Blurry vision in non-dominant eye with Rangefinder

brent8927 · May 6, 2019

I just started shooting with a Leica and find that even with using it briefly, my left eye will be a bit blurry for a while after. I use my right eye to compose and I do close my left eye.

I do not have this problem with my Hasselblad. I use a waist-level finder, but I also use my right eye to compose and close my left eye.

My thought is my left eye must be having trouble accommodating--with the Hasselblad I am focusing on a virtual screen about 2.5 inches away, but with the Leica I am focusing on a real image at some fraction of the real distance (since the viewfinder is a lens, and there's no focusing screen).

Just curious if anyone else has had this problem as well. I haven't found much info about others having this issue, but the few I did said keeping your left eye open helps. Which it does, but it makes it hard to compose the image and it also freaks out my wife a little bit...

Billy Axeman · May 6, 2019

I once had this in quite a severe way, and it happens when I am closing the not-used eye in a too forceful way. After some time the eye gets somewhat blurred and one starts rubbing the eye which makes it even worse. So, I think the solution is to keep the not-used eye relaxed consciously or even open.

The famous Japanese photographer Araki lost sight in one eye. I can be wrong, and it is only my interpretation without researching the cause, but there is a possibility it is the result of an extreme use of camera's his whole life long. Anyway, I learned from that to be very careful and to be alert it would not happen again.

AgX · May 6, 2019

Camera eyepieces differ in their diopter.
For someone not perfectly sighted one eypiece may be useless, but the other still usable, but with stress.
The remedy would be to attach a respective correction lens for diopter (or even custom made for other shortcomings).

Wallendo · May 6, 2019

When was your last eye exam? If it has been a while, you should probably get your eyes checked. It may be that the eye stress of using a rangefinder is exposing an issue that may not otherwise be apparent until more advanced.

brent8927 · May 6, 2019

I’ve never had an eye exam-vision has been 20/20 my whole life, but getting an exam is probably not a bad idea...

AgX · May 6, 2019

Brent, you likely are not aware of it, but you are getting older.

jim10219 · May 6, 2019

Billy Axeman said:
I once had this in quite a severe way, and it happens when I am closing the not-used eye in a too forceful way. After some time the eye gets somewhat blurred and one starts rubbing the eye which makes it even worse. So, I think the solution is to keep the not-used eye relaxed consciously or even open.

Yeah, that's my experience as well. I usually compose and focus with both eyes open, and then just close the other eye right before snapping the photo, as a final check. I find it's easier to focus out of just one eye with both eyes open if you tilt your head to the side a bit, so that the unused eye is pointing away from your subject.

brent8927 · May 6, 2019

AgX said:
Brent, you likely are not aware of it, but you are getting older.

I suppose I am... But I still feel young!

Pentode · May 6, 2019

You might try having a few less mojitos before you go out to make photographs.

The relaxation suggestion is a good one. Also, when we concentrate very intently on something (such as composing a picture) we can forget to breathe normally and that can have a rather large impact on our eyesight. Relaxed, normal breathing provides our blood and our optic nerves with plenty of oxygen, which we need to focus correctly.

The suggestion to get an eye exam is a very good one, especially if you’ve never gotten one.

Ko.Fe. · May 6, 2019

How about not closing the left eye?
This is how Leica could be also used. With non 1:1 VF it is more difficult to frame, but not so difficult to focus.

brent8927 · May 9, 2019

So my vision came back fine-20/20, nothing wrong. But I still have a very noticeable difference when using my leica vs using my Hasselblad. Maybe it has to do with where my right eye is focusing-with the Hasselblad I’m focusing on a screen about 2.5 inches away when I use the waist level finder at chest height and am doing critical focusing (if I hold it at waist level for better framing both eyes are open)

I’m still new to rangefinders, but I believe I am actually focusing at a point that is some percent of the actual distance from the object, correct?

Usually focusing close is the harder thing, so it’s a bit weird... Most people would have more difficulty with the Hasselblad. And it only happens if I focus with my right eye and close my left, not if I focus with my left eye and close my right...

If I keep both eyes open it’s ok, but I find it very difficult to frame my photo this way.

The opthalmologist unfortunately had no ideas...

StepheKoontz · May 10, 2019

This is what I love about my nikon S2 1:1 finder and you can compose and focus with both eyes open.

Ces1um · May 10, 2019

Billy Axeman said:
I once had this in quite a severe way, and it happens when I am closing the not-used eye in a too forceful way. After some time the eye gets somewhat blurred and one starts rubbing the eye which makes it even worse. So, I think the solution is to keep the not-used eye relaxed consciously or even open.
.

I think you've hit the nail on the head here. I've had this happen while shooting pellet pistols and when using my rangefinder. I really think it does have something to do with how tightly one closes the eye.

brent8927 · May 10, 2019

Ces1um said:
I think you've hit the nail on the head here. I've had this happen while shooting pellet pistols and when using my rangefinder. I really think it does have something to do with how tightly one closes the eye.

This would make sense to me if it happened with both cameras, but it doesn't. I've even tried closing my eye very gently. I'm thinking it may be more of an issue with where my right eye is focusing through the rangefinder, my left eye accommodating for that, then my (dominant) right eye readjusting quickly upon removing the camera, and my left eye taking longer to accommodate.

Yet, if I don't close my left eye and I hold my let hand in front of it while I take a picture, then I have no problems. I'm just having difficulty explaining why I would have a problem when looking one-eyed through one camera and not the other. I never had this issue with an SLR, but it's also been a few years since I tried one. I guess I'll have to pick one up and see if I have any problems with that.

Billy Axeman · May 10, 2019

@brent8927 I got an idea. If you look at photo's from guys and gals in the Olympic shooting discipline many of them have placed a flap before the non-used eye to block out vision (search Images in a search machine).

Perhaps you can do something similar by taping a small flap to the left side of the camera (if your right eye is dominant). That would allow you to keep both eyes open without being distracted. You can do this as a test, only to find out the cause of your problem, and implement an alternative strategy if this helps.

Blurry vision in non-dominant eye with Rangefinder

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