Left-ahnded/eyed photgraphers- catered for?

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I'm left-handed and left-eyed. The vast majority of cameras are built as if people like me did not exist. Where a helpful advance comes, it is almost by accident that it benefits us- e.g. universal autowind.

Latest example of a right-handed world ignoring the rest of us is the battery pack for the EOS300/Rebel 2000. This was so widely recommended i went to see one in a store. And- of course- the much-lauded extra shutter release is exactly the wrong end for me! Anyway, saved some money i suppose....

Cheers JIM

-- Jim Cross (iamacamera@hotmail.com), June 26, 2001

Answers

I am one of the right handed mojority who highly recommend the BP-200 and I stand by it, but I admit I never considered its use for a left handed user. Certainly most companies market their products to the majority. My left handed father once told me (based on a scientific publication) that left handed people could do more with their left hand than right handed people could do with their right. Perhaps none of the scientists were photographers. You have my sympathies - no consolation, I'm sure. I wonder if their are any advantages/disadvantages associated with being right/left eyed?

-- Derrick L. Morin (morin@navy.fttr.mil), June 26, 2001.

I am also left handed and left eyed. But I adapted. I love my IIE, BP50 and Tamron lens. I leave my left eye open and just shoot. My results are very good. I am fortunate.

-- Victor Kunkel (Catmanman@aol.com), June 27, 2001.

I'm also left-handed but I have been forced to use my right hand for everything for so long (except writing) it's as strong and nimble as my left. I look at it as an advantage over right-handed people. However, camera controls don't take much dexterity (much easier than a trackball or a game pad). I find using the large eyecup on my Elan 7E & A2 makes the left eye feel more comfortable as it rotates to the left or right. Although I often use my right eye and leave the left eye open to see objects entering the frame.

-- Puppy Face (doggieface@aol.com), June 27, 2001.

Jim,

I'm right handed/eyed, and use the BP-200 for verticle shots. I will get the BP-300 when I get my Elan 7E. I find it very comfortable for horizontal & vertical shots, not to mention the savings in battery costs. However, when using shoe mounted speedlites, I frequently wish that there were shutter release bottons on both sides (to control placement of hightlights & shadows)! Unfortunately, not one camera maker out there makes a multibutton grip.

Here is my solution for you. 1. Purchase the $30 remote release cable, 2. attach it to the left side of your camera with velcro. You can then hold the body in your left hand, and zoom/focus with your right. I believe the release is two stage, to allow autofocus with a light press & shutter release with full press. If you should then spend $50 on the BP-200, add another piece of velcro to attach the remote release to when doing vertical shots. The upside of this is that you also have a great off camera release when doing tripod work!

For a much higher cost solution to your left hand/eye needs, there are a couple of medium format cameras out there with left hand models. :)

-- Hung James Wasson (HJWasson@aol.com), August 10, 2001.


I'm grateful for the response thus far. One thing that should be clear from some of the answers is that there are degrees of left/right handedness. I'm pretty much at the far end of left- handedness, and certainly could not simply use my right eye instead of my right one, for example.

As this means that- on some cameras- controls sited at the rear of the body are jammed against my head, it is no good urging 'dexterity' as a solution, for there is no physically convenient way of solving that!

In an era where electronics have taken over from mechanical linkages, the contraints of cost and design that used to dictate the internal layout of an single camera model must be less tight than once they were. There is thus far less excuse for not providing left-handed alternatives, even on the most expensive models!

Cheers JIM

-- Jim Cross (iamacamera@hotmail.com), August 12, 2001.



Jim,

It's true that there shouldn't be any design difficulties in simply mirror reversing an SLR body. For the small percentage of the world shutterbug population that are "Extreme" left-handers, most camera companies simply don't have the incentive to re-tool assembly lines. As you say, lefties learn to adapt themselves to the cold, cruel righty world! :)

If you want to stay in the 35mm world, you'll need to find bodies with very high eyepoint relief (so you can keep your face further from the body), viewfinder extender accessories, or jury rig your camera as I suggested earlier. Your just not going to see lefty bodies from Canon/Nikon/Minolta/Pentax/etc.!

You could also abandon the 35mm universe. Canon's D30 digital is a very fine camera (& I'm sure the upcoming 6 mega-pixel pro body will be as well) that accepts all of the EOS EF lenses. You could use the LCD display to compose your shots. Bronica (I believe) has a couple of medium format bodies specifically designed for lefties -- and you've always wanted to move up to those big negatives, right? ;-)

Your choices:

1. Live with it. Make whatever adaptations you must to have a workable "work-around." Favorite quote from 'Silverado': "The world is what you make of it my friend -- if it doesn't fit, make alterations!" :-)

2. Go digital. Digital technology is getting better & better -- and you can take your images directly into the digital darkroom for enhancement/correction. :-o

3. Move up medium format. Select manufacturers (for whatever reason) have seen the need to cater to lefties and made bodies just to fit. ;- )

4. Become the CEO of a major 35mm maker, the head of manufacturing/design/etc. -- or found your own company, who's mission is to make only left-handed oriented bodies of exceeding desirability and then refuse to make bodies for righties. Perhaps you could license use of the various lens mounts (EOS, F-mount, etc.) from the major makers in order to gain access to those wonderful optics! Heh, heh...you design the bodies to accept all lens mounts via adapters on the body -- and then lefties are the only ones who can choose to use Nikkor optics & Canon L series IS optics on the same body!

-- Hung James Wasson (HJWasson@aol.com), August 13, 2001.


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