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Anirban

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Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 11:46 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Hi,

On my Fujica ST-705 I have noticed that if I move my
eyes back from the viewfinder and with a light source behind or above me, the meter needle goes up, probably indicating light through the viewfinder window affecting the CdS cells. This bothers me because I wear glasses and can't always stick my eyes close to the camera. Is this the way the camera is designed, or is there is any fault with this particular camera?

I am sure this question, or something similar has been asked and answered before on this forum, but I can't find it now. Any pointers would be very helpful.

Thanks,
Anirban
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Ben

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Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 12:11 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Although I never have actually bothered to confirm it, every SLR I have ever owned has advised in the manual to either use the built in eye piece shutter or supplied eyepiece cover(if it doesn't have an eyepiece shutter) to cover the eyepiece when your eye isn't going to be up against it.

About the best thing you can do is always use an eyecup. If your glases still cause a problem, you might want to try using dioptric adjustment lenses, although they may not be available for your particular camera. The best thing to do with these is to take your camera to a camera store that sells them and try them until you find one that works best. You can use your prescription as a basis, but you may find that the lens you need for your camera is different than your eyeglasses. I wouldn't buy one without first trying it.
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Glenn Middleton

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Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 02:30 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

As a wearer of glasses, I have found that the exposures do not suffer if there is a spectacle lens between the eyepiece and the eye proper. This holds for all Canon slr from A to digital EOS and Leica slr types that I have used long term. I cannot remember any other make that I have happened to use giving reading that were outside the film latitude, when checked against my Gossen meters.

All the cameras would give noticeable variations when used on a tripod and the eyepiece left uncovered.

If you go down the adjustment lens route, remember that most slr viewfinder systems are set up with a -1 dioptre value built in. This gives the best image over the entire focus range for most people, with or without glasses. This is why adding a lens equal to your prescription value does not always work.

If you are very short sighted as I am the use of a correction lens is totally impracticable, as without glasses I cannot see the camera dials clearly. Having to remove ones glasses every exposure is just a pain and any gain is far outweighed by the disadvantages.
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M Currie

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Posted on Saturday, December 31, 2005 - 09:23 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

It seems to vary with the camera. I've never noticed any effect on my good old Nikon FTn, and my wife's F100 seeems not to suffer from this either, but there's a little effect on a Minolta X370 and a Maxxum 7000, and both those cameras came with little plastic covers for the purpose.

Obviously, a little plastic cover is not what you need here, and ane eye cup may be pretty hard to find (the ones for my old F are collectibles!). Before getting too upset about it, though, it might be worthwhile determining how much difference in exposure that needle deflection represents. How far does the needle move when you change the lens or shutter by a full stop? Since the Fujica in question seems to be a fully manual match-needle camera, you're presumably limited to full shutter speed steps and either full or half stop aperture steps. Once you are familiar enough with the range of variation in the needle between covered and uncovered, and where it might fall when you use glasses in different light, you might find that the variation is finer than your lens and shutter steps can resolve anyway, or at least pretty easy to compensate for.

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