Struggling with two-eyed shooting.

[gutguido]

Hi. Just starting out with Leica after a few years of shooting digital. Leaving behind all that automation is a very humbling, but at the same time exciting experience.

My biggest struggle so far is adjusting to two-eyed shooting. I am left-eye dominant and I used to shut my right eye when shooting DSLR. With the Leica M, I love the way the rangefinder make me feel like part of the scene while shooting, and I'm trying hard to adapt to shooting with my right eye while keeping my left eye open.

But so far, after a week or so of repeated trying, it's just not working very well. I consistently "see double" which makes composition and focusing impossible. I'm sure the fact that I wear glasses (on a .72 viewfinder) doesn't help.

Is there anyone who's gone through the same adjustment curve who can share your experience?

Thakn you.

[dof]

I too am left-eye dominant and so I simply view with my left eye. This is a personal choice no matter what anyone may tell you. Perhaps you might try shooting with your right eye closed and see if that is any better for you.

Cheers,


-J.

[35mmdelux]

I don't think about these things anymore. Lift, point, and shoot.

[Nh3]

This is a joke thread and its funny.

[gutguido]

Originally Posted by dof

I too am left-eye dominant and so I simply view with my left eye. This is a personal choice no matter what anyone may tell you. Perhaps you might try shooting with your right eye closed and see if that is any better for you.

Cheers,


-J.

Thank you for the encouragement.

I am experimenting with the two-eyed not so much out of a sense of what is the "right" method; I do enjoy the feeling of being able to use another eye to keep evaluating the scene, and I just feel much more involved and part of the action shooting this way. But the problems with vision are rendering many of my images simply unusable.

I just can't fathom why I'm having this issue. Thousands of people shoot two-eyed, I've googled this for two days and I can't find a single similar complaint. I'm convinced it's just me, and I'm feeling rather stupid at the moment.

[Vin Vermier]

Originally Posted by gutguido

Thank you for the encouragement.

I am experimenting with the two-eyed not so much out of a sense of what is the "right" method; I do enjoy the feeling of being able to use another eye to keep evaluating the scene, and I just feel much more involved and part of the action shooting this way. But the problems with vision are rendering many of my images simply unusable.

I just can't fathom why I'm having this issue. Thousands of people shoot two-eyed, I've googled this for two days and I can't find a single similar complaint. I'm convinced it's just me, and I'm feeling rather stupid at the moment.

Don't pay any attention to knuckleheads who think they're being smart. And don't feel inadequate about yourself or your shooting style. Do what works for you and accept it as "your" technique. Shoot left-eyed with right eye closed if it helps you compose and focus your shot. I used to be left eye dominant, but now shoot with my right exclusively BUT I have to keep my left eye closed otherwise, like you, I see double. No amount of practice has "cured" me of this problem. I gave up trying years ago and now don't give it a second thought. Important thing is to just use your camera and take photos as best suits your way of seeing.
V

[gutguido]

Originally Posted by Vin Vermier

I have to keep my right eye closed otherwise, like you, I see double. No amount of practice has "cured" me of this problem.
V

Thanks Vin for your kind words.

It was especially important for me to know that this might be a problem which can't be fixed even with practice. That was very helpful.

No sense in is there.

I will manage just fine going back to the left-eye only mode. I just felt it was a shame that I seemed to have discovered a way of shooting, coupled with the rangefinder which gave me such a sense of excitement, but I couldn't make use of it.

[Vin Vermier]

Originally Posted by gutguido

Thanks Vin for your kind words.

It was especially important for me to know that this might be a problem which can't be fixed even with practice. That was very helpful.

No sense in is there.

I will manage just fine going back to the left-eye only mode. I just felt it was a shame that I seemed to have discovered a way of shooting, coupled with the rangefinder which gave me such a sense of excitement, but I couldn't make use of it.

You are in good company, as I'm pretty certain one of the great RF gurus, Tom Abrahamsson, is a left-eyed shooter.

[gutguido]

Originally Posted by Keith

monovision contacts have the most powerful lens for distance fitted to the naturally dominant eye while the other eye is set for near distances (reading etc) with a weaker lens!

That sounds very disorienting. I am near-sighted and astigmatic to different degrees across two eyes, so yes my glasses are aoso fitted differently to compensate, but what you described sounds much more extreme!

[gutguido]

Originally Posted by Vin Vermier

You are in good company, as I'm pretty certain one of the great RF gurus, Tom Abrahamsson, is a left-eyed shooter.

The only other things I have in common with Tom would be, we both live on this planet, we are both alive, and we are both male. Oh and I guess I also lived in Western Canada for a time.

Photography-wise, other than we both own Leicas, I'm sure I have nothing in common with him!!

[Roger Hicks]

My wife is left-eye-dominant too, and has never got around to shooting right-eyed, both eyes open.

It's a mildly useful trick if you can do it, but even then, it is not always all that much use: mainly, I find, when I'm waiting for something to happen and have already pre-focused on the spot where I want it to happen. In this situation, where you have already focused, you might find that you can look through the finder with your right eye and view the overall scene with your left eye.

But if you can't, don't worry about it.

Cheers,

Roger

[RichardB]

Don't worry, use your left eye.
I started with Nikon F's in the 1960's and wondered why other photogs didn't need to move the camera away form thier eyes to wind until I found out that cameras are made for right eyed people.
I am left eye dominant and tried to change during high school for Small Bore Rifle Match Shooting. didn't work.
I even managed to make some money in Graduate School doing weddings and being a Staff Photog for a newspaper, all with no motors and left eye shooting.
When Nikon FM's and Motors became available, solved the winding problem. I use an FM and FM3a for long lens work with MD-12 motors.
Now use M7's with Motor M's and have Leicavit which solves the winding problem.
Consider one of those options if you want to work without moving the camera to wind.
Good luck! -Dick

[ClaremontPhoto]

I'm a left eye person too using my right eye for rangefinder photos.

I close my left eye to focus the lens, then open it to scope the scene and make the photo.

If you have pre-focussed at 10m and the actual subject is at 11m it doesn't matter at all.

[tedwin]

Does the viewfinder magnification have anything to do with all this?

I had an R3A for a time and could quite easily see the whole seen with 'hovering' frame lines. Now I'm using one 0.95 finder and one 0.74 finder (I think) and I never 'see' with both eyes. This is despite both eyes always being open (even with slr's) I only know they both stay open because subjects find it amusing and a little odd so it gets pointed out. Brain seems to automatically ignore whatever is coming in to the spare eye unless it can amalgamate it with what's coming in through the eye being concentrated on - as with the life size finder.

Ted.

[johnastovall]

I've been shooting with my left eye for 40+ years with Leicas and various SLR's and it's never been a problem or prevented me from selling work and having shows.

Don't worry about it. What you see is more important than what eye you use.

[gutguido]

Originally Posted by johnastovall

Don't worry about it. What you see is more important than what eye you use.

Thank you to all for being so kind and offering your encouragement.

I am shooting with my old way of using the left eye again (albeit with the Leica I don't need to squint my right eye.)

Like John said, I've been so immersed in trying to find unique things to see that I haven't given how I'm seeing a second thought.

Not to mention being pre-occupied with things like, uh, getting the exposure and focus right. This is my first time ever with a film and manual camera after all!