Viewfinders and Spectacles

[Keith]

I realise this is a little 'off topic' but I just wondered if any spectacle wearing forum members suffer the dreaded smudge on their spectacle lens after a session with the camera and what, if anything, they do to avoid it.
I have tried altering the dioptre to use the viewfinder without wearing spectacles but unfortunately I struggle to see what I want to take a photo of without them .
I then have to put my specs back on to see the results on the ldc.
I have tried cleaning the rubber surround on the viewfinder without too much success.
Any tips....please!

Keith

[Colin Southern]

Use Liveview and keep your reading glassses on

I believe that you can also get viewfinder eyepieces with stronger settings - off memory I think that the default simulates vision at 1m, but to be honest, I really don't understand it.

[Donald]

Use Liveview and keep your reading glassses on

Aahh, but .......

This doesn't work so well for those of who use varifocals. Imagine the scene: You're on your knees (or lying flat on the ground). Liveview is on. The reading (i.e. close up clarity) bit of your glasses is the bottom half. Someone passes by and wonders why your head is pointing at the sky as you try and position it (your head) so that the bottom half of your glasses are in the direction of the Liveview screen.

Very embarassing!!

But I agree, Liveview is the answer.

[Keith]

Sigma 150-500mm lens trying to capture that elegant Swan soaring up into that deep blue sky, Live View just might struggle a bit methinks .

I do actually wear Varifocals, I think I will just have to keep the ol Microfibre handy.

[arith]

I do not know what liveview is; but I'm almost blind without specs and can't use the camera with them. Actually it could be an advantage where I can see more colour but less definition until I look through the viewfinder.

If I have my specs on I can't see the controls on the camera.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Keith,

In my personal experience; I have found the dioptre setting on the my camera inadequate for looking through the viewfinder without wearing my glasses (vari-focals as it happens). However, I think this could be more to do with my astigmatism than the dioptre power being insufficient.

Thus I have to wear the glasses to see the focus screen and focus points sharp, and yes, this does mean I can't see all four edges simultaneously - I have to re-position my eye to achieve seeing right to any particular edge. (I live with it)

Therefore, because I always wear glasses, the rubber surround doesn't get 'face-oils' on it to smear off on the glasses and require the microfibre cloth too often - and no-one else uses my camera!

Hi Donald,

I use the D5000's tilty LCD whenever possible to help me cope with the angle of view through the right bit of vari-focal lens issue you raise. I can flip and twist it to be parallel to the ground, so my head is the right way up to focus on it through the lower, reading part of the lens'. This is the main reason for me getting a D5000 over anything with 'Canon' written on it - they only had (have?) fixed rear LCD screens

The fact I can't see a darn thing in focus in the periphery of my (glasses wearing) vision is why I've all but given up DIY

Hi Arith,

Vari-focals mean I/we don't have the 'not being able to see camera's controls' issue.

Live View is a feature found on (most) more modern cameras than your 10D. It basically puts a "Live" through the lens picture on the rear LCD before you take the picture. Most manufacturers accomplish this by raising the mirror and using the main sensor, but Sony's A300/A350 do it with an additional sensor at the pentamirror/eyepiece, but not sure about their recent DSLRs though (e.g. A380, etc.).

As a by-product; the 'raising the mirror' method used for Live View then makes it almost a no cost option for the manufacturer to add Movie shooting functionality to the DSLR. Or perhaps the Movie function begat the Live View - who knows, who cares.

Cheers,

[Keith]

Hi Keith,

In my personal experience; I have found the dioptre setting on the my camera inadequate for looking through the viewfinder without wearing my glasses (vari-focals as it happens). However, I think this could be more to do with my astigmatism than the dioptre power being insufficient.

Thus I have to wear the glasses to see the focus screen and focus points sharp, and yes, this does mean I can't see all four edges simultaneously - I have to re-position my eye to achieve seeing right to any particular edge. (I live with it)

Therefore, because I always wear glasses, the rubber surround doesn't get 'face-oils' on it to smear off on the glasses and require the microfibre cloth too often - and no-one else uses my camera! Cheers,

Thanks Dave, looks like I'm not alone then, must remember, wash face more often!
I decided to take the rubber surround off today and wash it in mild soapy water, it did seem to improve things.
After a quick session shooting some birdlife at Coombe Abbey I did have less of a problem.

Keith

[arith]

Cheers Dave; it a bit like a compact then. I do alright and nobody even realises I can't really see them except through the camera. Well it is only through the dioptre view I can get a sharp image where previously I couldn't use an SLR, but used a rangefinder.

I'm not completely blind by the way; just a bit blurred.

[Dave Humphries]

~ a bit like a compact then. ~

I'm not completely blind by the way; just a bit blurred.

