I AM USING MY LEICA WRONG - are you too? 

It's good to know that I am not alone in being left eye dominant. I have simply accepted that I will always use my m4 "wrong" and learned to enjoy what I make with it anyway. This is a great topic that(as far as I know at least) hasn't been covered much at all. Thanks for making it!

Garry Winogrand is one of the most prolific/famous Leica users (Leica M4) and he's known for being left eye dominant. There are even videos of him on RU-vid shooting the street using his left eye! People should shoot in a way they feel is most comfortable. When the camera is the least of our concerns we're allowed to focus on the task at hand which is to make a great picture. :)

Really depends on the magnification of the viewfinder. With the M3 this makes a lot of sense as the viewfinder is nearly 1-1 but with all other Leicas this isn’t necessarily the right (or wrong) way.

I have a question. Wouldn't the fact that the magnification of the viewfinder of the camera is not 1X make it harder to use with both eyes open? (Even if used with the "correct eye".)

Thanks for the video! I just got a M240 and was wondering why I couldnt see the framelines as well with my right eye. I then remembered eye dominance and was pretty bummed out. This video helped me realize I'm not alone! I do really like taking portrait photos, and I found I can use the rangefinder with both eyes open that way, using my left eye. So not all is lost!!! I will try training like you did, cheers!!!

Great video Karin. I’m also left eye dominant and I’ve always used rangefinders with my dominant eye. I have people tell me constantly I’m using it wrong, but I disagree. The placement of the optical viewfinder to the far left side of the camera (from the perspective of holding the camera to shoot) was a functional necessity due to the position of the film advance lever. Where else could they put the viewfinder? I do agree it’s more functional to use your right eye and easier to cock the shutter and advance the film, but it’s not easy to switch eye dominance. Some believe left eye dominant people are right brain dominant which means you’re more creative and artistic. I only half believe it, but I’ll accept it :-) Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the video Karin. I converted to rangefinder shooting about 10 years ago when I bought my first Leica. And will never go back to SLR. Even though I am right eye dominant, It required a bit of time and practice to learn to shoot with both eyes open but once I became comfortable with it, I realized how much more information is visible outside of the frame. I find this technique much more comfortable with less eye strain. I wouldn’t worry about being left eye dominant because theLeica is such a great camera that it allows you to use your own shooting style. Cheers, Dan ✌️🇨🇦

Just shoot the M6 upsidedown, as a 9W and you’re sorted.

There is no wright or wrong. There is only our own best way of using a camera.

Ever since i got my first x100 i fell in love with the rangefinder principle. The fact that you can see outside your frame, have to frame with everything being sharp rather than looking through a bokeh creamy lens. I wish there are more professional range finder systems nowadays like there were back in the day!

I am left eye dominant but I cannot wink with it, and that is partly what led me to move from a Fuji XE body (range finder style) to an XT body (slr style). Totally agree with the added stability benefit btw.

Thanks for making this video! Having shot Fuji Xpro, Canon LTM bodies and Leica M, I always felt I was missing something by being left eye dominate. I reserve right-eye shooting for situations when I can anticipate the perfect moment with both eyes open. Like a sharp shooter. But otherwise it causes too much muscle tension and headaches. So 99% of the time it stays to my left eye and I just enjoy the other benefits of having frame lines.

I don't think there's a wrong way, it's the right way if it confortable to you :) And I must say that the quality of your videos is getting more and more impressive, I love your videos!

Interesting topic. Based on my personal experience, the dominant eye is totally trainable and switchable. It took me about 1 week to completely change from using the left eye to using the right eye after picking up my 1st rangefinder style camera a few years back. Now I can comfortably use both eyes for photography. However for archery I can only use my right eye, but I think that is because I’m a righty and it’s much more natural to pull the string with the stronger side of my body.

This is so insightful! Thank you so much for this. I have an old Minolta 7s, and I used it wrong lol. But that’s okay, because now I use cameras without viewfinders this way when I want to use them as range finders. They’re easier for my eyes, and I see so much more of the world before capturing it.

Thank you for this video! I used to be right-eye dominant, but a detached retina caused damage to the center vision of that eye, and I had to switch to left-eye dominance, which I dreaded. I too shoot with a Leica rangefinder. But it turned out to be easier than I expected. Of course, I wish I could return to right-eye dominance to fully take advantage of the two-eyed approach, but my partial blindness prevents me from fine focusing and I had to adapt, and it’s fine. The primary annoyance is when using a digital M, my nose smears the back screen, but as you noted, my nose gives great stability. Wonderful work you do! All the best!

