# Does eyesight effect focusing?



## JungleGuts (Jul 10, 2007)

Last question for now lol, does eyesight effect focusing the camera?


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## Stranger (Jul 10, 2007)

when you say eyesight, do you mean your eyes or the adjuste on the camera?

Your eyes may effect focusing if he can not tell if an object is in focus. Most SLR's atleast will have the adjuster though


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## newrmdmike (Jul 10, 2007)

eyesight can affect focusing i think, but if your really careful you should be alright . . . some cameras also have a focus indicator, allowing you to see if something at a certain distance is in focus. . . i have bad vision but have no problem using my mamiya without glasses.


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## LaFoto (Jul 10, 2007)

I happen to know from photographers who are my dad's age (over seventy) that indeed their eyesight no longer serves them well enough to manually focus. They nowadays have to rely on autofocus, they say unanimously. So indeed it can influence your abilities to focus properly.

I photograph through my glasses (and have thus ruined my newst pair that is no longer real glass but a sort of plexyglass to make it bifocal :roll: ) and can focus manually all right. I could adjust the diopter and photograph WITHOUT glasses, but the astigmatism isn't adapted and ... where would I PUT my glasses every time I take a pic? I'd be likely to lose them...


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## ann (Jul 10, 2007)

yes, i switched to auto focus lenses as i just couldn't react as quickly as I once did. 

I put my glasses on top of my head  and use the diopter


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## fmw (Jul 10, 2007)

No, it doesn't affect focus but it affects one's ability to focus.  As long as you can resolve the focusing aids then the image will be in focus even if the viewfinder is not sharp.  If there are no focusing aids such as with modern AF cameras, then the viewfinder needs to be sharp in order to focus.  Most modern cameras have a diopter adjustment for the viewfinder to adjust everything to your eyesight.  In the old days we bought screw in lenses for the eyepiece to change the diopter.


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## EOS_JD (Jul 10, 2007)

fmw said:


> No, it doesn't affect focus but it affects one's ability to focus. As long as you can resolve the focusing aids then the image will be in focus even if the viewfinder is not sharp. If there are no focusing aids such as with modern AF cameras, then the viewfinder needs to be sharp in order to focus. Most modern cameras have a diopter adjustment for the viewfinder to adjust everything to your eyesight. In the old days we bought screw in lenses for the eyepiece to change the diopter.


 
Perfect answer (as always) FMW.

Your eyesight does not affect AF at all. Your eyes may not see a sharp image through the viewfinder (adjust the diopter if it's available) but AF will still give a sharp image.

Your eyesight will only be a problem when trying to focus manually (as FMW said).

Would a focusing screen help FMW? Never used one but thought that might help?


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