Left handed DSLR?

Hello, this is my first message. I lost the whole of my right arm almost 29 years ago and I have a few questions.

I am wondering if anyone who only has the use of their left arm has a DSLR that they can operate without any attachments.

I have never been able to operate a camera since about 1980 so I gave up trying after a few years but I discovered 6 months ago that these compact digitals are great, I have an IXUS 870 IS which I can work in my left hand no problem but I now want better and am on the point of buying a Lumix G1 as it's quite small and I have had a go at holding it in the shop and can reach the button ok.

I have read hundreds of reviews and watched video reviews and there always seems to be something against buying a DSLR one, usually the lens having to be turned manually but most often the cost as well.

I would be interested to know if anyone has a DSLR that they use with only the left hand.

Thanks

Alan

This post has been edited by shire on Jul 20 2009, 09:11 PM

Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm relatively new here myself, but as you can see from my nickname I also only have one useful arm and using a DSLR.

Thankfully, my working arm is the right arm, but here's how I would try to use a DSLR camera with just the left one. I, of course, can't try if it works (only right arm here, sorry - lol), but you can try for yourself.

Grab the camera's right side with your left hand - camera is positioned normally against your head/body, but your left shoulder and arm need to go a bit forward and to the right side, having your left forearm practically "in front of the camera", but a bit down so it doesn't get in the way of the lens (lens also can lean onto the forearm depending on the size). You are pressing the shutter with the thumb or if your index finger can be stretched far enough, maybe even with him.
And if there are some buttons on the back of the camera, they can be reached with index finger or any other finger with a little practice.

DSLRs for left-handed people are a bit tricky to use, I'll admit that. Also, I can't think of a way for you to move the zoom ring at all unless you put the camera down and then do it.
I personally do it with what's left of my forearm and the elbow part. But not sure if it will work with you since you said you lost your whole arm.
If you're using prime lenses it can be done.

When it comes to buttons, I usually have my camera strapped around my neck (with the neck strap obv - lol), let it go and press the buttons/settings while it hangs from my neck. Not easy to do, especially if you need to operate the button + wheel, but again, it can be done with a little practice. Canon cameras might be a better choice since they have one wheel on the top and it seems a bit easier to manipulate with it cause of it.

It took me some time to adopt using DSLR, but things are starting to make more sense now.
Go in the store and try out cameras and see which works best for you.
Step up in quality in DSLR cameras compared to Point & Shoot ones is substantial, in my opinion and that alone is reason enough for a change if you're serious about photography. Not to mention that with DSLR you have control over the images (exposure, light metering, DoF, motion...). It all comes with a price, of course, but I think its worth it if you love photography.

Hope I helped at least a little. Good luck and feel free to ask anything - I'll try to help if I can.

This post has been edited by onearmivan on Jul 21 2009, 05:40 AM

Thanks for your help. I have held one or two in the shop and the Lumix G1 was the best 'fit' but also a couple of Canons were workable too. Here is a photo of a fella on another forum I came across who uses a camera left handed, it's not a DSLR but is similar size so I tried it in the shop like that and it was quite good.


The main problem for me is the lens ring, I had originally assumed they were all battery operated/motorized. Are there any that are battery operated do you know? A canon I tried in the shop had the lens go out and in by pressing a lever, does that mean it is motorized and that I wouldn't need to adjust by hand at all or is that auto-focus and not the same thing? (Unfortunately that one was too awkward in other ways).

I had originally decided I was going to buy the Panasonic FZ28 as I also tried that and could work that quite well but then when looking at some pics online there is a huge difference between that and a DSLR and I don't want to be buying something that is not a whole lot better than my IXUS which cost as much as the FZ28 anyway.

