Diopter for those with reading glasses at DVinfo.net

Dave Nystul · April 5th, 2010, 02:51 PM

As I crash head long into my fifties, it's becoming apparent that the eyepiece in my EX-3, and really all Sony cameras, no longer have enough adjustability to accommodate my vision. (No snickering please from the peanut gallery, your turn will come sooner than you think.) Is there an option through Sony for this type of modification or do I need to go visit my optometrist for a viewfinder mod?

thanks,

Dave Nystul

Jim Stamos · April 5th, 2010, 03:22 PM

im 54 and wear contacts.
ive been using my left eye for years and its fine for me. i use the monovision.
unfortunately presbytopia hits everyone in mid to late 40s.
im surprised you have no luck in either eye. youre not wearing your reading glasses i assume.

Marty Welk · April 5th, 2010, 05:22 PM

weird
Drink more water, helps the eye lens beings it is filled with it , caffiene and alcohol are diaretics strips water out of the body leaves you with saggy eyeballs :-) look what other pharms and stuff are diuretic, they are plentifull in todays society.

exercize your eyes. the lens of the eye is focused by stretching out the wet lens thing to flatten or bunch it up, this is done with them muscles that pull on it. you know The ones that will give you a freaking pain in weird places of your head because the eye muscles dont feel pain in the eye area itself. No pain no gain. need to maintain Eye Biceps :-)

eye exercizes for eye lens muscles , hold finger out 12-18" from face, focus on finger with eyes, then focus on distant landscape, repeat 50 times, wait for big headache pain :-) where muscles build up, then avoid painkillers that will slow the repairs/buildup.

then add up the cost of new glasses, camera modifications, lasick laser cutting, blindness, and the lack of ability to pass driver test, and figure if its worth it to have saggy eyeballs or take care of and work them muscles better :-)

told you it was weird.

disclaimer: poster is not an optician, optometrist or doctor, nor does he play one on tv.

Andrew Stone · April 5th, 2010, 09:55 PM

Dave I wear prescription "readers". Not a problem in combo with the diopter on the camera. Occasionally you have to worry about the lens fogging up but that happens with the viewfinder as well (as we all know). Same remedy... back away from the viewfinder for a second or two and everything clears up.

If you need readers for the camera then you definitely need them for regular use. The diopter on the viewfinder can handle quite a bit of adjustment for middle aged eyes.

Make sure when you talk to the optometrist that you ask them for a reader prescription that will allow you to see clearly well beyond normal reading, like out to middle distance, say 3 to 5 metres (12 to 20 feet) as well as reading. Otherwise you may find the glasses are only good for reading. Not talking about bifocals or progressives just a reader that is not too aggressive.

Eli Schmukler · April 8th, 2010, 10:10 AM

Unfortunately, at age 65, I have the same problem - which I have not yet addressed. However, page 30 of the manual says that a commercially available 52mm diopter can be "attached". I never followed up on this, but assumed that the original diopter can be changed or another lens attached to it.

You may want to look for yourself.

I also noted that diopter lenses are also available (in a variety of strengths), however, the lens in the ex3 eyepiece does not appear to be threaded, so I am not certain how it is "attached".

The following might be useful.

B&W 65-076227 price comparison and information

Tiffen | 52mm Close-up Glass Lens Set (+1, +2, +4) | 52CUS | B&H

Andrew Stone · April 9th, 2010, 08:05 AM

Those diopters are only a $25 experiment. Never heard of buying anything video related for that little money.

Steve Siegel · November 8th, 2011, 08:00 AM

I want to reactivate this thread. Yes, you can mount a 52mm diopter lens, and, yes, there is a noticable improvement. Just remove the rubber eyecup and you will see the threads for a 52mm lens. Put it on and just refocus the built-in diopter lens to suit. The diopter lens is one of those that you buy to screw onto the front of a camera to allow extreme close focus. I used a #4. It increased the size of the view perhaps 30% without cropping and allowed me to focus on and read print across a room that before I had to guess at. It's like putting a pair of reading glasses on your EX3. Well worth the minimal effort and expense involved.

