right or left eye viewing

fstop · Aug 9, 2014

benjiboy said:
I don't think I could do that I would find it too counter-intuitive and too slow.

A winder takes care of that problem if shooting fast.

left eye this is why I prefer Minolta XD bodies, they are "on" with out the advance lever poking you like many Nikons but a MD12 or 15 takes care of this issue.

analoguey · Aug 9, 2014

Left for 35mm (D)SLRs. With the RB67 wlf-magnifier, the right, I think. I prefer the convenience of using both on the view camera.

Tried using right eye to focus on a 35mm recently and found it awkward.

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removed account4 · Aug 9, 2014

i mainly use my rt, but when i hurt it a few weeks back used my lft .... images were different. ...

Tinykin · Aug 9, 2014

I've never thought about it until reading this thread. I use my left eye. But I just tried my right (on my A-1) and although I found it awkward, I could move the film advance whilst still viewing. I wonder if I missed a simple trick over all these years?

Alan Gales · Aug 9, 2014

Anyone ever use their middle eye?

I'm sorry, just a Twilight Zone moment.

analoguey · Aug 9, 2014

Only when angry or when visualising the image(print), Alan.

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winger · Aug 9, 2014

I'm left eye dominant. It never even crossed my mind until a police officer noticed and said something. Normally I wouldn't even have been using a camera at a scene but I wanted some specific shots and there wasn't anyone else around to do them. Scene photography was not part of my job. I sometimes look out my right eye while shooting, but it depends on what I'm doing. I've never had a problem with the winder in my forehead, but my nose leaves smudges on the back. Occasionally, my nose has pushed buttons on the PZ-1p.
Oddly, I'm right-handed and left-footed as well. According to my genetics professor (back awhile, new info might be different), the three are in order and it's weird for the middle one (handed-ness) to be different from both of the others.

Truzi · Aug 10, 2014

I use my left eye. Perhaps it's dominant, but I've always felt more comfortable with the camera "centered" on my face. The winder doesn't bother me, and this placement helps steady the camera at lower speeds.

Xmas · Aug 10, 2014

Truzi said:
I use my left eye. Perhaps it's dominant, but I've always felt more comfortable with the camera "centered" on my face. The winder doesn't bother me, and this placement helps steady the camera at lower speeds.

But you end up with a nose like a boxer dog?

wiltw · Aug 10, 2014

Ignoring the topic of eye dominance (which differs from person to person) most 35mm cameras are laid out to the advantage of the right eye dominant shooter, just as most rifles are, too!
The average SLR has a shorter body section protruding to the left than to the right, allowing the photographer to open the non-viewfinder eye and see around the camera, which is important when shooting sports at the sidelines and seeing a running player coming in your direction! And when the camera is rotated CCW into Portrait position, the non-viewfinder eye still can see around the body of the camera.
And as you advance the film/wind the shutter, the rapid return winder lever does not interfere with your face when you aim with your right eye; it gets in the way and you have to move the camera a bit away from your face to advance fil/wind the shutter, when you aim with left eye!
In rifles, hot brass cartridges are ejected out the right, so if you used your left eye to aim, the possibility of hot brass ejected into your shirt is a danger. (Admittedly newer guns might employ a deflector to bounce the hot brass away from even the left eye rifleman!)

The M16A1 during Viet Nam conflict ejected hot brass to the right, and riflemen were trained to shoot thru the right eye aim due to the hot brass issue...you don't want hot brass at >600 rounds a minute (in full automatic) coming into your shirt!

Xmas · Aug 10, 2014

winger said:
I'm left eye dominant. It never even crossed my mind until a police officer noticed and said something. Normally I wouldn't even have been using a camera at a scene but I wanted some specific shots and there wasn't anyone else around to do them. Scene photography was not part of my job. I sometimes look out my right eye while shooting, but it depends on what I'm doing. I've never had a problem with the winder in my forehead, but my nose leaves smudges on the back. Occasionally, my nose has pushed buttons on the PZ-1p.
Oddly, I'm right-handed and left-footed as well. According to my genetics professor (back awhile, new info might be different), the three are in order and it's weird for the middle one (handed-ness) to be different from both of the others.

Well when you were little they may have forced you to write with the wrong hand?

Which hand to you pitch a slow baseball with?

Which hand do you catch with?

Which hand do you start three ball with?

Which hand do you finish three ball with?

You might be an ambi...

winger · Aug 10, 2014

Xmas said:
Well when you were little they may have forced you to write with the wrong hand?

Which hand to you pitch a slow baseball with?

Which hand do you catch with?

Which hand do you start three ball with?

Which hand do you finish three ball with?

You might be an ambi...