EDIT... after further investigation I've found that the lenses would indeed have to be turned manually so I may have to go with the FZ28 after all. After comparing that to other high zoom compacts there is very little to choose between them all but the price is much lower than for example the Nikon Cool pix P90

This post has been edited by shire on Jul 21 2009, 10:02 AM

Lens ring (zoom ring) is a problem and there really isn't a solution to that, that I know of (at least for your situation). I am having a lot of trouble turning it with what's left of my left forearm and it's pain in the ass most of the time.
If you don't have your arm at all, it becomes almost impossible. Only way I could think of is to put the camera down (or let it hang on a neck strap) and then turn the zoom ring with your left hand. That is something I'm doing a lot of times (with my right hand of course) - in time you gain the feeling as to how much to turn that ring to achieve the desired frame. It's really just a matter of practice. It works well, actually. I'm having my DSLR for barely a month and I already have developed a feeling for how much I need to turn the zoom ring without looking through the viewfinder. It's doable!!

Nice pic of that guy using his left arm/hand. It's more or less exactly what I tried to explain. It's doable and it's working, trust me.

Also, prime lenses (they don't have a zoom ring and are with the fixed focal length/reach) are perfect for both of us. Prime lenses are usually better quality than zoom ones (usually), they are faster in focusing, sharper, having better bokeh, better performance in low light, having larger apertures... and in our case, no zoom ring! You just need to hold the camera.

No, they are not automatic and on DSLR cameras, you need to turn the zoom ring.

That Canon model with lens automatically going in and out was probably some sort of Point & Shoot camera and not DSLR.

But, when it comes to focus, DSLRs have the "Auto-Focus" feature, where focusing is done automatically by a camera after you choose the focus point. You don't have to turn the focus ring and adjust it manually. Camera does it for you (even though there is a full manual mode for focus too).

At the moment, Nikon DSLRs are leading over the Canon when it comes to fast and accurate focus abilities and that was the main reason I chose Nikon over Canon a month ago.

Nikon has a better Auto-Focus and, for me with one arm, better ergonomics. Also, Nikon has the front dial (Canon only has the one on top if I'm not mistaken and some models have one on the back), which might be important for you cause it will be easier for you to reach the front dial instead of a top or back one.
Canon has a better selection of prime lenses (important for us with one arm, cause we don't have to turn the zoom ring).

When it comes to other functions and buttons, I only know about Nikon cameras cause I have one and tried a few other Nikon models. All the buttons are easy to reach, in logical place, and I find using Nikon with one arm/hand doable. Again, haven't tried Canon and not sure whether it's the same/similar in Canon cameras.


I certainly would recommend a DSLR camera if you can afford it.

Thanks for your help. The zoom ring is the only thing stopping me getting a DSLR really. Is it a case of adjusting the zoom ring to near enough the correct distance then the auto focus does the rest?

It must be a bit tricky though if you were trying to focus on - for example - a bird in the middle of nowhere. Are you having to try to judge how many yards away it would be? I suppose a flip out screen would be a big advantage

I have none of my arm at all and am missing part of my shoulder too so can't do anything with the right side at all

You're welcome, shire. Hope I'm helping - heh. I'm also new to all of this myself.

Well, there's much more to the DSLR cameras than the zoom, really. Especially since the prime lenses (without zoom, fixed reach) are of great and better quality for everything except when if you want to shoot too many things at the same time.

If you know what do you want to shoot and plan the day, you should be fine with just prime lenses, really. Most of the time, I take my DSLR and 35mm/1.8 prime lens only when I go out to shoot. No zoom ring, it's wide enough (even though it's around 52mm in a crop body), it has great bokeh (blur), it's great under low light, large enough aperture... It's just a great combo for almost everything.
It's amazing for portraits (large aperture, wonderful bokeh, sharpness), it's great for street photography (wide enough, small and lightweight), it's good for landscape (even though you usually need wider lens for landscape, especially in crop body like mine)... and it's cheap for the quality it delivers.

I don't know how much you are willing to spend, but a decent DSLR camera with two or three prime lenses would be a killer combo for you. Photography is a an expensive hobby and when you start enjoying it it's hard to resist the temptation when it comes to buying better and better lenses - lol.