What a very informative and helpful article. I tried the experiment you showed and found I was right-eye dominant. This is good not only for the way I use my camera, but my left eye is developing a cataract.

I'm left eye dominant too. The both eyes open technique works in portrait orientation!😄 I have also notices the stabilising effect of my nose btw. It's actually very useful for slower shutter speeds.

Great video…as a leftie, I’ve been using many items “wrong” my whole life…scissors, ball point pens and range finder cameras too. I embraced it long ago, a quiet rebellion against how things “should” be done. I’ll do it my leftie way because that’s who I am. Course I had to turn the screen off on my Lumix LX100ii because my nose kept moving the focus point, but that’s just the way it is …

I' use this technique on my Canon VIL. It is just a beautiful experience because the camera has a big and bright 1:1 view finder. After just a few seconds the camera vanishes and the frame lines are clearly floating in 3D space in front of me. On my M2 I close my free eye because I find the difference in magnification between the eyes really distracting and irritating. It works too and I still get the picture at the end. It feels more focused somehow so It's a different experience, not better or worse. I've actually never thought about why I'm doing this until now. Thank you very much for the impulse.

One problem with this is that M bodies except the M3 has a low viewfinder magnification, which makes shooting with both eyes open not a 1:1 image in both eyes.

Thanks so much for making this video. I too am left-eye dominant, and therefore have been using my Leica M's the wrong way for a long time (and don't really care that I do). The only thing I miss is having the my other eye to watch the scene, as was demonstrated in the video. As a pianist who is right handed, I've strengthened my weaker left hand by simply using it more for daily tasks for which I normally use my right hand, like brushing my teeth. There doesn't seem to be any simple tricks in regard to eye dominance, however. But as others have mentioned, I will try shooting my M5 and M11 with my right eye and see if it makes a difference. If nothing else, the experiment could be fun.

Thanks for this video! Never seen anyone cover this topic as detailed as you did! I noted the same problem several years ago when I tried a Leica M for the first time, and also when using all the digital cameras that have the viewfinder in the left corner of the body (like Fuji X-Pro, X-E etc.). Luckily I am not THAT left or right eye dominant, so I can actually switch easily. But if I have a free choice, I always will use my left eye. What doesn't work for me so well is using the camera with both eyes open, unless the viewfinder image is close to 1:1 magnification. So it works for me on a Leica M3, but not on the M6. But overall I tend to see stuff twice anyway and it just confuses my brain :) so I'll rather squint the one eye anyway.

a Q2 point of view ! This video was an eye opener, pun intended. With your very clear explanation I have, just, discovered I am left eye dominant. And now by placing the Q2 in front of my face with my left eye now on the EVF and both eyes open, no more squinting!, composition and focus is clearer and quicker! My “object selection” with Q2 manual focus is way better, almost DSLR-like, thanks to your left-eye-dominance revelation! Thanks so much, keep up the great work.

Thanks for the interesting video Karin - this is something that us right-eye dominant shooters surely take for granted. I did notice two things in the video that I hadn't paid attention to before: firstly, by using the left eye for the rangefinder the lens is basically in front of the middle of the face, rather than somewhere off to the side. Perhaps this can potentially help with framing and combating parallax error in particular? It also seemed to me that you were keeping your head straighter or more level when using your left eye. I'll have to have a look at that myself to see if it can help combat the crooked horizons I can run into when using a rangefinder. Personally I always shoot with my right eye when making landscape format images, but will often switch to the left with portrait format images. That was never a conscious choice, so I guess it's just more comfortable for me that way.

Cool stuff, Karin !!! I have never heard of eye dominance before, using rangefinders ( not Leicas though ) for almost 50 years now. I use the viewfinder with my right eye, simply because my nose is too large for doing it otherwise … but I could basically see all that stuff through the viewfinder with both eyes. However, keeping both eyes open was new to me. I instinctively close the left eye to concentrate more on framing the picture and especially setting the focus on the double picture window in the middle. And I am more far-sighted on the right eye, so it’s more comfortable to use for me. BTW, for me the huge advantage of rangefinders ( comparing to SLRs ) is clearly the focus system. I have problems, setting the focus right on manual SLRs, but it’s much easier ( and quicker ) for me to match those two pictures on the small window of a rangefinder. It doesn’t need to be a Leica though. There are thousands of equally good rangefinders of other brands out there. 😜 My favorite camera of all times is the original Canonet from 1961 for example. A wonderful peace of technology.