Now why didn't I just say that (smacks forehead)

.. or in my case, quite a lot blurred

[Amberglass]

I wear progressives (or tri-focal). For those of you who are bespectacled, I recommend that you go see your optometrist to get your eyes examined first, then ask what strength diopters you will need for your camera. Some optometrists are willing to help you calibrate your viewfinder to your needs, like mine did. Do not just go out and start purchasing diopters because if they're too strong or weak, the result will be eye fatigue, strain, and a whole lot of disappointing images.

Canon and Nikon has a pretty good selection in diopters, but more selection on the mid range to pro level bodies. Many entry level cameras have not so well thought out diopters that they become more of an hindrance than help. Magnification diopters are also available on selected cameras.

I actually have a special pair of "shooting only" progressive glasses that focuses more on my distal vision and midrange. My camera is now more like for "reading/focusing" and a good compromise with my glasses.

For the back of the lcd and when your poor tired eyes are not cooperating, use a Hoodman's loupe. Not only will it give you visibility to your lcd screen in broad daylight, it will also adjust to your visionary needs to read the camera's info. I wear mine all the time.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...CD_Screen.html

[Colin Southern]

This doesn't work so well for those of who use varifocals.

Hi Donald,

Let me tell you a story about varifocals ...

I first got to a stage in life where I needed reeding glasses - so far so good

A couple of years later I needed a small distance correction, and I said to the optician "can we do this with a single lens?" "Sure - no problem was the answer".

So we chucked away my reading lenses and used the new varifocals in the old frames - what I found was I had to read (literally) through the bottom 1mm of the lens - and for everything else I was able to focus not only at only one position horizontally through the lens, but only one position vertically as well. Back to the optician.

2nd set - they moved up the transition zone; now I could read though "only" the bottom 3mm of the lens, but still pretty hopeless.

3rd set - they tried what they called a "narrow corridoor" - still hopeless

4th set - forget what they tried, but that was hopeless as well.

They did say that they take a bit of getting used to - but I was giving these several weeks per set; the issue that I just couldn't accept was having to move my head up and down AND left/right to correctly focus on ANYTHING. Honestly, I felt like Robocop just reading an eMail - and working on an image was similar torture.

My optician still thought they could sort it, but I was rapidly coming to the conclusion that if it looked like a duck - walked like a duck - quacked like a duck ... it was probably a duck (and a lame one at that), so I make the call to just run with 2 sets of glasses - one for reading - one for distance.

Wow - the difference was night and day ... and I've never looked back. I kept the varifocals for "emergency use" and even tried them the other day, but they were as unwearable as ever.

Honestly, I just don't know how people wear them!

I'm quite lucky in that I can still see through the viewfinder OK (although the diopter adjustment is now quite different to "normal" people, but it's very hard to read settings etc on top of the camera if the camera is already at eye level on a tripod, especially in low light - but I've got to the stage where I can locate buttons by feel anyway, and pressing the info button displays the settings on the screen when in shooting mode anyway.

So thoughts of the day would be ...

- Consider a dedicated pair of reading glasses - no, they're not cheap, but then again, neither is anything else in photography!

- Consider one of the higher strength viewfinders - perhaps your optician can tell you how many diopters you need.

Hope this helps! (sorry for rambling on!)

[Keith]

Thanks for your replies everyone, some food for thought anyway.
I have just paid out fair sum for a couple of pairs of specs, Varifocals suit my needs in my job and I don't really have any problem with them, I just get annoyed trying to look through fog after a session with the camera.

[Amberglass]

Thanks for your replies everyone, some food for thought anyway.
I have just paid out fair sum for a couple of pairs of specs, Varifocals suit my needs in my job and I don't really have any problem with them, I just get annoyed trying to look through fog after a session with the camera.

Have you tried mixing 2 ounces of white vinegar with 1 quart of water, spray onto your glasses cloth, and wipe glasses? Allowing the solution to dry naturally. Home made anti-fogging solution.

[Keith]

Have you tried mixing 2 ounces of white vinegar with 1 quart of water, spray onto your glasses cloth, and wipe glasses? Allowing the solution to dry naturally. Home made anti-fogging solution.

Thanks for that Amberglass, I will try that to see if it helps.
I have had a look at the Hoodman you suggested, is that for use without the need for glasses or just a useful antiglare aid?

Keith

[Amberglass]

Thanks for that Amberglass, I will try that to see if it helps.
I have had a look at the Hoodman you suggested, is that for use without the need for glasses or just a useful antiglare aid?

Keith

You can adjust the loupe to your eyes, so no need for glasses to view thru it. Again great anti-glare tool while shooting in broad daylight, easier to check for image sharpness/focus without zooming in too far to pixelate, and in situations where you want to indiscreetly view your images without lighting up yourself. Ex. shooting a school play

[Keith]

You can adjust the loupe to your eyes, so no need for glasses to view thru it. Again great anti-glare tool while shooting in broad daylight, easier to check for image sharpness/focus without zooming in too far to pixelate, and in situations where you want to indiscreetly view your images without lighting up yourself. Ex. shooting a school play

Thanks again.

Keith