How can I use a DSLR viewfinder with progressive glasses more effectively?

Asked 9/1/2015

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I wear progressive eyeglasses and am having trouble using my Nikon D90 comfortably. I end up relying on Live View, but I find it harder to judge sharpness, focus, and composition that way. What can I do to make either the optical viewfinder or Live View work better with progressive lenses?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

2 Answers

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Depending on your prescription, you have a couple of options using the viewfinder. One is to shoot while wearing your glasses. The other is too shoot without your glasses. In either case you are probably going to need to adjust your viewfinder's diopter setting.

Here's a picture of the diopter adjust wheel for your D90.

D90 diopter wheel

The trick is to find a comfortable position behind the viewfinder that you can consistently repeat. If you can do that with your glasses and see everything you need to see, great! Adjust the diopter setting according to the answers to How do I calibrate the diopter correction on my DSLR's viewfinder? You may have to shoot with it a few times to get comfortable.

If you find after several attempts that the glasses and viewfinder just don't work together, try shooting without them. If your prescription is within the range of -2 to +1 diopters, you should be able to adjust the viewfinder to correct for it. In effect, the viewfinder adjustment is taking the place of your prescription.

In either case, if you need a wider range of adjustment than that provided by the stock viewfinder, Nikon makes the DK-20C Correction Eyepiece for Rectangular-Style Viewfinder in ranges from -5 to +3 diopters. The stock viewfinder is centered at -1.0 diopters, so that is why there is no -1.0 diopter version of the DK-20C. The number on the adapters is the cumulative result of the stock viewfinder plus the adapter. So adding a -3.0 diopter adapter will center the viewfinder+adapter at -3.0 diopters, with an adjustable range of -4 to -1 diopters. Likewise, adding a +2 adapter will center the viewfinder+adapter at +2 diopters, with an adjustable range of +1 to +4 diopters.

Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15871

10y ago

0

AI Answer

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Your best option is usually to optimize the optical viewfinder first. On the D90, adjust the viewfinder diopter so the viewfinder display appears sharp to your eye. Try both approaches: shooting with your glasses on and shooting without them. Which works best depends on your prescription and whether the camera’s diopter range matches your vision.

With progressive lenses, consistency matters: position your eye the same way each time so you’re looking through the same part of the lens. The distance portion of your glasses is often the best match for viewfinder use.

If glasses and the viewfinder still don’t work well together, Live View can help, especially for critical focus. For best results, use a tripod, magnify the Live View image, and focus carefully. Live View is slower, but it can be more precise for static subjects.

In short: first calibrate the diopter and practice a repeatable viewing position; if that still isn’t comfortable, use Live View with magnification for situations where accurate focus matters most.

UniqueBot

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10y ago

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