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View Poll Results: Which is the dominant hand and which eye do you shoot with?
Right hand and Right eye 13348.01%
Right hand and Left eye 11140.07%
Left hand and Left eye 227.94%
Left Hand and Right eye 113.97%
Voters: 277. You may not vote on this poll

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09-22-2009, 08:19 PM   #1
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Eye/Hand dominance - which do you shoot with?

Over the last year or so my right eye is getting a tad blurry (getting old!!).

It's not too bad, but enough that the diopter adjustment in the K100D doesn't compensate enough for it and I can no longer manually focus and be confident that the composed shot will be sharp, or be 100% confident that auto focus has got the bits I want sharp as the pic in the viewfinder is blurry.

So I switched to using my left eye - took a while to get comfortable with it but in a month or two it became 2nd nature. What I noticed though is when I used to go from Landscape to Portrait orientation shooting with my right eye, I nearly always flipped the camera anti-clockwise, but now that I'm shooting with the left eye it's 50/50 which way I flip it.

So, just out of interest - which eye do you shoot with and does it correspond to which hand is dominant? Do right handed people predominantly shoot with right eye to the view finder and lefties shoot with the left eye?

09-22-2009, 08:30 PM   #2
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Did a test via the eye doctor. I am actually Left eye dominate, but I shoot (cameras and other things that require aiming) with my right eye.

Go Figure

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09-23-2009, 04:50 AM   #3
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Right handed, but shoot with the left eye. I should add that although I'm right handed, I believe in a parallel universe I could very well be left-handed...I can eat with my left hand and also play pool (billiards) in apparently a left-handed configuration where my right hand steadies and my left hand pushes.

How can you shoot with left hand, if not with a battery grip? The camera would have to be upside down, wouldn't it?

(At my sister-in-law's wedding, I had a camcorder in my right hand and a P&S upside down in my left hand so I could take pictures and video simultaneously. The wedding video I put together for her ended up being much better than the one that she actually paid for, not to mention available about a year before her "pro" video got back to her.)
09-23-2009, 06:03 AM   #4
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ChooseaName, I think warped just asked which was the *dominant* hand, not which one you shot with. You are correct, you can't *shoot* with your left had but it would be interesting if a left-handed camera would actually be purchased even by left-handed people.

I've got a weird left-right combination... I'm right-handed, left-footed, and left-eye dominant. Great for golf and for seeing a baseball though...

09-23-2009, 06:08 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by Rich_A Quote
ChooseaName, I think warped just asked which was the *dominant* hand, not which one you shot with. You are correct, you can't *shoot* with your left had but it would be interesting if a left-handed camera would actually be purchased even by left-handed people.

I've got a weird left-right combination... I'm right-handed, left-footed, and left-eye dominant. Great for golf and for seeing a baseball though...
Ohhh, I just read that right now, and it does say dominant hand instead of dominant shooting hand. Must read things carefully..
09-23-2009, 06:16 AM   #6
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Left eye, right handed but not by choice. I'm vertually blind in the right eye. The new body designs were a concern as the right side (from the back) of the K20 is big enough to reach the buttons. But I tried the K-7 and although smaller, my nose isn't in the way that much.
09-23-2009, 06:21 AM   #7
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I'm right-handed, and I shoot (press the shutter) with my right hand. Can't see how you could do it otherwise even if you were left-handed.

I have always put my LEFT eye up to the viewfinder. I am comfortable looking through the finder with my left eye without needing to close my right eye.

Lately, however, I've been wishing I could learn to shoot with my right eye instead. Shooting "left-eyed" means that my big nose is kind of in the way when I'm trying to get to some of the controls. I've been experimenting with manual focus-point selection (the SEL option on the focus dial) and if I shoot left-eyed, it's nearly impossible. But I don't feel comfortable (physically) putting my right eye up to the finder; and I also can't seem to look through the finder without closing my left eye, which makes me squint, which makes it all even more awkward. Is it possible to change eyes or should I not bother to try?

Will

09-23-2009, 07:15 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by WMBP:
Is it possible to change eyes or should I not bother to try?
Will, not to get too far off topic, but you really can't change your dominance in your eyes any more than you can change your handedness. That being said, how many left-handed people born in the 40's were forced to learn to write right-handed? It's possible to overcome your natural inclination through significant effort but the question remains, would it really have an advantage for you? I've tried right-eyed shooting and even been forced to shoot that way when contorting to get the right shot / angle on a photo but I always prefer to shoot with my left eye. I would have a MUCH harder time with a rangefinder than with a DSLR. I am happy that most viewfinders are actually a bit to the right of center of the rear LCD, my nose can fit comfortably just to the right of the screen on most cameras. I do find that I occasionally bump my nose when reaching for the AF selection buttons but you can't have everything...
09-23-2009, 07:17 AM   #9
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Also right-handed, left-eyed. Briefly tried using my right eye, but results in the need to close the left. Using my left, with the camera blocking the right there's no need to close it (unless there's really bright light about). I don't have any problems using the controls even with my nose so close to them
09-23-2009, 07:22 AM   #10
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Right Hand / Left Eye

I was also a pretty good baseball hitter - right-handed. I have read that the best professional hitters are cross-dominant eye-hand coordinated, with the dominant eye facing the pitcher.

Switch hitters are another breed of cat.

I shoot hockey left-handed (left hand down on stick) and surf and snowboard left foot forward.

Soccer I would have been right foot dominant but learned both feet, although my right leg was stronger and my left leg was more precise.

I presently have very poor right-eye vision and have found that shooting right-eye-open is a challenge due to the universal design of cameras with the right side (from the rear) longer and shutter release on the right. Shooting left eye means my nose is forever striking the rear of the camera - on the K10D my nose operated the OK button very well!.

Cameras seem desingend for right-eye-dominant people.

Last edited by monochrome; 09-23-2009 at 01:41 PM.
09-24-2009, 03:46 AM   #11
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i'm right eye dominant, and ambidextrous ( Yes, I can use my cutlery perfectly well no matter which hand has the knife in it) I use my Right eye when using and SLR or a .303 rifle...however, I use my left eye when I'm using a rangefinder....it feels weird to use my right eye.
09-24-2009, 05:38 AM   #12
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Right handed, left-eyed - doesn't help my pool game any...
Though it always meant I had better condition bows and rifles back in the Boy Scout days - much less use on the left-handed equipment.
09-24-2009, 05:43 AM   #13
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I use my left eye, but due to an old cornea injury my eyesight in that eye is appreciably worse than in my right. I'll probably have to switch eventually.
09-24-2009, 09:07 AM   #14
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some of us use both eyes and a few could use either hand . . .
09-24-2009, 09:17 AM   #15
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Right handed, right eye. I've got this funny thing going on where I can't actually keep only my right eye closed without the left following unless I really concentrate and work at it. It's almost like there's muscle atrophy in my right eye... strange.
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