Excellent video! My compliments. I will try out my Leica using my right eye. As far as I know, I always used my left eye for all types of viewfinders, except waist level. And even then with the magnifying glass up, I peer through with the left eye. Thanks for making me aware of this.

As a left eye/right hand/mixed dominance photographer- thank you- very useful perspective!!! Tho one important clarification the "right" way to use a rangefinder only/works best when you have a 1.0 (1:1) viewfinder magnification- or at least the closer 1.0 the easier it will be to use the "right" two eyes open rangefinder technique.

I’m right eye dominated and I did exactly the same thing you’re doing with my left eye when I found out I seemed to have Amblyopia at high school and I did it for maybe two three years. I just tested both my eyes with a viewfinder accessory and turns out I can see the viewfinder frame overlaying in both cases. So maybe it will work on you as well! Great video as always, keep up the good work!

I am, too, crossdominant and am using the left eye when using cameras. I always thought about it as being a kind of unique quirk, being right handed (associated with more logical approach to things in general due to the dominance of left hemisphere) but still being left eye dominant using in my more art-y hobby of photography :)

Thanks so much for such a wonderful video, i wondered about this actually and was completely blown away by the dominant eye test; I also realized I was extremely left-eye dominant. However, quite amazingly, after just a few weeks of just using my right eye it became second nature. Somehow what really works for me is actually keeping both eyes open for the most part and just closing my left eye when i really need to concentrate on composition/focus. Before, I typically kept both eyes open anyhow as when using my left eye, the camera just blocked the right which was very comfortable as well. As everyone says, one should just do what is comfortable/works but I definitely appreciate being able to really see the world and not be obscured by the camera.

I am left eye dominant. With some practice I am now using my right eye for shooting both rangefinder and other mirrorless cameras.

I like to use both eyes, although my right is the dominant one. Especially for portrait format I use the left eye or/and one can even support the camera with the left shoulder to keep it steady in certain situations. Always good light!!

I’m right eye dominant and currently using a Leica MDA which has no range finder so I have a voigtlander cold shoe finder on top so I can sort of kinda see out of my left eye like our Lord an savior Joel Meyerowitz intended. I love my blind Leica paired with the 25mm f4 lens ☺️

Interesting, thank you Karin, I have learned something. I use my right eye because my sight is better in that eye. I hadn't considered dominance, or the idea that in fact to keep the left eye open to the scene while using the right eye for the viewfinder was a thing with range finder cameras. I will have to experiment.

It only took me from around 1960 to the 2000s to realize I habitually use my left eye while photographing. I’m right handed, and I had never realized there was left/right dominance. In retrospect, I assume rangefinders, and to some extent, all cameras, were physically arranged to be most comfortable for right handed users. For example, look at the button layout on “pro” bodies, in addition to the slight offset of the viewfinders. As an aside, my mother grew up in an age where it was frowned upon to be left handed and she was “forced” as a child to become right handed. For me, the bigger problem regarding using my various analog and digital Leica rangefinders over the years has been my increasing reliance on eyeglasses. For a long time, I fudged by using the rangefinders without my glasses (which were more needed for close focusing or reading small print), but that gradually became less workable. I also find that contacts are counterproductive because they are meant to work together and, at least for me, do not give a clear view through viewfinders. This has meant it is hard to see the whole Leica M frame without “looking around.” I gave up for awhile, and just used other cameras (Leica and others), but really missed the experience. I bought the M11, which necessitated being even more conscious of maintaining a stable base in order to take advantage of the 60 MP resolution. I still shoot “the wrong way,” glasses and all, but thoroughly enjoy the experience and have no plans to rehabilitate myself in order to conform 😊

Yep, I'm a left eye Leica user too. The added benefit though I can hold the camera more firmly against my head and use slower shutter speeds with success. 😆 Keep up the good work - great content.

Great video. Like many others who have commented, I am left-eye dominant and for years I have been using the Leica M the way that works for me - with my dominant eye. I will continue to do so. I don’t think this is the wrong way and I don’t care what others say about this.

Very interesting! I have the Q2mono (love it!) and have been thinking heavily about getting into the M system. Certainly an added layer here, and like you and at your guidance here, apparently I am left eye dominant! But I'm sure I'd join you in your solution. Interesting to think about, though - thanks!

