Who's happiest, left- or right-eyed Leica M8 shooters?

[Fotomiguel]

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I tried to move to right eye because or the "M8 Nose Grease" sympthom. My three daughters told me that when right eye shooting, I look even more embarassing than normal So I went back to left eye with a greasy screen

 

"M8 Noes Grease" sympthom :D I thought I was the one with this problem. Now I don't feel so alone.

I'm left eye shooter and I can't shoot with the right eye.

Thank you for this funny thread.

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[adan]

Well, according to the article, the RIGHT eye is associated with the LEFT side of the brain, therefore people with a LEFT-BRAIN preference would shoot with the RIGHT eye...

 

...but there's a flaw in the ointment, called the Optic Chiasm:

 

Introduction: Optic Nerve Disorders: Merck Manual Home Edition

 

In fact, visual impulses from BOTH eyes go to BOTH sides of the brain - the only "preference" is which half of the scene is processed by which side of the brain.***

 

If you have an inate brain-side preference, it may determine composition to some extent - which side of the PICTURE you put the subject on if it isn't centered. It will not have a lot to do with which eye you tend to shoot with, or vice versa.

 

Eye-level camera design (in the vast majority of cases) has been biased towards right-eyed use. The almost universal placement of the wind lever on the right end of the camera has ensured that. I was just watching "Blow-Up" again tonight, and David Hemmings, shooting with his left eye, is constantly fumbling for his Nikon's wind lever because it is so close to his cheek.

 

The advent of integral motor-wind eased things for left-eyed viewers, and thus the M8 (and the Contax G and Konica RF before it) probably are an ergonomic improvement for left-eyed shooters.

 

Me, I shoot cameras right-eyed, and have for so long that I can't even remember if there was any question of which eye to use when I started. I doubt there was - I use the right eye for everything - telescopes, loupes, microscopes, waistlevel 'Blads and Rolleis, even view cameras.

 

 

***BTW. I didn't read the whole Merck article, but presumably the split between the visual fields caused by the optic chiasm means that certain kinds of optic nerve or brain injury could lead to something analogous to the "split-frame" artifact noticed by some in the M8 - half the visual field would be missing, or differently colored, or darker, or some such.

 

How's THAT for M8 content?

[ho_co]

Very interesting research, Andy!

 

Remember, the left-eye shooting phenomenon is why the Leicaflexes had wind levers that stuck straight out: We left-eyers just cock our heads a little to the right and the wind lever is ready for the right thumb. The Hemmings phenomenon you describe would have been unnecessary if Nikon, Pentax, Contarex and the others had caught on to the possibilities.

 

Then there was Exakta, of course, with a left-thumb wind. Didn't seem to help them.

 

Ah, and Alpa! One of those "Aha!" moments where you have to slap yourself in the face before you take the next picture.

 

--HC

[lars_bergquist]

I have had this problem in another connection – large caliber pistol shooting. I am naturally right-eyed, but lefthanded! Now, holding your gun in the left hand but aiming with the right eye gives rise to a skewed stance which, because of the heavy recoil, which commences when the slug is travelling down the barrel, makes for a crosswise recoil movement that is devastating to your ability to hit anything. So I had to do either of two things: use my right hand, or my left eye. I preferred to re-train my eyes (though I do shoot rifles righthanded; trigger action is less critical with rifles).

 

My solution was a black pirate style eyepatch over the right eye. There was some comment around the shooting range, but it worked. After just five or six sessions, my left eye worked nicely, and I could hand over the patch to the kids. And, this was not detrimental to my right eye work, with rifles or RF cameras. I was in fact 'ambioculous'. I still am. This does only work if both your eyes are OK, of course, but I think the solution is a very practical one.

 

The old man from the Age of Captain Kidd

[wlaidlaw]

I have had this problem in another connection – large caliber pistol shooting. I am naturally right-eyed, but lefthanded! Now, holding your gun in the left hand but aiming with the right eye gives rise to a skewed stance which, because of the heavy recoil, which commences when the slug is travelling down the barrel, makes for a crosswise recoil movement that is devastating to your ability to hit anything. So I had to do either of two things: use my right hand, or my left eye. I preferred to re-train my eyes (though I do shoot rifles righthanded; trigger action is less critical with rifles).

 

My solution was a black pirate style eyepatch over the right eye. There was some comment around the shooting range, but it worked. After just five or six sessions, my left eye worked nicely, and I could hand over the patch to the kids. And, this was not detrimental to my right eye work, with rifles or RF cameras. I was in fact 'ambioculous'. I still am. This does only work if both your eyes are OK, of course, but I think the solution is a very practical one.

 

The old man from the Age of Captain Kidd

 

I am the opposite to Lars in that I am right handed and left eyed. For shotgun shooting, I have a special pair of glasses with the inner half of the left lens blacked out. I use to have real trouble pistol shooting but as that is now banned in the UK, that is no longer a problem. I tried the eye-patch but every time I took it off, my master eye reverted within half an hour.

 

The nose grease issue is why I have put a Hi-Tec protector on my LCD. I can use my M8 right-eyed but instinctively, I always put it to my left. Do you know that watchmakers can use nose grease (squalene) to lubricate watch spindles - another useless fact.

 

Wilson

[lars_bergquist]

------------

The nose grease issue is why I have put a Hi-Tec protector on my LCD. I can use my M8 right-eyed but instinctively, I always put it to my left. Do you know that watchmakers can use nose grease (squalene) to lubricate watch spindles - another useless fact.

 

Wilson

 

Nose grease on the screen also makes rain run off it quicker – a somewhat more useful fact?

 

The old man who's Singing in the Rain

[albertknappmd]

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Left eye dominant....

[jsjxyz]

Right eye, so the left eye can see bigger picture.

 

 

JSJ