Sigma 10-20mm ultra wide lens for landscapes (when you're shooting landscapes you have all the time in the world, so you can adjust the zoom ring slowly), 35mm for portraits and street photography and basically everything (I shot macro with it even with decent results) and later you can get 85mm, 200mm... you'll see what do you like to shoot and how much money are you willing to spend for this - heh.

Yes, basically. You don't have to worry about Auto-focus at all. Camera will do it for you. You just need to point selected focus point to the subject and let the camera focus - it's that simple.

Not sure I understand completely what do you mean. Focus doesn't have much to do with how far away the bird is. And also, not sure why would a flip-out screen help in that instance?
Auto-focus works in several ways, depending what setting you choose.
If the subject is still, you only need to do is to point the focus point to where you want it to be focused and press the shutter. Or if you're using only center focus point, you can always focus, lock the focus and recompose the shot for the best composition while the focus still remains at your first focus point/subject.
If the subject is moving, you have a few options and all of them usually track the subject while it's moving and the camera is trying to focus on that moving subject continuously. In Nikon cameras you have Dynamic Area auto-focusing (with 9, 11 or more points), 3D Tracking auto-focusing and few more... and in all of them camera remain focusing on the subject while it's moving automatically (when using AF-C - auto-focus continuous shooting mode).
So, yes. Camera is doing automatic focusing on the subject, including the bird flying. Doesn't matter how far the bird is if she's not blended with the background (or if she's not too far away for your lens so it becomes just a small spot) where it would be hard or impossible for camera to focus on it cause it won't be able to separate the subject from the background (but that goes without saying).

And trust me (you should try it out for yourself in the store or if you have a friend with a DSLR camera), turning the zoom ring with one arm while the camera is hanging strapped around your neck isn't that big of a deal (I do it all the time). It might not work if you're shooting sports and fast moving targets (takes me more time to turn the zoom ring with one arm than someone with both obv), but for everything else works like a charm, really.
What I found out is that 90% of the time, I want to turn that zoom ring to the max on my 18-105mm lens anyway, so I dont even have to guess how much I need to turn it while the camera is hanging from my neck.

Just make sure to try cameras and lenses before buying them. Take your time and see if it works for you. I personally use prime lenses most of the time (less hassle with turning the zoom ring with my one arm/hand), but I dont mind using zoom lenses either (I just let the camera hand from my neck and turn the damn zoom ring with my one arm/hand, then take the camera in hand again and shoot - not that big of a deal).

Go to the store and try it all out. If you really enjoy the photography and are willing to spend a lot of time taking photos and experimenting, then DSLR and everything it stands for is a must have. Again, depends on your budget and enthusiasm.

Good luck and feel free to ask anything; I'll do whatever I can to help.

This post has been edited by onearmivan on Jul 22 2009, 01:39 AM

Thanks again. I was resigned to buying the Panasonic FZ28 compact but now you are converting me

well the enthusiasm is there but not so much the budget

I have been looking online at the Nikon D5000 with the 18-105mm AF-S DX Nikkor f3.5-5.6 G ED VR Lens

What I can't understand is, if you buy the camera as a 'bundle' with the 18-105 lens it costs £773 but if you buy the camera body @ £540 and then the lens separately @ £216, that amounts to only £756. Why would it be cheaper to buy them separately... or is it not the same lens perhaps? It appears to be the same one. Warehouse express is where I'm talking about.

The 18-55mm lens + camera bundle is £599 yet the camera is £540 and the 18-55 lens is £143 so you are saving over £80 buying the bundle.

It's all irrelevant if I can't operate the camera of course. That is what I will have to do next, try one in a shop

The prices you mentioned do seem a bit off when it comes to buying camera + kit lens or buying them separately. Should be cheaper if you're buying them together I agree - heh. It's probably a mistake on their part or you haven't calculated it right - .