Dear Karin, I must confess that I too am using my Leica M4 'wrong'. Yes I'm left eye dominant. In addition I'm also a Competitive Archer, a few of my club mates participated in the Tokyo Olympics, and eye dominance is very important with archery. Being right handed, I hold my Bow in my Left Hand and draw the string and arrow with my right, this means that your 'right eye' is the one that sights the target, I did try and learn to shoot the bow left handed with little success. One thing that did work is that I placed one contact lens in my right eye only. Nevertheless, even if I hold my camera in portrait orientation and open both eyes I still struggle.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I am just re-discovering film photography, using my grandfather’s M3 (bought new by him in 1958). I am also left dominant and wrestling with the same challenges.

as long as you make images which you like, remember, be happy with them and the time you spent doing that, then you do nothing wrong :) Very nice video and explanation! Had no idea about that and yes, indeed the way you shoot has advantages and disadvantages (but thats with everything in life I guess). Nothing wrong with that.

I've learned to use both eyes, but my instinctive reflex is always to use the left eye. Though I don't care much about this since the right one isn't as good to begin with 😁 so I just use the left one most of the time. But there's one thing you might be interested in checking-out; it's the Voigtländer Kontur viewfinder. The device requires you to keep both eyes open as one eye only sees only the bright lines (no image) and the other looks at the image in a normal way. The brain does the superimposition and it works quite well. Though you don't get to see the rangefinder patch so you need to zone focus.

Thanks for this. I've long been conscious that of the fact that I shoot with the "wrong" eye. For me the biggest drawback is the nose print I leave on the rear screen of digital cameras!

I was able to switch from my left eye to my right easily! I've been photographing since 2000 and as a left handed person I am obviously left eye dominant. I started off with SLRs but in 2004/05 I switched to a Contax G2. I never felt the need to switch to my right eye, I always thought having (and still think) the option to have my left eye open didn't do anything for my photography. Fast forward to about 15+ years later (I forget the exact year) I decided to switch to my right eye. This wasn't because of my preference to rangefinders (I now mainly photograph with a Mamiya 7 and sometimes with a M4) but I was hated that the oils (I know, gross) on my face would rub up against my cameras and in particular to my DSLRs and eventually damage the LCD screen. I photograph weddings, taking a couple of thousand of photos each week would do that to your camera. So when I upgraded my DSLR to a mirrorless camera I decided to switch to my right eye. All it took was one wedding and I got used to it. Now I shoot with my right eye exclusively. It didn't change anything with how I shoot and the outcome of my photographs at all...I just prefer it now. But there is no wrong way to use your rangefinder....whatever works for you! We live in a right handed and right eyed world! We have been adapting our whole lives and one day we will rule the world! lol

Your video was posted at just the right time for me. I haven't used my Leica M6 for a very long time. I was considering either selling my M6 or purchasing a diopter so I could use my left eye to look through the viewfinder. However, I seemed to recall that perhaps I should have been using my right eye to look through the viewfinder. I dug out Andrew Matheson's book on how to use Leica Rangefinders. He did not discuss in the text which eye to use to look through the viewfinder. However, from the photos in the book, it appeared to me that I should be using my right eye to look through the viewfinder. I have been looking for RU-vid videos that would confirm this, and yesterday I found your video. Because an eye doctor told me years ago, that I am right eye dominant, I now know that I don't need a diopter. I will keep my M6, and I will practice "using it correctly" I am grateful for your video.

I got out my M6, purchased new in 1989, and put it up to my eye as if I were going to take a photograph. I found that I naturally put it up to my right eye and closed the left eye. I could force my left eye open, but it felt strange. I know that I have done this in the past when I wanted to see what was going on outside the frame. I also tried using my left eye. I found focusing to be easier that way, but my nose was in the way. I went out shooting last weekend with my M6 and my R9. Every time I picked up the R9, I held it off center, as if it were a rangefinder. I just came across your website today. I like your titanium M6. I looked them up in the USA; I couldn't find any used. There was a special edition titanium M-A two years ago for $20,000, but they are all sold out.

Some interesting observations you’ve made here Karin. I echo a lot of what others have commented, the “correct” way of using the camera is the way that suits you best/most. Whenever I sense that I may be doing something differently, or as perhaps not designed - all fundamentals of creativity - and maybe start to question myself, I always try to remind myself of this quote from Miles Davis: “Do not fear mistakes. There are none.”

