Which eye?

[gideon_leventhall_airley]

<p>I've watched photographers of all shapes and sizes, movements and positions; some look comfortable, some look a little twisted.<br>

That said, the 'snapper' always has an eye comfort..... <strong>When you look through your viewfinder, which eye do you use?</strong></p>

<p>Me? <strong>LEFT.</strong></p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>My left eye has slightly less astigmatism than the right, so I use it for critical focusing, especially with a rangefinder camera. Otherwise my right eye is slightly more convenient. In the old days you needed space to operate a film winding lever, which is partially why the Leica finder is on the extreme left. SLR finders are largely centered, so you can actually use either eye with equal ease (or equal discomfort). While most of the SLR controls are right of the finder, it's not all that hard to look with your left eye either.</p>

<p>Eye dominance doesn't really matter when using a viewfinder or telescope, and has nothing to do with which eye sees better. Only when using both eyes simultaneously does one eye lead and the other follow. A majority of us lefties don't have a strong eye dominance factor.</p>

[MarcelRomviel]

<p>I use my left eye.</p>

[SCL]

<p>Right eye - almost blind in my left, besides my nose gets in the way using the left on rangefinder bodies!</p>

[rnt]

<p>Right eye- so the film advance lever is clear of my face.</p>

[michaellinder]

<p>A vote for the left . . .</p>

[Jochen_S]

<p>Uncorrected: Left, but it tends to feel awkward. - With contact lenses I'm happily using my right eye.</p>

[BelaMolnar]

<p>The SLR camera, including the first RF too, was designed for the use of the right eyes, a way from the film advance knob or lever, it is logical. Still today, most of the people using the right eye, then you left eye is free to look directly to the subject if you wan to. If the camera was designed symmetrical, you still haw the problem with the film advance lever. Or, DSLR, the control dial. So, it is logical to use the right eye. Otherwise, it is like the left handed and right handed business.</p>

[Damon DAmato]

<p>People have a dominant eye just like a dominant hand. The phenomenon is called, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocular_dominance">"Ocular dominance"</a> <br /><br />My dominant eye is my left, and that's what I use to frame and focus.<br />I've been shooting SLRs since 1975, and my nose never got in the way, and I can look around with my other eye just fine. When I shot film, the lever wasn't hitting me in the right eye. You simply end up holding the camera and your head at slight angles rather than flat against your face. It's not something that I ever consciously did, it's just the natural way to hold the camera for me.<br /><br />As was said, it has nothing to do with which eye sees better. It's just more natural to use my left eye. It really wouldn't occur to me to shoot with my right eye, just like I wouldn't try to throw a baseball with my left hand. I could do it-- but it's not what comes naturally, and would take more concentration and effort than just using my right. <br /><br />Being left eyed and right handed (or the other way around) is much more of a problem shooting rifles and other long arms that shooting with a camera, because it's very awkward to reach your head over to site.</p>

[Renee Shipley]

<p>Hmmm. I don't know!</p>

[fotolopithecus]

<p>I've always used my left eye which was awkward during the film days because of the film advance lever. I tried to switch to my right eye but found it impossible to close the left eye, and fully open the right at the same time. It didn't occur to me the first time I picked up a camera that it was designed for right eyed people. What the Heck lefties, Jimi Hendrix played his guitar upside down. ;)</p>

[Sanford]

<p>I'm left handed and use my left eye, I was under the impression the two went together.</p>

[Monophoto]

<p>The one that works.</p>

<p>Seriously, I always used my right eye until I lost vision due to a detached retina. So now I use my left eye.</p>

[gulfbeach47]

<p>Left eye. Most pics would be abstract if I used my very weak right eye:)<br /><br />Wearing glasses very annoying for me. Mainly because I get oil stains on upper part of glasses. Before important shoots, I usually trim my eyebrows and this helps a little.<br /><br />Noticing that even with new prescription I am having to back away from the eyepiece a little to focus. With my D300, even turning the diopter adjustment does not help like it used to. The joy of getting older:)</p>

[AlanKlein]

<p>My right eye is dominant and that's the one I use in a viewfinder. </p>

<p>Here's how to determine which eye is dominant. http://vision.about.com/od/contactlenses/ht/Eye_Dominance.htm</p>

[lex_jenkins]

Left eye dominant, although I'm right handed and

have better acuity in the right eye.

[Spearhead]

<p>I use my mind's eye.</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<blockquote>

<p>Still today, most of the people using the right eye, then you left eye is free to look directly to the subject if you wan to.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Not at all what I observe. Most people with SLR/DSLR I see (and/or know) use the left eye. This includes hordes of tourists coming to visit my surroundings. Me included. It always have just felt natural to me to use the left eye, be it with modern bodies, be it with older ones where the advance lever would poke my eye. I've tried right, but I find it less comfortable and my left eye is slightly better (at least, last time it was tested).</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Right eye dominant, but as my sight in the left is very much better that's the one I use. My nose does, eventually, leave a mark on the screen that doesn't want to come off. Probably ingrained habit now and fixable only in the same sense that I could learn to write left handed. I like using Live View as I can then use both eyes.</p>

[bob_bill]

<p>Right eye. I have monovision. L eye distance, R eye reading. Probably started in film days so could advance film with camera at eye. Also, if used L eye, my right thumb going up the back of the camera gets in the way of my multi broken nose. I tend to wedge the camera tightly to my forehead, eyebrow to help with sharpness. </p>

[AlanKlein]

<p> Bob +1. The advance lever is blocked if you're looking with the left eye with an old film SLR. Old habit but then I also aim a rifle with my right eye which is more natural as well.</p>

[bob_bill]

<p>Alan, As a former shot gun hunter, I usually keep both eyes open. </p>

[Matthew Currie]

<p>I always used to use the left, which was my dominant eye, and although a bit weaker than the right was a bit less far sighted, so needed less diopter. Except on Minoltas, whose viewfinder magnification is so perfect that when using a 50 mm. lens, you can open both eyes and the camera becomes transparent! On the Minolta I tended to use the right.</p>

<p>Then I had a bad accident and cranial nerve damage that skewed my horizons, and my dominant eye changed. I awoke with a dominant right eye along with my crazy double vision. Now I use the right. </p>

[chris_waller]

<p>I'm right-handed but always instinctively use my left eye. My left eye used to have greater acuity but now that is no longer the case however, regardless of that, for some reason, I cannot compose a picture using my right eye.</p>

[donald_miller5]

It just depends on which one is the dominant eye. It doesn't make any difference what the manufacturer had in mind