Sometimes I( hold the camera upside-down so it took me a while agonizing over how to vote.
One day in the street I had guy ask me what I was doing. He said it in a tone that suggested he thought I wasn't aware the camera was upside-down.
I told him I had inverted eyeballs and he looked into my eyes to see this amazing turn of nature. I love making folk tales ...I've made a few and the objective is that one day someone will say "did you hear about?" and having the folk tale came back to me is the trophy. I haven't had one come back yet but I know it takes a while. I don't expect this one to survive as a tale, its the wrong kind of topic so I have no difficulty telling you this one.
While he was looking into my eyes (think about it) I was telling him that I see everything upside-down ...
I voted no preference. I go from R to L and back in the blink of an eye - literally. Changing off eyes provides me with a new take on the scene I'm composing. Not sure why but it seems to help in that regard. It also keeps the humidity from building up on the internal structure and circuit board thereby either preventing rust from forming on the unprotected tin skeleton or condensing to short out the electronics. You might think I'm kidding but Panasonic GH1, G1, G2, GH2 and similar bodies are built so freaking cheaply both have actually happened already to me.
Using either eye is not a big deal as I don't seem to favor one eye over the other so....
I voted no preference. My left eye is a little better, but I've switched to right eye since I've started shooting the X100 and NEX-7, for the sake of the viewfinder location. I've switched back and forth several times over the years. If both of your eyes are relatively equal in vision, it isn't tough to switch...at least not nearly as tough as switching hand dominance.
I voted right handed and right eyed, but when I have a grip on that lets me shoot portrait mode, I shoot landscape right eyed and portrait with the left. It spreads the eye strain out.
I also voted right-right like most "normal" people
But currently shooting with RF cameras, the location of the VF being at the extreme left makes it easy to use the left eye unlike with SLR. So I do shoot with the left eye sometimes, just for fun or because I feel like it.
kwalsh wrote:
Wow, that must be really useful down there! I'm sure your countrymen are jealous!
Well, technically, we all see everything upside-down, just that our brains correct this minor problem.
Great tale nonetheless!
I too have shot with the camera upside-down. Sometimes, when doing touristy self-portraits, or when I needed that extra inch or two to see over heads in front of me. Works great if the camera has a grip with shutter release on the bottom and you don't mind shooting left-handed.
As for the original question - I am left handed and started off shooting right eyed because that's how SLRs are optimized, therefore for camera control I also became right-handed, though I still can't write right-handed. I've been in photography getting on 30 years now (started very young) and I think I slowly wore out my right eye, because it's now no longer as sharp (astigmatism) as my left eye. Therefore, if it's a matter of critical focus, be it SLR or rangefinder, I switch to left eyed. Incidentally, when I shoot right eye I keep my left eye open for better peripheral vision. Comes from shooting a lot of sports where it's always good to see if danger is coming from the side. This freaks out some subjects, usually at wedding receptions after they've had a few drinks. Same thing when I shoot without even looking through the camera... that really boggles their minds.
edwardkaraa wrote:
I also voted right-right like most "normal" people
But currently shooting with RF cameras, the location of the VF being at the extreme left makes it easy to use the left eye unlike with SLR. So I do shoot with the left eye sometimes, just for fun or because I feel like it.
Your answer really puzzles me. Due to a problem on my right eye, I'm left eyed only. The location of the viewfinder is one of the reasons for what I've gave up on digital RF cameras. Looking with the left eye through a Leica M8 viewfinder meant squeezing my nose on the rear LCD and/or twisting my neck uncomfortably. I conclude that you haven't a nose.
artur5 wrote:
Your answer really puzzles me. Due to a problem on my right eye, I'm left eyed only. The location of the viewfinder is one of the reasons for what I've gave up on digital RF cameras. Looking with the left eye through a Leica M8 viewfinder meant squeezing my nose on the rear LCD and/or twisting my neck uncomfortably. I conclude that you haven't a nose.
I assure you that I have a big Mediterranean nose
What I meant is that your nose will squeeze into the camera anyway, whether you use an DSLR or RF. But the RF have more space to the right if you are left eyed while DSLR do not.
"Right-handed, left-eyed", due to how I shoot 99% of time. However if space requires (or LCDVF is turned wrong way and I would have to turn it 180 degrees and won't since I'm lazy) I shoot with right eye. I'm quite versatile and for reason or another I shoot rifle as well from left or right and I'm way better than average here (we have mandatory army service in Finland) on shooting accuracy, no matter which side I shoot. Same way it really doesn't matter which eye I use for focusing. Also using left eye makes connection of camera to forehead better if one is using optical viewfinder (I don't).
EDIT: even results are same with left or right, I don't feel as comfortable focusing with right eye, it always feels awkward.
Right-handed, left eyed. I can use my right eye, but it's not as easy and I see a quite different color balance, which is a bit disconcerting when changing from left to right while composing. Does anyone else have that difference in color balance? Edit: Apparently some people do: http://www.pixiq.com/article/the-white-balance-of-your-eyes
artur5 wrote:
Your answer really puzzles me. Due to a problem on my right eye, I'm left eyed only. The location of the viewfinder is one of the reasons for what I've gave up on digital RF cameras. Looking with the left eye through a Leica M8 viewfinder meant squeezing my nose on the rear LCD and/or twisting my neck uncomfortably. I conclude that you haven't a nose.
As Edward said, it isn't any worse than using any other viewfinder with your left eye. On the positive, when I switch to left eye with a rangefinder type camera, I can keep my right eye open, since the camera blocks its view, and that helps me with eyestrain. Granted, I still generally shoot with my right eye, so that my face/nose doesn't touch anything.
Thanks for the reactions. I am right/left, and not a rare bird at all. The eyedness is stronger than the handedness; I can do many things with the left hand, but taking pictures with the right eye is very uncomfortable.
jcolwell wrote:
I'm right handed, left eyed.
It'll be interesting to see how this compares with a similar thread I posted in 2008.
Archive 2008 · Left eye, right hand, or what? https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/632749
Thanks. I looked briefly for an existing thread, but did not find any. There was need for interpretation from my side, counting camera viewfinders and not rifles, counting the present state and not the history. This is what I extract. Numbers one and two have changed place:
Left-handed, left-eyed xx
Right-handed, right-eyed xxxxxxxxxxxx
Right-handed, left-eyed xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Left-handed, right-eyed xxxx
No preference (eye-wise) xxx
AhamB wrote:
Right-handed, left eyed. I can use my right eye, but it's not as easy and I see a quite different color balance, which is a bit disconcerting when changing from left to right while composing. Does anyone else have that difference in color balance? Edit: Apparently some people do: http://www.pixiq.com/article/the-white-balance-of-your-eyes
I noticed this post in the other thread. Personally I have had times when the vision with one eye was pink, but blamed it on an eye inflammation.
! Awesome.... 
Same thing when I shoot without even looking through the camera... that really boggles their minds.