Left-handed photographers?

**rbefly** · 03-02-2014, 09:05 PM

Originally posted by JimJohnson

the K-5 with it's top LCD has placed several primary controls on the left. I don't hear many complaints from the right-dominate crowd about this.

Hi Jim,
If their K-5 is the same as mine, they certainly shouldn't complain. Shutter release, f/stop (thumb wheel), shutter speed (thumb wheel), AE-L, ISO, green button, AF button, exposure comp, on/off/DOF preview control, all controlled from the right hand side, most can only be controlled this way without menu diving.
On the left?
Primary or secondary, there's LCD preview, delete, metering switch, mode dial and.....that's pretty much it, unless you're counting AF/MF switch, flash pop-up, RAW button?
It sounds like you're minimizing the placements and function use, to defend DSLR camera design as equally suitable for right/left users.
They're not. They may be slightly less frustrating for ambidextrous users.
No self-respecting leftie would ever Velcro a second shutter release to their camera. We do what we've always done. We adapt.
JMO,
Ron

steve1307 · 03-03-2014, 12:10 AM

Originally posted by FrankC

Here's how Steve McCurry shoots left handed. I don't know if he's left handed or if he holds his camera this way due to injury.

Close Up: Photographers at Work - YouTube

I noticed the way Steve McCurry shoots in the short film where he takes the last ever roll of Kodakchrome100 off the production line and tries to figure out what shoot with it, and also the one where he searches for the Afghan Girl (from this clip)

I just thought he was left handed, but I've since read that he had broken his right arm/hand in a fall when he was 5.

I am Left Handed and also Left Eye dominant.

I don't think it is any real disadvantage being left handed since most of the time I'm using both hand to steady when shooting. When in awkward positions sometimes its probably better to have my stronger (left) hand supporting or balancing my weight hand hold the camera in my right hand.

Most situations I just adapt, I think the only annoyances I have are using smudgy ink pens, the hot exhaust of my petrol powered line trimmer being close to my left hip (I've tried it the other way I feels too weird) and having to do arm wrestling with my weaker arm.

I don't like guns, so no issue there for me (with RH ejecting cartridges).
I've seen an an old M16 (A1 version) rupture when a work colleague was firing it (long story). He ended up with some minor cuts to his face and residue in his eyes. If it had of been me, it would have taken half of my face off.

Being left eye dominant is slightly more difficult.
I don't really have much of an issue pressing buttons or getting greasy nose prints on the LCD but it's harder to shoot action with both eyes open because the right eye's view is mostly obstructed with fingers and camera body.
I've tried angling my head to the left to try and see over it but I end up with a lot of skewed horizons.

**JimJohnson** · 03-03-2014, 05:46 AM

Originally posted by Schraubstock

Does this mean you are only half good left handed and half good right handed ?

Greetings

Most days that is probably true. Every once in a great while I get all the good parts together.

dubiousone · 03-03-2014, 07:33 AM

You would think everything would be backwards for a lefty (Which I am) but it's very natural to hold the camera the same way a right hander would. I'm somewhat ambidextrous but not everything...(if I tried to eat right handed I'd just end up stabbing myself in the lips LOL) thankfully this does not extend to photography. I prefer camera bodies that have the 'main control knob' on the left, K-3, K-5 and my baby, the K100DS. Also applies to certain Nikon bodies like the D300, D50, D90. an exception (one of them) would be the Nikon N90/90s. The main knob as it were, since there are four function buttons on the right side where the knob would be is towards the rear right behind the LCD. That also happens to be where my thumb naturally rests and it works for me!

The biggest difference I think is left handers tend to be left eye dominant. The theory is the dominant eye tends to look straight at 'the object of focus' and the other eye angles in slightly. When using a viewfinder, I use my left eye being that's my dominant one. Viewfinders that have the display along the bottom are my preference. Cameras like my F3 that have them at the top are a little unnatural but... Displays on the right side like the AE-1/Program aren't that bad but the ones like my ME that are on the right, I have to struggle to see the display. If I use my right eye the ME is easy to use but out of over a half century of habit, guess which one ends up behind the viewfinder? LOL I make it work! I do find that using my 'strong hand' (left) to work the lens controls well, that is as natural as can be for me!

Moo · 03-03-2014, 04:20 PM

I'm also left handed and left eye dominant, but do some things the right-handed way. It's the having to hold the (potentially heavy) camera in my "wrong" hand that causes problems for me. Also, as has already been described, the viewfinder being designed for right eyes.
While the mechanical arrangement of film cameras may dictate somewhat the layout of the controls and the camera in general, and changing that layout around would require a lot of work, the same can't be said for mostly electronic cameras. The mechanical parts are basically limited to the mirror box area in the "middle" of the camera, and electronic parts can be rearranged much more easily. Buttons are mounted on their own, and could easily be moved to the other side. The main circuit board may take up most of the width of the camera, but as most if not all "external" things are connected by cables anyway, moving that to one side shouldn't be a problem either. The entire board could even be effectively rotated rather than mirrored. Considering how many prototype/promotional "one-offs" Pentax have made in the past, redoing the casing etc for a left-handed camera shouldn't be too bad. And there's no competition in the left-handed camera market, so...

Sam Dennis · 03-04-2014, 10:52 AM

Wow, been using cameras for fifty years, and never thought about it before. You mean some people use their right eye? Bizarre.

