right or left eye viewing

[cliveh]

Do you look through the viewfinder with your right or left eye? I use my right eye and close my left, which is just as well, as I’m unable to close my right eye and keep the left open. Does right or left eye viewing make any difference?

 

[Alan Gales]

Use whichever eye works for you. My left eye is dominate over my right eye but I still use my right eye because I've used it all these years and I'm comfortable that way. On a large format camera I use my loupe with my right eye also. If my right eye gets worse I may have to switch to my left or start wearing my glasses while shooting.

I see you use a rangefinder. I find it more comfortable using my right eye with a rangefinder because of my big nose.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I like it with right for RF and little scale focusing cameras. For P&S, SLR and TLR I often use left one, because it is less problematic without glasses.
For "street" photography I often use both open, and for something moving fast into the frame as well.

 

[Alan W]

I use my left and keep my right open.I wish I could do it the other way 'round,but that's the way they designed me.

 

[Xmas]

I can use either eye but leave both open.

 

[DannL.]

"Man looks in the viewfinder, there’s nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him from using miniature format cameras."


I always use the best eye, which can vary day to day.

 

[David Brown]

Many (if not most) 35mm cameras seem to be made to use the right eye. I did so for 40+ years until the cataract in the right eye got to the point where everything was fuzzy. Left eye is still fine, so I have had to switch to it for all viewfinders, grain focusers, loupes, etc. Fortunately, I can also use the left eye without spectacles for such things. We take what we can get.

So, to the original question: does it make a difference. Well, to me, yes.

 

[Trail Images]

After a left eye early in life injury I'm extremely right eye dominate and really have no choice for the most part. Seems to work just fine for me.

 

[elekm]

Right eye. Keeps my big melon head out of the way of my hand.

 

[Alex Muir]

I tend to use my right eye, but could use the left if needed. For cine filming, it is recommended to keep both eyes open so that you can see what might be about to move into your frame. I have a Bolex K1 camera that has a viewfinder that shows more than the actual frame. The surround is coloured yellow so that you can see what's immediately outside the frame whilst the actual filmed area remains obvious. It works really well. Not really needed for static subjects, though.
Alex

 

[Sirius Glass]

Right eye with the Hasselblad because of the eye cup. I could rotate the cup but I have not bothered. With other cameras, either eye.

 

[MattKing]

I use my left and keep my right open.I wish I could do it the other way 'round,but that's the way they designed me.

Same for me, although I'm not sure who "they" are, other than it must have been a committee.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

I use my right eye except with my rollei wvf I use both eyes.

Jeff

 

[Kirks518]

Right eye.

The only time it is an issue is when I use the Prominent. It seems to have been designed with left-eye-dominant users in mind.

 

[bvy]

I have lazy eye (left) and diplopia. So it has to be the right eye.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Right eye. But I often focus with the left eye open too. Force of habit...

 

[Alan W]

Same for me, although I'm not sure who "they" are, other than it must have been a committee.

I'm still trying to figure it out meself,MattKing.

 

[Light Guru]

BOTH of my eyes fit nicely under the dark cloth of my 4x5 view camera.

 

[hugopoon]

Left. Can't focus on any system with my right.

 

[Dave Swinnard]

Same for me, although I'm not sure who "they" are, other than it must have been a committee.

Yeah, and me too. Left eyed my whole life (right one was cock-eyed until a couple of surgeries). Never did get the hang of the Leica RF cameras a colleague loved, my forehead kept getting in the way of the film winder...

 

[polka]

Never did get the hang of the Leica RF cameras a colleague loved, my forehead kept getting in the way of the film winder...

I am left too, but I find it convenient to use all these right oriented rangefinders : I "stabilize" the camera with my nose

Paul

 

[benjiboy]

Right eye, I can't use the wind on lever if I use my left eye my face gets in the way.

 

[mooseontheloose]

Right eye, I can't use the wind on lever if I use my left eye my face gets in the way.

I always use my left eye, for all formats. With my old SLRs I thought it was normal to have the lever pressing into your face. I just move my head out of the way when I need to wind the the lever. I've never really thought about it before.

 

[benjiboy]

I always use my left eye, for all formats. With my old SLRs I thought it was normal to have the lever pressing into your face. I just move my head out of the way when I need to wind the the lever. I've never really thought about it before.

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

 

[fotch]

I use my right eye except when I use the Graflex SLR.