April 5th, 2010, 02:51 PM	#1
Dave Nystul Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Salt Lake City, UT. Posts: 58	Diopter for those with reading glasses As I crash head long into my fifties, it's becoming apparent that the eyepiece in my EX-3, and really all Sony cameras, no longer have enough adjustability to accommodate my vision. (No snickering please from the peanut gallery, your turn will come sooner than you think.) Is there an option through Sony for this type of modification or do I need to go visit my optometrist for a viewfinder mod? thanks, Dave Nystul

April 5th, 2010, 03:22 PM	#2
Jim Stamos Major Player Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 565	diopter im 54 and wear contacts. ive been using my left eye for years and its fine for me. i use the monovision. unfortunately presbytopia hits everyone in mid to late 40s. im surprised you have no luck in either eye. youre not wearing your reading glasses i assume.

April 5th, 2010, 05:22 PM	#3
Marty Welk Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: East Bay Cali Posts: 563	weird Drink more water, helps the eye lens beings it is filled with it , caffiene and alcohol are diaretics strips water out of the body leaves you with saggy eyeballs :-) look what other pharms and stuff are diuretic, they are plentifull in todays society. exercize your eyes. the lens of the eye is focused by stretching out the wet lens thing to flatten or bunch it up, this is done with them muscles that pull on it. you know The ones that will give you a freaking pain in weird places of your head because the eye muscles dont feel pain in the eye area itself. No pain no gain. need to maintain Eye Biceps :-) eye exercizes for eye lens muscles , hold finger out 12-18" from face, focus on finger with eyes, then focus on distant landscape, repeat 50 times, wait for big headache pain :-) where muscles build up, then avoid painkillers that will slow the repairs/buildup. then add up the cost of new glasses, camera modifications, lasick laser cutting, blindness, and the lack of ability to pass driver test, and figure if its worth it to have saggy eyeballs or take care of and work them muscles better :-) told you it was weird. disclaimer: poster is not an optician, optometrist or doctor, nor does he play one on tv. __________________ ----------------sig----------------- Re-learning everything all over again, one more time.

April 8th, 2010, 10:10 AM	#5
Eli Schmukler Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Madison, Wisconsin USA Posts: 25	Same problem Unfortunately, at age 65, I have the same problem - which I have not yet addressed. However, page 30 of the manual says that a commercially available 52mm diopter can be "attached". I never followed up on this, but assumed that the original diopter can be changed or another lens attached to it. You may want to look for yourself. I also noted that diopter lenses are also available (in a variety of strengths), however, the lens in the ex3 eyepiece does not appear to be threaded, so I am not certain how it is "attached". The following might be useful. B&W 65-076227 price comparison and information Tiffen \| 52mm Close-up Glass Lens Set (+1, +2, +4) \| 52CUS \| B&H

November 8th, 2011, 08:00 AM	#7
Steve Siegel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Posts: 840	Re: Diopter for those with reading glasses I want to reactivate this thread. Yes, you can mount a 52mm diopter lens, and, yes, there is a noticable improvement. Just remove the rubber eyecup and you will see the threads for a 52mm lens. Put it on and just refocus the built-in diopter lens to suit. The diopter lens is one of those that you buy to screw onto the front of a camera to allow extreme close focus. I used a #4. It increased the size of the view perhaps 30% without cropping and allowed me to focus on and read print across a room that before I had to guess at. It's like putting a pair of reading glasses on your EX3. Well worth the minimal effort and expense involved. Last edited by Steve Siegel; November 8th, 2011 at 08:03 AM. Reason: forgot a detail

April 5th, 2010, 09:55 PM	#4
Andrew Stone Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 975	Dave I wear prescription "readers". Not a problem in combo with the diopter on the camera. Occasionally you have to worry about the lens fogging up but that happens with the viewfinder as well (as we all know). Same remedy... back away from the viewfinder for a second or two and everything clears up. If you need readers for the camera then you definitely need them for regular use. The diopter on the viewfinder can handle quite a bit of adjustment for middle aged eyes. Make sure when you talk to the optometrist that you ask them for a reader prescription that will allow you to see clearly well beyond normal reading, like out to middle distance, say 3 to 5 metres (12 to 20 feet) as well as reading. Otherwise you may find the glasses are only good for reading. Not talking about bifocals or progressives just a reader that is not too aggressive.

April 9th, 2010, 08:05 AM	#6
Andrew Stone Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 975	Those diopters are only a $25 experiment. Never heard of buying anything video related for that little money.