Speak for yourself.

My problem is that I still haven't figured out what I want to do when I grow up.

agedbriar wrote in post #16795379
IAs far as I know, viewfinders are designed so that whatever is displayed in there (image as well as data) is seen by the eye as being located at infinity.

No, it's closer to reading distance. That's why older people with presbyopia who need reading glasses also need a dioptric adjustment on their camera viewfinder if they aren't going to use their reading glasses.

Lbsimon wrote in post #16795342
Actually, it is more than a couple of days, my doctor told me right away that it would take about a couple weeks, and it did.

I arranged not to drive for 3 days, but probably needn't have bothered. After a day I was fine. It depends on the person.

Mark Kemp wrote in post #16795263
Same for me 5d3 and varifocals no problem at all.

Myself also, no problems with varifocals on any of my cameras over the years (currently 5DIII, 7D and EOS3)

melcat wrote in post #16796342
No, it's closer to reading distance.

In that case, I couldn't get a sharp image by viewing through the "distant" section at all, since for reading I have a +2.5D addition, which the viewfinder diopter correction doesn't provide.

Moreover, a -3D to +1D adjustment (as per OP) is what would normally be provided for distant vision.

+1D correction for distance isn't so little even for aged people. For reading we usually need more plus, of course.