Which eye for telephoto?

[JimL]

Strange that I have only just starting thinking about which eye to use on camera viewfinder.

I have just got a new (to me) 500 pf lens and d500 body. I am mainly interested in birds, often in flight. Many thanks for the advice on here to get to this point. Previously I was using 200-500 and d780. Well the new set is great - the speed of focus and extra reach is really a big improvement. But it gives me a new issue - finding the bird through the viewfinder!

So I read about this and starting thinking about which eye I use. I found that I am right eye dominant (by triangle test) (and right handed) and yet my preference is to use my left eye on the viewfinder. I don’t understand why I have this preference - I realised this was the case for telescopes also. I read about keeping both eyes open - this only works if right eye is on view finder as the viewfinder is off centre to the left. I tried it and it felt weird, but good see maybe with practice I could get the hand of it.

So any tips for finding distant birds with telephoto? Any idea why I use the ‘wrong’ eye - and is it worth preserving to switch eyes and keep both eyes open?

By the way I wear varifocal glasses and keep them on - both eyes have similar corrections.

Thanks in advance …

 

[tonye]

Hi jimL. I personally use my left eye on my D5200 and D600 and was taught many years ago to shoot with both eyes open, having that extra peripheral vision is a game changer especially for action shots. When I'm shooting above 300mm i also use LV especially with the D5200 with the twisty screen for real zoomed in on screen focus.
Just to add, the LV is also handy if you are not fully familiar with the camera or lens controls as you can actually see them in front of you which is very handy when using two different bodies at my forgetful age. Hope some of this helps. Tony.

 

[nikonpup]

I RECALL A DISCUSSION/THREAD MANY YEARS AGO ABOUT THIS SUBJECT. MANY MEMBERS SHOT WITH THEIR LEFT EYE, MYSELF INCLUDED.
CHECK THIS LINK AND COMMENTS: https://fstoppers.com/originals/right-handed-photographers-using-their-left-eye-236828

 

[JimL]

I RECALL A DISCUSSION/THREAD MANY YEARS AGO ABOUT THIS SUBJECT. MANY MEMBERS SHOT WITH THEIR LEFT EYE, MYSELF INCLUDED.
CHECK THIS LINK AND COMMENTS: https://fstoppers.com/originals/right-handed-photographers-using-their-left-eye-236828

Thanks nikonpup, Yes I saw that. For me using the 'triangle test' I am right eye dominant, but I still naturally use my left eye through the viewfinder or a telescope. I dont understand why that is. I'm wondering if its worth / possible to re-train myself.

 

[JimL]

Hi jimL. I personally use my left eye on my D5200 and D600 and was taught many years ago to shoot with both eyes open, having that extra peripheral vision is a game changer especially for action shots. When I'm shooting above 300mm i also use LV especially with the D5200 with the twisty screen for real zoomed in on screen focus.
Just to add, the LV is also handy if you are not fully familiar with the camera or lens controls as you can actually see them in front of you which is very handy when using two different bodies at my forgetful age. Hope some of this helps. Tony.

Thanks Tony, I found that if using my left eye then having both eyes open is of little use as the camera body obscures the view from the right eye. If I look through the viewfinder with my right eye then I have a reasonble view of my target through my left eye. It feels a bit weird, but maybe it will be worth me perservering.

 

[Clovishound]

Remember the old joke about the tourist asking a NY policeman, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?". To which he replied, " Practice. Practice. Practice.".

Find some place that has a lot of birds in the air. It doesn't matter if they are aesthetically pleasing subjects or not. Then spend time acquiring and tracking them. The more you practice it, the better you will be at it. If flying birds are not readily available, pick a random static target that is at the general distance as a flying bird might be, and try acquiring that subject quickly.

A good technique with zoom lenses is to start with a wider focal length to acquire, and then adjust the zoom to fill the frame. Obviously, this isn't an option with your 500 prime.

 

[JimL]

Remember the old joke about the tourist asking a NY policeman, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?". To which he replied, " Practice. Practice. Practice.".

Find some place that has a lot of birds in the air. It doesn't matter if they are aesthetically pleasing subjects or not. Then spend time acquiring and tracking them. The more you practice it, the better you will be at it. If flying birds are not readily available, pick a random static target that is at the general distance as a flying bird might be, and try acquiring that subject quickly.

A good technique with zoom lenses is to start with a wider focal length to acquire, and then adjust the zoom to fill the frame. Obviously, this isn't an option with your 500 prime.

Thanks Clovishoud - good advice I’m sure.

I did think I didn’t use anything other than 500 on my 200-500, but now I have switched to the 500 pf I realize that I must have used the zoom in the way you describe more that I thought I did. I must have been doing it subconsciously… and now I am using the 500 pf on the d500 crop frame I have an even narrower fov - results look good when I do find the bird though !

 

[Clovishound]

This was a somewhat timely thread for me. I was supposed to give a short talk on Birds In Flight at our local CNPA meeting last week. I had to cancel due to my wife falling and breaking her hip that morning, but I was prepared and ready for it. I'm certainly no expert on the subject but gathered my thoughts based on my concentrating on BIF shooting over the last 2 years or so. It's definitely a lot of fun and brings more drama to your photography to have images of birds in action vs static images. It can, however, be very challenging to get it right. Just remember it's a matter of percentages. You work to bring home a larger percentage of good images from the opportunities. You aren't going to manage a sharp, well exposed, well composed image of every bird that flies by.

The other thing I will leave with you is about luck. We tend to think about someone being lucky to have something happen in front of them. I'm a believer that you make your own luck. Concentrating on improvement, spending more time in the field, and being prepared to get the shot when the opp presents itself all contribute to bringing home the bacon.

I look forward to seeing your results.

 

[JimL]

This was a somewhat timely thread for me. I was supposed to give a short talk on Birds In Flight at our local CNPA meeting last week. I had to cancel due to my wife falling and breaking her hip that morning, but I was prepared and ready for it. I'm certainly no expert on the subject but gathered my thoughts based on my concentrating on BIF shooting over the last 2 years or so. It's definitely a lot of fun and brings more drama to your photography to have images of birds in action vs static images. It can, however, be very challenging to get it right. Just remember it's a matter of percentages. You work to bring home a larger percentage of good images from the opportunities. You aren't going to manage a sharp, well exposed, well composed image of every bird that flies by.

The other thing I will leave with you is about luck. We tend to think about someone being lucky to have something happen in front of them. I'm a believer that you make your own luck. Concentrating on improvement, spending more time in the field, and being prepared to get the shot when the opp presents itself all contribute to bringing home the bacon.

I look forward to seeing your results.

Great advice! - thanks Clovishound. I'm going to post some of my first shots with new cammera lens in another thread - with another question!
(sorry to hear about your wife - hope she is making a good recovery).