Hah - I can't throw with either hand. But I throw better with my right. What is three ball?? I'm bad at most sports that involve a baseball sized ball. I was great at badminton, decent at soccer, not horrible at basketball (just too short, dribble better with my right), and ok at pond hockey (better with a left handed stick than right, too). According to my mom, they did not make me use my right and her father was ambidextrous. There are some things I can do better lefty than righty (mostly lab things). At one point in high school, I tried to use my left for everything and it was a dismal failure. I do think I'm a righty, but I probably could have been turned into a lefty if anyone had tried.

Ken Nadvornick · Aug 11, 2014

winger said:
...not horrible at basketball (just too short, dribble better with my right)...

Uh oh. Loose lips sink ships.

Just in case you and I should ever square off at the top of the key, I just updated my scouting reports on you...

:devil:

Ken

Xmas · Aug 11, 2014

winger said:
Hah - I can't throw with either hand. But I throw better with my right. What is three ball?? I'm bad at most sports that involve a baseball sized ball. I was great at badminton, decent at soccer, not horrible at basketball (just too short, dribble better with my right), and ok at pond hockey (better with a left handed stick than right, too). According to my mom, they did not make me use my right and her father was ambidextrous. There are some things I can do better lefty than righty (mostly lab things). At one point in high school, I tried to use my left for everything and it was a dismal failure. I do think I'm a righty, but I probably could have been turned into a lefty if anyone had tried.

Three ball is juggling with three tennis sized balls all the girls I grew up with did this absent mindedly and talked at same time. Some gathered the balls in left some in right, some varied.

Which hand do you use for badminton?

Do you trap or volley with left or right at soccer or either or need to run around.

Likely you are ambi, lots are ambi clumsy, cause they have split 'trained' be real difficult to train for other now.

darkosaric · Aug 11, 2014

+1 for left eye dominant.

winger · Aug 11, 2014

Xmas said:
Three ball is juggling with three tennis sized balls all the girls I grew up with did this absent mindedly and talked at same time. Some gathered the balls in left some in right, some varied.

Which hand do you use for badminton?

Do you trap or volley with left or right at soccer or either or need to run around.

Likely you are ambi, lots are ambi clumsy, cause they have split 'trained' be real difficult to train for other now.

Can't juggle at all, though I never really tried that much. It isn't that big over here.
I used my right for badminton. When we played baseball or softball in gym class, I was equally bad with both hands, but could swing the bat either way. I could occasionally hit the ball either way (I have a hard time seeing how far away something small is if it's moving towards me or away from me).
In soccer, I get more accuracy and power kicking with my left. I usually would trap it and make the first kick with my left. I was always more comfortable playing on the left side of the field and ended up as left midfield in college (I used to be a fairly fast runner). My left foot is not quite as dominant now because I worked to get my right better when I had surgery on my left knee.
I wouldn't be surprised if I'm ambi. I'm curious to see what little Nate turns out to be. He's 4 1/2 and will use each hand for many things. He really doesn't seem to have a strong preference for either and might be ambi. His dad (Ken) is sorta lefty, but uses his right for many things (he might have been forced to be a righty - I have to remember to ask). Ken shoots and is a righty for that, but had to force it I think.

Xmas · Aug 11, 2014

If you are going to do combat pistol it is best to only use wrong hand... just in case you get winged.

You probably have ambi genes...

Sorry about surgery that can hurt.

2bits · Aug 11, 2014

It all depends on which eye is your dominant eye. Same thing applies to shooting firearms. My father understood this when I was a little kid. Even though I am left handed I shoot fire arms and camera's basically right hand and eye because of the dominant right eye.
It would be very awkward for me to shoot left handed or view through a camera with the left eye.

snowblind · Aug 14, 2014

I used to always use my left eye. I'm right-handed, and equally sighted in both eyes but it just seemed more natural to hold the camera with right eye closed and left eye in the viewfinder. Then I realised, I always had to take the camera away from my head to wind on and also realised that the play in the winder lever is there specifically so that you can leave your thumb under it and wind quicly without taking the camera away from your face. I had to switch to my right eye to make that work (that which I had seen countless classic movie shots of pro photogs doing but never could work out for myself). I now use my right eye. It was an epiphany - I just assumed left eye, in the absence of any instruction, but it then became clear that the cameras were designed for the right eye!

LJSLATER · Aug 23, 2014

I am right-handed, but my left eye is dominant. I shoot with my left eye an am constantly poking my right eye with my thumb and winder. I shoot rifles and shotguns left-handed, but pistols right-handed. The first time I picked up a guitar, I instinctively held it left-handed. I've never played sports, but I do skateboard and I am a goofy foot (but not mongo). I tell people I would be ambidextrous except I can't use either hand well!

right or left eye viewing

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