Bifocals?

2000lux

2000lux

Well-known member
I have a "@#%&*! I'm getting older" question.

My current main issue is that when I have my C300 mounted on my shoulder rig, the flip out viewfinder is a little too close for my eyes to focus well through my glasses. I can actually see better that close without glasses, but then my distance vision isn't great, and my stigmatism (though mild) kicks in. When the camera is on the shoulder rig, its a little high so that I'm looking up slightly at it.

I was thinking about getting bifocals just for shooting with the "reading" part near the top. My opthamologist said that some times car mechanics have the close up "reading" portion put in both the top, and bottom of their glasses. That way they can see the car parts they are working on when the car is above them on the lift, but also look for tools and read the instructions when they look down.

The guy who actually makes the glasses wasn't as enthusiastic. He said he once had a customer who was a pilot who wanted the "reading" portion on in the top side of the lenses so he could read the instruments that were on the ceiling of the cockpit. However, after wearing them for 10 minutes, he decided against it because they were too distracting to wear otherwise.

Right now I'm thinking I'll just pull the glasses down my nose a bit and make do with my naked eyes when I look up at the viewfinder. I doubt that's going to be optimal though.

Any insights or advice that you have would be welcome!
 
R

Run&Gun

Well-known member
Getting old sucks. Your vision sounds similar to mine. I'm near-sighted and used to have an astigmatism. And over the last few years, my up-close vision has started to go. My eye dr. said not to worry about it until my "arms get too short". But they're not photographers… I know some guys that carry reading glasses when they need to see up close. I actually started carrying a little plastic magnifying glass(the little flat fresnel lens type) in my Lectro bag because it can be hard sometimes(especially in lower light) to see the markings to change freq.'s on the Tx's.

At least with glasses you can temporarily move them. I wear contacts, so they're in all day. Weird story that doesn't really matter: I switched brands of contacts a few months ago to ones that were much more comfortable than the daily's I had been in, but my up-close and distance vision wasn't as good as with my previous lenses. So I actually wear two brands, now. The new, more comfortable lenses for everyday wear and the "old" brand of lenses when I have to shoot and the quality of my vision is more important than a few more hours of comfort. I just have to break out the re-wetter drops again, now.
 
Flaca Productions

Flaca Productions

Well-known member
not sure if it will help since you don't have one eye into the VF, but I frequently wear one contact for distance vision in my left eye. i leave my right eye alone since it has good close-up vision and works well in a VF. my brain switches back/forth for distance or close up and all is fine. i don't do it every day, but if i know i'm going to be on a shoot where long-distance vision will be needed (something on a stage where i'm shooting from the back, etc.) then i do the one contact thing.

it takes a little getting used to but not much. i asked about it with my eye doc and he was all for it and says its not uncommon.

my night vision is going tho - and i generally wear glasses in the truck driving home from shoots if i don't have the one contact in.
 
2 Hungry Dogs

2 Hungry Dogs

Well-known member
I had to go with progressive last year. My biggest problem is that often the flip out screen on my camera is near the center of my vision so I have to look up to see it clearly. Very annoying to shoot always looking up.
 
2000lux

2000lux

Well-known member
2 Hungry Dogs said:
I had to go with progressive last year. My biggest problem is that often the flip out screen on my camera is near the center of my vision so I have to look up to see it clearly. Very annoying to shoot always looking up.
Click to expand...
With my C300 I have to look up, so I was thinking of putting the close up part on the top of the lens instead of the bottom. It would also preserve my depth perception for when I need to go down stairs and such.

I'm fine with viewfinders, its just when I have to use a fold out screen up close. In that case I don't have a diopter to adjust. Hrmmm...
 
Necktie Boy

Necktie Boy

Well-known member
I hear you Brian! I have the same problem. I wear contacts, and use "reader glasses" for some small print. I have the same problem with fold out LCD's. It's use close enough to have to use "reader glasses" to have a clear view. No problems with the VF on the camera.

I wonder if anyone would make a "lens" that would fit over the LCD?
 
B

Berkeley Shooter

Active member
It's definitely that problem of aging. I see pretty well, but focus better through the viewfinder with glasses on. Of course with glasses on I can't see a monitor a few feet away well enough to do critical focusing. So, I just got a pair of "progressives." I'd say overall I do better wearing them, but it's kind of a love/hate relationship. Viewfinder is clearer, tilting my head back to see through the lower part, the monitor view is excellent. Doing a run & gun shoot is difficult though, as progressives have a sweet spot (or 3) and if you don't have a second to find that sweet spot it's really difficult to see through the viewfinder and the as you push up against the eyecup trying to make it all work, the glasses get all smeared up from the rubber eye cup. For me - in a controlled situation the progressives are best, those other crazy shoots either regular glasses or none at all.

