SL2S EVF problems

[dennersten]

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I am new to the Leica SL system. I wear glasses, and the eye detection doesn't work properly. It's black almost every time I take the camera to the eye. Then I slide down the glasses a centimeter, and then it works. I have tried to find an option to set the EVF always on, but I didn't find any. It's very frustrating. What can I do? 

[CptSlevin]

I always wear glasses and have no issue.
Try changing EVF sensitivity mode to high 

[Markey]

That often happens to me too.

I just move the evf around 

Edited January 14 by Markey

[dennersten]

1 minute ago, CptSlevin said:

I always wear glasses and have no issue.
Try changing EVF sensitivity mode to high 

Unfortunately, I have it set to high. I found an old thread that suggested it could be the coating on the glasses. The thread was from 2020, so I hoped it would be fixed by now. I am coming from Nikon and Hasselblad. I have never had any problems before. 

[dennersten]

8 minutes ago, Markey said:

That often happens to me too.

I just move the evf around 

It's extremely annoying. I am a part-time professional, and it freaks me out when I am at a shoot and in a hurry. 

[LocalHero1953]

I’m sitting in the opticians at this moment. I’ve told her I want contact lenses for photography ie good for a focus at about 2m (typical EVF setting). 🙂

[Elliot Harper]

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1 hour ago, dennersten said:

Unfortunately, I have it set to high. I found an old thread that suggested it could be the coating on the glasses. The thread was from 2020, so I hoped it would be fixed by now. I am coming from Nikon and Hasselblad. I have never had any problems before. 

I have been wearing glasses for more than 40 years and this is the first time that I ever heard that there is coating to prevent the sensor from detecting eyes. And I have never experienced EVF not on issue on any of the cameras.

I highly doubt it's the coating on the lenses, I think it's the position and/or the distance between the glass frame and your face. The EVF sensor doesn't know what behind it to turn it on. It merely senses if there is something blocking the light. You can put your palm behind the EVF and it will turn on.

I think you have too much light leakage coming in between your glasses and your face, therefore your face/cheek doesn't block the light going to the EVF sensor.

Edited January 14 by Elliot Harper

[Markey]

I can`t say that it happens frequently but its happens reasonably often.

Its ... as suggested ... possibly something to do the distance between glasses and face .

A few times I`ve had to adjust a couple of times before the EVF kicks in.

[Photoworks]

I have seen before the sensor has been a touch off and acting up.

What you can do is to use the little button next to the EVF, right, and daily true until it is EVF only 

[Jeff S]

A few things.  

Even without glasses, and even with the M, one must be careful aligning the eye with the VF for clearest viewing/focusing.  Eyeglass frame types, and specific prescription/lens specs, including pupil/lens measurements/alignments, can possibly make a difference. (My biggest issue when first using the SL2 was to switch to non-polarized lenses for my sunglasses, which I need in daylight.)

Also make sure that the sensor glass in front of the camera is clean and free of smudges, and fingers.  

And while it might seem counterintuitive, it couldn’t hurt to try changing the sensitivity setting to low.

EVF-only setting would eat batteries. I use EVF-Extended.

Edited January 15 by Jeff S

[dennersten]

On 2025-01-14 at 15:07, Elliot Harper said:

I have been wearing glasses for more than 40 years and this is the first time that I ever heard that there is coating to prevent the sensor from detecting eyes. And I have never experienced EVF not on issue on any of the cameras.

I highly doubt it's the coating on the lenses, I think it's the position and/or the distance between the glass frame and your face. The EVF sensor doesn't know what behind it to turn it on. It merely senses if there is something blocking the light. You can put your palm behind the EVF and it will turn on.

I think you have too much light leakage coming in between your glasses and your face, therefore your face/cheek doesn't block the light going to the EVF sensor.

Yeah thats logic,  but it's strange, never any problems with my Hasselblad X2D and my two Nikons. Today, I have placed the camera a little to the left on my glasses. So far, so good. Worked every time. 

[dennersten]

On 2025-01-14 at 17:27, Markey said:

I can`t say that it happens frequently but its happens reasonably often.

Its ... as suggested ... possibly something to do the distance between glasses and face .

A few times I`ve had to adjust a couple of times before the EVF kicks in.

I have quite big glasses. Today I tried to move the EVF to the left of the glasses. So far it's working

[dennersten]

16 hours ago, Photoworks said:

I have seen before the sensor has been a touch off and acting up.

What you can do is to use the little button next to the EVF, right, and daily true until it is EVF only 

Thanks, I didn't know it. Will try. 

[Jeff S]

6 minutes ago, dennersten said:

Thanks, I didn't know it. Will try. 

EVF Extended will immediately respond when eye placed to EVF, but will remain off otherwise to save battery life. You can see options when pressing button and looking through the EVF.

[Jean-Michel]

The sensor has nothing to do with the eye, anything interfering with the sensor and the finder lights up.

I assume that you put your glasses against the finder, and not just try to look at the finder with your glasses quite away from the finder.

The small sensor at the top needs to get shaded for it to trigger the finder.