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03-02-2014, 09:05 PM	#31
rbefly Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Denver, Colorado Photos: Albums Posts: 2,030	Originally posted by JimJohnson the K-5 with it's top LCD has placed several primary controls on the left. I don't hear many complaints from the right-dominate crowd about this. Hi Jim, If their K-5 is the same as mine, they certainly shouldn't complain. Shutter release, f/stop (thumb wheel), shutter speed (thumb wheel), AE-L, ISO, green button, AF button, exposure comp, on/off/DOF preview control, all controlled from the right hand side, most can only be controlled this way without menu diving. On the left? Primary or secondary, there's LCD preview, delete, metering switch, mode dial and.....that's pretty much it, unless you're counting AF/MF switch, flash pop-up, RAW button? It sounds like you're minimizing the placements and function use, to defend DSLR camera design as equally suitable for right/left users. They're not. They may be slightly less frustrating for ambidextrous users. No self-respecting leftie would ever Velcro a second shutter release to their camera. We do what we've always done. We adapt. JMO, Ron

03-03-2014, 12:10 AM	#32
steve1307 Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sydney Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,130	Originally posted by FrankC Here's how Steve McCurry shoots left handed. I don't know if he's left handed or if he holds his camera this way due to injury. Close Up: Photographers at Work - YouTube I noticed the way Steve McCurry shoots in the short film where he takes the last ever roll of Kodakchrome100 off the production line and tries to figure out what shoot with it, and also the one where he searches for the Afghan Girl (from this clip) I just thought he was left handed, but I've since read that he had broken his right arm/hand in a fall when he was 5. I am Left Handed and also Left Eye dominant. I don't think it is any real disadvantage being left handed since most of the time I'm using both hand to steady when shooting. When in awkward positions sometimes its probably better to have my stronger (left) hand supporting or balancing my weight hand hold the camera in my right hand. Most situations I just adapt, I think the only annoyances I have are using smudgy ink pens, the hot exhaust of my petrol powered line trimmer being close to my left hip (I've tried it the other way I feels too weird) and having to do arm wrestling with my weaker arm. I don't like guns, so no issue there for me (with RH ejecting cartridges). I've seen an an old M16 (A1 version) rupture when a work colleague was firing it (long story). He ended up with some minor cuts to his face and residue in his eyes. If it had of been me, it would have taken half of my face off. Being left eye dominant is slightly more difficult. I don't really have much of an issue pressing buttons or getting greasy nose prints on the LCD but it's harder to shoot action with both eyes open because the right eye's view is mostly obstructed with fingers and camera body. I've tried angling my head to the left to try and see over it but I end up with a lot of skewed horizons.

03-03-2014, 05:46 AM	#33
JimJohnson Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Summer:Lake Superior - Michigan Winter:Texas Hill Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,772	Originally posted by Schraubstock Does this mean you are only half good left handed and half good right handed ? Greetings Most days that is probably true. Every once in a great while I get all the good parts together.

03-03-2014, 07:33 AM	#34
dubiousone Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Photos: Albums Posts: 112	You would think everything would be backwards for a lefty (Which I am) but it's very natural to hold the camera the same way a right hander would. I'm somewhat ambidextrous but not everything...(if I tried to eat right handed I'd just end up stabbing myself in the lips LOL) thankfully this does not extend to photography. I prefer camera bodies that have the 'main control knob' on the left, K-3, K-5 and my baby, the K100DS. Also applies to certain Nikon bodies like the D300, D50, D90. an exception (one of them) would be the Nikon N90/90s. The main knob as it were, since there are four function buttons on the right side where the knob would be is towards the rear right behind the LCD. That also happens to be where my thumb naturally rests and it works for me! The biggest difference I think is left handers tend to be left eye dominant. The theory is the dominant eye tends to look straight at 'the object of focus' and the other eye angles in slightly. When using a viewfinder, I use my left eye being that's my dominant one. Viewfinders that have the display along the bottom are my preference. Cameras like my F3 that have them at the top are a little unnatural but... Displays on the right side like the AE-1/Program aren't that bad but the ones like my ME that are on the right, I have to struggle to see the display. If I use my right eye the ME is easy to use but out of over a half century of habit, guess which one ends up behind the viewfinder? LOL I make it work! I do find that using my 'strong hand' (left) to work the lens controls well, that is as natural as can be for me!

03-03-2014, 04:20 PM	#35
Moo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 173	I'm also left handed and left eye dominant, but do some things the right-handed way. It's the having to hold the (potentially heavy) camera in my "wrong" hand that causes problems for me. Also, as has already been described, the viewfinder being designed for right eyes. While the mechanical arrangement of film cameras may dictate somewhat the layout of the controls and the camera in general, and changing that layout around would require a lot of work, the same can't be said for mostly electronic cameras. The mechanical parts are basically limited to the mirror box area in the "middle" of the camera, and electronic parts can be rearranged much more easily. Buttons are mounted on their own, and could easily be moved to the other side. The main circuit board may take up most of the width of the camera, but as most if not all "external" things are connected by cables anyway, moving that to one side shouldn't be a problem either. The entire board could even be effectively rotated rather than mirrored. Considering how many prototype/promotional "one-offs" Pentax have made in the past, redoing the casing etc for a left-handed camera shouldn't be too bad. And there's no competition in the left-handed camera market, so...

03-04-2014, 10:52 AM	#36
Sam Dennis Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 124	Wow, been using cameras for fifty years, and never thought about it before. You mean some people use their right eye? Bizarre.