Hi ya Karin, I like the way that you have the neon sign of a light bulb above your head in the background!! I find it difficult too keep both eyes open when using my rangefinders.

You can use your left eye in portrait and have both eyes open; it's a little awkward to press the shutter button when it is facing toward your right side, but gives us left eye shooters an option to use both eyes.

This is actually one of the reasons I love my M5! Left eye dominance plus left sided vertical strap makes it super convenient to shoot left eyed

Interesting video! I use a canon P and I've never really considered which eye is dominant. I've always naturally alternated between both. Granted I haven't been shooting for very long.

As a south paw (left handed), I'm not surprised my dominant eye happens to be my left. Be that as it may - thank you for sharing and it's good to know we're in good company! As for the Leica snooty folk who enjoy pointing out we're using the rangefinder incorrectly - I'd say, people said the same thing to Jimi Hendrix when they saw him play his guitar up side down. Let's keep making art!

I'm also left eye dominant and I've been trying to use my right eye to frame shots on the X-Pro2 (which has a rangefinder style optical/electronic hybrid viewfinder). It is weird at first but it quickly becomes natural (I do close my other eye, BTW), although it is never my first instinct. The interesting thing is that when I want to take photos in a vertical orientation I can then seamlessly compose with my left eye, which is more ergonomic since I avoid pressing my nose against the back of the camera, and which I think right eye dominant people have a harder time with.

Hi Karin - thank you for a very interesting range finder best use lesson. Definitely no wrong way in my opinion and with such strong writing skills, you have nothing to worry about! I will report back here immediately as soon as my new Leica / range finder arrives. Both Leica and a range finder are new to me. - - I just did your hand triangle test, and I am right eye dominant. However, I've always used my left eye with my dslr. Much prefer the "nose tripod" - - lol (less the oily back screen smudges).

I am left eye dominant, also my left eye is farsighted whereas my right eye is nearsighted. I have corrective lenses, but I don't use them often to shoot. What I have done, evidently intuitively, is learn how to shoot without looking - by using zone focusing or flash with zone focusing - this way it doesn't matter if I deal with framing press. The other thing I do is use my left eye, but in PORTRAIT mode. This way I can focus and if I need to recompose I turn the camera landscape and still have focus. This way my dominant eye sees the best and the image works correctly.

This is the best video I've ever seen on this topic. I am totally dominant in both right eye and right hand. Oddly, I seem to shoot my rangefinder cameras using my right eye, but with the left eye closed, and my SLRs equally between left and right eye focusing/composing. I had never tried the test you demonstrated, and the results were surprising when I saw how right-eyed I am, but how that doesn't seem to affect my shooting. Karin, thank you for your videos, which help even this "old guy" photographer. Andy

This was so informative, and definitely helps to demystify rangefinders. had me wondering round my room looking at things through my camera questioning everything hahah

Thank you for this video. It's a wonderful video and i enjoy your work very much.

Instructions unclear, tried the blinking eye method and now I’m in jail.

I know that this is a technique that some photographers swear by but I have never really used it for some reason. It is possible to have situational awarness and anticipate movement without using this technique. As far as the slr vs rangefinder debate I think slr viewfinders are more useful. Rangefinders are better for shooting quietly and shooting slower shutterspeeds without camera shake. Something that I always see people doing "wrong" is holding their cameras vertically with their right hand on top (right elbow floating). It is much more stable to hold it with left of camera on top and both elbows braced against your ribcage. It only really matters with slow shutterspeeds and long lenses but it is a good habit to get into to hold the camera as stable as possible at all times

Great video! I'm also left eye dominant though being from Texas originally I learned this shooting a gun. I can aim correctly with a handgun, however rifles can be problematic. Also I would not worry about the cool factor since you are cool dominant. Those of us who are uncool dominant have to care about things like how we look in selfies.

On the other hand focusing "one eyed" is closer to the 2D perspective of a photograph and helps us to find "fake" depth (things/forms/lines that suggest depth) when we are a missing a dimension.

always enjoy your informative and insightful videos. thanks.

That makes so much sense. My dominant eye is the same as yours. I always close my other eye when I use a rangefinder for that reason.

Before having cataracts surgery I was like you, left eye dominant... but really didn't care (probably because never told me about the "right way" to use a Leica). Now, after my surgeries, I am comfortable with both eyes... Even though my impulse when I use my camera(s) is to take them to my left eye. :) Thanks for your video and product recommendation!

