Spectacles and Photography

In my late sixties I need reading glasses, but my distance vision is not too bad. How does this impinge upon my photography?

Well I find it difficult to read the control dials on the top of a camera, and data on the rear screen, without the aid of specs.

However my compact mirrorless Sony NEX 6 camera can be controlled almost exclusively from the electronic viewfinder (EVF), as that has a built in dioptre correction that enables me to see all of the necessary information without using glasses. I also find that I can manually focus using the 9.6x magnification that the camera provides through the EVF.

Moving from camera to computer screen it's a different story. I need to use glasses to clearly see what I am doing. Question is, what is the best solution overall?

I've tried bifocals and varifocals. My bifocals were setup to allow me to read at a close distance or see my computer screen, i.e. two distinct degrees of magnification. This worked well enough, but further deterioration in my eyesight has meant that I now need assistance for viewing middle distance objects, i.e. small road signs maybe 20 yards away etc.

Solution, a pair of varifocals, providing a continually variable range of magnification from close up to distant viewing.

Nothing is perfect, there are pros and cons.

They are great for reading, and using a small computer tablet, while in the car they allow me to read the Satnav clearly, and give an enlarged view of those middle distance objects. In the shops I can read the prices on the products etc. So far so good.

How about the negatives?

In order to best use the range of magnification, you need to look through different parts of the lenses. I.e. Lower down for close up and higher for distance. This involves moving your head.

They are not good for reading the large computer screens that I use for image processing. This involves far too much head movement to keep the required zone of vision in focus. Similarly they are not good for reading music, there I've enough to worry about without having to constantly adjust my line of sight! For distance vision they do provide a slightly enlarged image, but at some expense in the level of contrast and brightness. As a consequence I tend not to wear them when out and about.

The computer screen/music problem has been resolved by the purchase of a pair of specs of fixed magnification optimised for objects  18 to 24" away. They are far superior to the varifocals within their limited range of application.

Now everyone's eyes are different and what works for me won't necessarily work for you. Consult a qualified optician for advice!

Managing Perspective

If you point your lens upwards, to capture all of a tall building for example, the resulting image will have sides sloping inwards looking towards a vanishing point in the sky. This subject was recently discussed on the Alamy (stock photography) web site where various "solutions" were considered. Perspective is a natural thing, railway lines appear to converge in the distance etc, but our mind knows that buildings should be vertical, and wants them to look that way, or almost that way.

Four solutions were proposed: -

1) Using perspective correction tools incorporated within image processing software, Lightroom, Photoshop etc. They work but there is some degradation of the image at the sides. This is my normal approach.

2) Using a shift lens - very expensive. Perhaps only for very wealthy amateurs or those pros who regularly get commissions to shoot architecture. Probably better than (1) above but still some potential degradation problems due to using a  lens very near to the edge of its image circle.

3) Shoot a rising stack of images and combine as a vertical panorama using the tools within Photoshop. Not tried this, but it sounds very interesting.

4) There are some third party software solutions which will take a completed image and attempt to improve the perpective. One such program is ShiftN and it's freeware. Intrigued I decided to give it a go and here is one result.

Without correction

With correction

This is using the automatic fix provided by the software - I've not yet dabbled with the various adjustments that are available.

The photo shows Appalachian dance group Step This Way performing at Durham County Cricket Club's Chester-le-Street ground.

I've now used this software on a number of photos, and the results vary from very impressive to distinctly weird. It's not a one stop shop solution, although, in fairness I've not experimented with the adjustments that are available. It's certainly worth having in your toolbox and you can decide in each case whether or not its application is appropriate.