[Leica] Re: Which eye(s) do you use?

[Ken Wilcox <wilcox@tir.com>]

Paul:

The rule is - do whatever works for you!

I used to use my left eye until a year ago. I was strongly left eye
dominant. Damage to the vision of my left eye forced me to switch to my
right eye. After a little practice it worked just as well.

I find lately that I enjoy using separate BL finders. IN the 35mm an longer
lengths they give a life size image. When using them I keep both eyes open.
I find that I can use both eyes also with an M3 but not with other M
cameras.

Ken Wilcox

At 7:29 -0700 9/2/0, a fine scholar, Paul Fjelstad wrote:

>This is really basic, about the most basic technique question I can imagine:
>Which eye(s) do you employ when you use your M?
>
>For horizontal shots, at least, I tend to keep both eyes open, with my left
>eye looking through the viewfinder and my right one essentially blacked out
>because it's up against the back of the camera. The other main choices would
>seem to be using the right eye and closing the left ... or viewfinding with
>the right eye but still keeping the left open, so one eye sees through the
>viewfinder and the other sees the same basic scene through mere air.
>
>I see a certain appeal to using this last method, shooting with both eyes
>open and watching the shot both through the viewfinder and through the air;
>it contributes to the environmentally aware aspects that help make
>rangefinder photography different and more "participatory." It does seem to
>require some brain adjustments when framing, and especially when focusing,
>because each eye is seeing things a bit differently. (Maybe closing the left
>eye during focusing is appropriate, for clearer sighting of the split
>image?) Of course, the magnification of the viewfinder (.72, .85, whatever)
>might also play a role here, in that it affects how different the views of
>the two eyes are.
>
>What do you think about this, and what do you do? (Is there a standard I've
>been neglecting?)
>
>Paul.


- ----
Ken Wilcox                                Carolyn's Personal Touch Portraits
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