I watched this with my right eye closed. I THINK I'M READY!

I am also a a left eye dominant Leica shooter but I feel like I have been able to retrain to use my R eye when shooting. Nice video!

The Konica IIIA had a 1:1 rangefinder window. It was brilliant for exactly this reason and a fantastic camera to use (that and the trigger wind, wow). 0.7 mag viewfinders make two eye viewing quite a bit harder. And, I am totally left eye dominant. Ugh. Winking!

Dear Karin, you raise an important topic for using an M rangefinder camera. I'm left dominant, too, but for me it's OK with my M9. I don't see a major advance in training my rigtht eye because of the M camera construction. I enjoy the rangefinder view like it is: real view in real time. Best wishes from Frankfurt

Another great video, Karin. I don’t use a rangefinder yet, but this was great information

OMG! Karin, thank you for talking about it! I always thought about this topic and I'm so glad you brought it up and really took an in depth and thoughtful approach and explanation. I'm most definately using my camera WRONG hahaha. Thank you for letting me know I'm not the only one and that We are all still cool no matter what way we best see the world! Loved this topic. Keep up the content. I always enjoy your videos and look forward to them. Big fan.

As a left eye dominant glasses wearer, i have had this same battle. I have also been trying to go right eye and I don't know if the headaches are worth it. I'll just go right eye for when I take my mirror portraits haha

Ok, no clickbait but I am subscribing 😊 You can also bring both hands close to your face maintaining the object in frame and you will by nature direct them towards your dominant eye. I have the same “problem” since my dominant eye is my left one but someone also told me you can work your non dominant eye into getting used to framing while using a rangefinder camera. Rangefinders are beautiful.

Same here. I love Rangefinder-style cameras, but I'm absolutely left-eye dominant and couldn't change it, so I stopped caring. I still like the results and miss nothing, who cares if some photo-snobs wrinkle their noses. :)

Having both eyes open only works with a high magnification finder. That means using the original M3, M6 or MP with a .85 finder or a Voigtländer Bessa R3m.

Interesting topic. I’m right eye dominant, but I still close my left eye when shooting. When I first tried rangefinder cameras I knew that I found them generally more comfortable to shoot with, but I couldn’t figure out why. It was only when I came across this topic in an article a few years ago that I sort of had a ‘light bulb’ moment. Incidentally, before I bought a rangefinder I was using a Fujifilm X100 and X-Pro cameras. I still use and like SLR cameras, but rangefinder style cameras feel more natural to me.

While I am right handed I’m very left eye dominate. My right eye is very very near sighted. When I try using my right eye I can’t even see the rangefinder patch let alone the frame lines. Also you did hit the nail on the head when you said “Leica snobs” were the ones that pointed that out. The only wrong way to use your camera is to not use it at all

In my opinion you're using it the right way. It doesn't depend on which eye you're using, not even the camera or lens. If the end result is astonishing, you did everything perfect! When was photography about the tool or how you use the tool?

So apparently I'm left eye dominant and I never knew how to check till you showed us in the video. I've always used my right eye for the viewfinder. Now I'm wondering if I should switch to my left eye. I don't have a rangefinder Leica though I have an SL so the orientation doesn't really matter in that regard.

Wonderful video! I found out that I was left eye dominant when I started hunting at the age of 12. Despite being right handed, I shoot left handed. It’s actually somewhat dangerous to pull the trigger with the opposite finger of the eye you sight with. You have to lean way over the gun with your face, and it makes aiming much less accurate. This is the only thing I do left handed, and I am clumsy whenever I try anything else with my left.

Great Video on this not is much covered topic! Like you I'm a "double handicapped" Leica user (glasses + left eye dominant) but I must say that the issues I have with the glasses over time annoy me the most. Not being able to see even the 35mm frame-lines properly if I don't press my glasses against the rangefinder (which then hurts on the nose....) is a little sad.Trying a couple things over the years I ultimately settled on simply using a 50mm lens, or if I want something wider, a Bessa R4a. Switching to a .58 viewfinder would probably also help, but... not another Leica, they´re still expensive after all :)

This is a beautiful video on an important topic. I am also left-eyed and don't care if I "misuse" my Leica. More important is undoubtedly the outcome. Regarding the cool selfies, here's a tip: hold the camera upright, and then one eye is also free ;)

I'm right eye dominant but I must admit I close my left eye so I'm going to practice keeping it open and see if that makes a difference. However, I'm starting to lose the sight in my right eye a little. Until I can have the surgery to repair this I have been trying to use my left eye more but find this quite hard so I understand why you find using your right eye difficult.

