Why doesn’t my DSLR’s diopter adjustment fully replace my glasses?
Asked 12/12/2017
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I’m using a Nikon D610, whose viewfinder diopter adjustment is rated around -3 to +1. I had hoped this would let me shoot without glasses, but even at the strongest setting the viewfinder image still doesn’t look as sharp as it does when I wear them.
My prescription suggests only mild spherical correction, so it seems like the camera’s range should be enough. However, I also have astigmatism in my shooting eye.
Can the built-in diopter adjustment compensate for astigmatism, or does it only correct simple near/farsightedness? Would an eyepiece correction accessory such as Nikon’s DK-20C help, or do I need a custom eyepiece lens?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Your right eye has astigmatism – 0.5 -1.00 axis 160°. The common lens is a section of sphere, think of a slice off of a crystal ball. Your correction is more like a bore hole in a cylinder. In other words, two different curves, one on one side of the cylinder, another curve on the other side. The diopter eyepiece correction is for the simpler slice off a sphere. If you have a conversation with your eye care professional, you can obtain a tiny lens that will overlay on your camera’s eyepiece.
Originally by user44949. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user44949
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The built-in diopter control only corrects simple spherical vision error (near/farsightedness). It does not correct astigmatism.
That’s why the D610’s adjustment range may seem sufficient on paper, yet the finder still looks less sharp than it does with your glasses on. Astigmatism requires a different optical correction than a standard camera diopter provides.
So yes: your astigmatism is the likely reason the viewfinder never looks fully right with only the camera’s built-in adjustment.
An eyepiece accessory may help only if it matches the correction you need, but for astigmatism the better solution is usually to keep shooting with glasses or get a custom corrective lens for the camera eyepiece through an eye-care professional.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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