Handy practice tip for SL EVF

[Chuck Albertson]

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...except for the many who already knew this: the SL's EVF doesn't play well with sunglasses. I went out to shoot baseball spring training in Arizona on Monday, and to my horror the EVF was almost completely dark. The screen on the back worked OK, but looking through the EVF I could only see a very dim outline of what I wanted to shoot. I tried every variation of the EVF/back screen button, re-setting profiles, etc., for about a half hour before the nickel dropped. I'm horribly embarassed, but in fairness it was the first time I had *seen* the sun since I bought the camera in January, and I forgot that I'd slipped on a pair of sunglasses. Whereas I have had no problems shooting an optical viewfinder wearing shades, the EVF doesn't seem to be able to punch through the gloom as well. Switching to my regular glasses did the trick, but was hell on my eyes in the desert sun.

 

Ridicule, at an appropriate level, will be accepted for the next seven days.

Edited March 17, 2018 by Chuck Albertson

[sdworman]

Buy yourself a pair of non-polarized sunglasses and you won't have any more issues. 

[Sandokan]

Buy yourself a pair of non-polarized sunglasses and you won't have any more issues. 

+1

 

Two other alternatives; turn camera to portrait mode, or turn head by 90 degrees. 

[chris_tribble]

[ramarren]

Shooting in strong sun: 

• Use a pair of light, non-polarizing sunglasses
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat

[scott kirkpatrick]

Nobody has quite said it, but there are several polarizing filters between you and the EVF's image, so polarizing sunglasses are pure frustration.  But I wear normal glasses, and with either the SL or the CL on a bright outdoor day, I shoot one handed and use the other hand to cup over the viewfinder eyepiece when I am framing a shot.  This takes a little practice, but works.  A cap with a soft bill, or a floppy wide brim hat also works well.

 

This sort of thing:

 

L1030053 by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr CL35 @ISO 6400, f/5.6

Edited March 17, 2018 by scott kirkpatrick

[robgo2]

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Nobody has quite said it, but there are several polarizing filters between you and the EVF's image, so polarizing sunglasses are pure frustration.  But I wear normal glasses, and with either the SL or the CL on a bright outdoor day, I shoot one handed and use the other hand to cup over the viewfinder eyepiece when I am framing a shot.  This takes a little practice, but works.  A cap with a soft bill, or a floppy wide brim hat also works well.

 

 

I also cup my left hand over the viewfinder in bright sun, and it makes a huge difference.

[Chuck Albertson]

 

Shooting in strong sun: 

• Use a pair of light, non-polarizing sunglasses
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat

 

I had the floppy hat sorted (a must in the desert), the non-polarizing sunglasses I'll have to think about - I need a prescription pair, and the polarized version is much more useful for the 95% of the time I'm not shooting the SL. There's always clip-ons, I suppose.

Edited March 17, 2018 by Chuck Albertson

[Jeff S]

I had the floppy hat sorted (a must in the desert), the non-polarizing sunglasses I'll have to think about - I need a prescription pair, and the polarized version is much more useful for the 95% of the time I'm not shooting the SL. There's always clip-ons, I suppose.

I also thought I’d sacrifice a lot by switching to non-polarized prescription sunglasses, but after testing lenses at a number of opticians, I found one shop that made a pair out of glass with baked in color that I like as well as my former polarized version. Great with skies etc, despite no polarization. Glasses with hand dipped tints did not suit, and often had undesirable reddish tinge. I rejected 4 pair at various opticians.

 

You need to shop around. And not skimp. I wear sunglasses every day due to light sensitivity, and finding a good pair that both protected my eyes and offered great viewing was worth the effort and expense. I needed non-polarized glasses for a new car with a front windshield that created red/green stripes when using my polarized glasses, not just for an EVF.

 

Jeff

Edited March 17, 2018 by Jeff S

[ramarren]

I had the floppy hat sorted (a must in the desert), the non-polarizing sunglasses I'll have to think about - I need a prescription pair, and the polarized version is much more useful for the 95% of the time I'm not shooting the SL. There's always clip-ons, I suppose.

 

 

I have two pair of my glasses with me most of the time: 

• Both have a progressive correction that works very well and provides the quality of view that I like the most (which is not necessarily the same thing as "perfect correction" ... ).
• One pair has Transitions—it auto-darkens from clear to quite dark in sunlight. These are the ones I wear most of the time, and all of the time when doing photography. 
• The other pair has a deep neutral-gray tint and polarizing. I wear these for driving and riding my motorcycle and bicycle. In the car the windshield and side glass absorb the UV that triggers Transitions so the normal pair are useless as sunglasses. The polarizing cuts down on specular reflections and glare, critical particularly on the motorcycle and bicycle.

Goes without saying: Always buy good glasses and be critical on performance and fit. My prescription is a bit fussy ... I've occasionally had to do up to three-four remakes before it's right. A good optician knows this and will work with me until the glasses are to my satisfaction. 

 

Although it feels like something of a cliche for a Leica owner, I wear one of the vented Tilley hats when I'm out walking and using the camera. I've had cheaper hats that worked, but none of the others seem to hold up as well as the Tilley or fit as well. It's generally cool and does as good a job for shading my eyes and keeping the sun off my head as it does at being a mini umbrella on a drizzly day.

[jaapv]

One could consider swapping cameras instead of glasses The CL does not black out

[RoySmith]

Last year I got a pair of prescription non-polarized Oakley Cycling sunglasses. The Garmin Edge cycle computer was nearly unreadable with polarized lens. These Oakley’s work well the SL, but I still wear a wide brimmed hat.

 

Roy

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[lanetomlane]

I've never shot with any form of sunglasses, as I like to see the true colours when I press the shutter. If I'm driving and wearing sunglasses, whenever I stop to take a picture I always change back to my regular specs.

 

Cheers, Tom

[AlanJW]

Nonpolarized is the solution.

 

I gave up my polarized sunglasses because electronic screens of all kinds, including but not limited to cameras, are difficult, and also because I have gotten used to a heads up display in my car.  The heads up is actually a reflection so the polarized glasses just about dim the reflection out.  

 

BTW there are "transitions"-type lenses that will work in a car.   It is new technology and you will need an optician that handles them. 

[rpittal]

Nobody has quite said it, but there are several polarizing filters between you and the EVF's image, so polarizing sunglasses are pure frustration.  But I wear normal glasses, and with either the SL or the CL on a bright outdoor day, I shoot one handed and use the other hand to cup over the viewfinder eyepiece when I am framing a shot.  This takes a little practice, but works.  A cap with a soft bill, or a floppy wide brim hat also works well.

 

This sort of thing:

 

L1030053 by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr CL35 @ISO 6400, f/5.6

 

but how do you keep the cat balanced on the brim?