According to the Leica Book published in 1967 by Theo Kisselbach; “Normally it is the right eye which looks through the viewfinder. However, by all means use your left eye if you can see better with it” Incase you need more reference.

Hi Karin. I am a street photographer based in the UK and I am also left eye dominant (or 'left eyed') as I like to call it. I use my M6 the same way as you even though I know that is the "wrong" way. I simply can't view with my right eye. If you look at images of Henri Cartier-Bresson using his Leica you will notice that although he views with his right eye he tightly closes his left so that he too had monocular vision! That makes me feel a lot better about the situation! In view of your stats perhaps Leica should have made an M6 with everything in reverse for us left eyers. Keep up the good work. :)

I'm very left eye dominant myself - just like I'm very right handed and right footed too. I have no problem closing my eyes independently of each other, and I can use my rangefinders with my right eye - if I close my left eye, but I prefer to use my left eye. I too have noticed the extra support, the nose provides. And, I also find, that when I'm out shooting, hiding my eyes behind the camera makes a difference, because people can't get direct eye contact with me. It's not as effective for that as a waist level viewfinder, but It's definitely better than visibly looking at them with my left eye...

Yep.. my right eye is way too weak too, underdeveloped optical nerve. Which is also why I prefer rangefinders, with a center viewfinder my face is mushed into my thumb. Btw of you have another person you can use the hand triangle truck and tell them which eye they see 😅 of course I learned about eye dominance through archery, funny to see you bring it up in the video.

When I started with an SLR, I "naturally" used my left eye (although it is not my dominant eye) and switched to the right eye with the M6. But I still don't like using the M6 with both eyes open, since the magnification is 0.72, which puts me off. Also I cannot really see the rangefinder patch all that well when I have both eyes open...

Great points I have never considered. I tried shooting with a CLE for a while and just couldn’t take to it. Maybe I’d still have the CLE if I’d seen this first.

I've been shooting with Leica rangefinders since 1968. I am left eye dominant. My high school job was working for a local TV station and I ended up having to shoot sound on film using an Auricon 16mm camera. The problem was the viewfinder for the zoom lens was snugged up to the left side of the camera. There's no way to look through it with your left eye. I trained myself to shoot right eyed, which came in handy when shooting Leica. Now, in addition to my Leica M3, I shoot with Fuji X-E rangefinder style cameras. I still use my right eye.

A similar problem for left handers. Shooting never feels right using my right hand so I end up covering the top of my Olympus OM-1 to press the shutter with my left forefinger.

Love this. Not easy to practice swapping to right eye.

Nice summary and thoughtful investigation!!

This is great clarification on eye dominance, I didn't quite understand the nuance till now! Cool experiment also, I guess you'll be sticking to the left 😁👍🏼

Hi, I’m solidly left eye dominant. I blame Leica for not making a “reverse” camera. So I keep on using it the “wrong” way. What you haven’t mentioned is the difference in size of the image, with the most common 0.72 finder. I have tried using the “right” way, but couldn’t fuse the images. Gave me a headache. Both eyes open does work with my other rangefinder, a voigtländer r3a, which is 1.0, but then it still feels like trying to use a hammer with my (non-dominant) right hand: very awkward.

Very interesting and easy test to get to know which eye is dominant! Mine is the right eye, so if I ever get to own a Leica rangefinder, I know I can use it the "right way" lol, thanks!

One of the biggest changes to how I was using my 35mm cameras was less to do with which eye I use (I'm right-eye dominant, so using the Leica "correctly" on that front is easy enough for me), but more to do with how I was pressing the shutter release. This works especially well in conjunction with a soft-release button: Instead of using my fingertip, I've learned to press down gently using the first joint of my index finger, while bracing against the camera body (actually usually the shutter speed dial, but it depends on the camera) with the fingertip. This has resulted in a reduction in camera movement, especially when using slow shutter speeds. I'm way more confident shooting at speeds down to 1/8s or even 1/4s and getting a somewhat steady image.

I had never heard of one eye being dominant and so after trying your trick, I audibly said WOW when I figured which eye was dominant lol, thanks!

Fantastic video…I’m weighing up the options of moving to rangefinders so this was exactly what I was looking for. Gruß aus Niedersachsen 😊