Robin (Berkeley)
 
dhart

dhart

Well-known member
Try using trifocals. Just gotta learn how to look through the lens at the right spot for the focusing job you are doing. I got something called "HD" lens last time and those are much sharper than normal lens. Well worth the extra $50 per lens.
 
C

Cameradude

Well-known member
ON my C300 I use the viewfinder 75% of the time without issue. Like many, when I'm 12" from the LCD I need reader glasses. You just have to do away with your vanity and wear some glasses so you stuffs in focus!!
 
Lensmith

Lensmith

Member
Well...I have to agree with Cameragod.
Get a "proper" viewfinder on the camera and the whole question becomes moot.

That said...I have progressive lenses in my glasses. Meaning they work like bifocals but have no obvious line visible.

Yes, getting old and dealing with changing vision is an issue we all face eventually.

Just like professional athletes. You have to do what you need to do, to overcome the inevitable age problems anyone has. Whether that means adapting your choice of eyewear or paying some extra money to allow you to have equipment which will focus the viewfinder properly so you know if you are...or are not...in focus. ;)
 
Focused

Focused

Well-known member
10 years ago...

... that sounds like a great start.

When I was working in News I had the eyepiece up to my face all day. I wore glasses but didn't need bifocals. After a long talk with my EYE Doc we decided to put a progressive lens in my right side only just to see what it would do.

It worked out pretty well. I could use my left eye as usual to see what was going on outside of the viewfinder but didn't have to strain the right side at all.

Being on the production side of thing now for 7+ years I rarely just on a view finder. We took the one progressive lens out a ways back but I remember not having fatigue as much in the eyes/forehead after a long day in the field.
 
R

Run&Gun

Well-known member
I had to do "mono-vision"(only one contact lens in) after my eye surgery in 2012, because I couldn't wear a lens in my right eye for several weeks afterwards. It worked fine when shooting because I could adjust the diopter in the VF on my 2700 and I could actually see BETTER than when I had a lens in, BUT I never did really adjust to it when just walking around and using both eyes to see normally.

The problem with the C300 is, well it's not a well designed camera and there is NO PERFECT solution for shooting with it. The on-board VF is 'less than stellar'(Cameradude tells me he has no problems with it) and the 'pod' with the LCD is not ideal either. To put a "real VF" on it, you have to build it up to a shoulder rig to attach it properly or if you put it on there with just half a cage so you can still have proper mounting points, it becomes very unwieldy and off-balanced to one side. I have an Alphatron which is very nice, but it's 3/4 the size of the camera and building the camera out to a shoulder rig is the only satisfactory way I've found to put it on there. I've tried using it on there with the camera in 'compact mode' and it is very awkward and heavy to hold out in front of you.

Maybe there's an F55 in my future… Panasonic has already let me down with the specs of the new Vari… No Global Shutter, only 120fps with the s35 sensor, AND a fixed PL mount so I can't use my Canon glass.
 
joecam147

joecam147

Well-known member
Im with Flaca Brian...I don't wear glasses but do wear contacts, always have. Went to monovision (only correcting one near sighted eye) a few years ago and it works out pretty well even with a C-300. I had both eyes corrected for the longest time and even tried readers for close up but even though I had 12 pairs I never had one when I needed it most. I'm pretty happy with an easy solution and it works better than bifocals too...just my experience.
 
2000lux

2000lux

Well-known member
One of my local friends who is also a cameraman had an excellent suggestion that I thought I should share.

He brought the camera he was having issues with at the time (an EX-1 with a flip out screen) with him to the eye appointment. He showed the doctor how he holds it and was able to demonstrate where he was having trouble. The doctor took a bunch of measurements and was able to make some very useful suggestions specific to his eyes.

I think it would also make sense to show it to the person who orders / makes the glasses.

I'm definitely going to do that next time.

Cameragod: I am thinking about some thing like the Zacuto or the Diety loupes, but they don't look like they go off and on quickly.
 
R

Run&Gun

Well-known member
I bought the Diety when I first got my C300 and returned it a few days later. The image quality was good, but the set-up is not great. I could never get it positioned where I needed/wanted it.

I just spent about six hours shooting with my C300 today, and while I like the picture and capabilities of it, the more I shoot with it, the more I dislike it.
 
Necktie Boy

Necktie Boy

Well-known member
Didn't Hoodman have some "shooting glasses"? The lens would flip up out of the way?

Also for contact users, I found that new ones are sharper, and go soft as you use them.
 
cameragod

cameragod

Well-known member
I actually don't find the C300's flip out screen good enough to shoot with. I wouldn't be happy using the camera without an add on viewfinder. My confidence that I am getting the shot I want is increased exponentially by using the Zacuto viewfinder.
Saying that I'd like to try some other viewfinders on it as well... just not the one that comes with it.
 
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