18-105mm VR is one of the best (if not the best!) Kit lens available in consumer line cameras now days and I'd advise you to buy them with the camera if your budget allows you to.

D5000 is the newest consumer DSLR camera from Nikon and it's fairly good. Great picture quality, tilt screen, a lot of auto modes (for someone still not familiar with manual functions and exposure rules), it's small and relatively lightweight, nice design... It's a great camera for someone entering a DSLR world from compact, point and shoot cameras.

I was contemplating buying that one or D90 and went for D90 cause it's a bit bigger, it has a little screen on top too where I can see all the settings and a few more pro features I find useful. But, both cameras are very very good and I'd say that the picture quality is basically the same.

I think that the prices are pretty close between D5000 and D90 and if you're planning to use one of the manual modes (where you can adjust the aperture, shutter, ISO, metering... on your own and take more control over your photographs) I'd suggest you to go for D90, cause I think it has few more buttons outside of the menu which makes it a bit faster to operate. I hate going to menu every time I need to change something, even though sometimes I just have to having only one hand.

As you said, try all the cameras, make sure to shoot with all of them and see if you can get all the buttons and settings with your left hand/fingers! No point buying something if you're not going to use it cause it's too big, heavy or too much pain in the ass to operate.

Bottom line, if you're planning to shoot your kids and grandchildren, your family on vacations and birthdays and holidays only, then any good compact/point and shoot camera will serve you just fine, really. Most compact cameras are great for snapshots and most likely will produce similar pictures compared with DSLR, if you're not planning to dig a little dipper when it comes to Exposure, Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, light metering...
However, if you'd like to take photographs (compared to snapshots) then DSLR is the way to go.

Try them all out before buying!

Well, I couldn't stretch to the D90 but I've bought the D5000

It had to be ordered so will get it early next week. Monday or Tuesday. I got the 18-105mm VR lens.

I will just have to operate the zoom ring the same way as yourself. I had a go with it in the shop and it's not really that bad to handle. I also said I'd only take it if they matched the online price of their competitor which they did

Wow! Congrats!!

You picked a fine camera, if you don't mind me saying. I love that tilt screen D5000 has.
18-105mm VR is a great all-around lens!

Here's a nice video tutorial for D5000 from the Nikon site: http://www.nikondigitutor.com/eng/d5000/index.shtml

If you have any questions, please, feel free to ask. I'll do what I can to help.

Enjoy your camera and the most important thing: have fun!

This post has been edited by onearmivan on Jul 24 2009, 02:18 AM

Thanks for your help, I'm well impressed with this camera. Still getting to grips with the settings and stuff but using it on Auto it produces great quality pics.

I few people had thought I might not be able to use it because the lens would be heavy but in fact it's the lens that makes it easy to hold because the base sits on my hand and the lens sits between my thumb and fore-finger.

Here's a pic I took not long after sunrise this morning



Thanks once again

You're welcome and I'm so glad you love the camera so far!!

That's a wonderful photograph, Shire. Reflection on the water is beautiful.

Auto modes are great (especially in D5000) and you won't go wrong using them. D5000 has a lot of Auto modes for any occasion and they are all pretty good and, as you can see, producing great image quality.

Enjoy your new camera and have fun!! And don't forget to post more pictures!

Hi Shire , Glad you got sorted with a Camera, If you first image is anything to go by i am sure we are all looking forward to seeing more on the site?????

Regards Max

Thanks guys.
As I said further up, I have the Nikon 18-105mm AF-S DX VR lens and was wondering if the Nikon 55-200mm f/4.-5.6 AF-S DX VR Lens would be worth getting or are they too similar in range and I wouldn't be getting value for money?

I think now that I maybe should have got the 18-55mm and the 55-200mm instead of the 18-105mm

I would like to be able to take some wildlife pics, birds etc, and maybe some pics at amateur football matches (where you can stand right on the sidelines) so would the 55-200mm be powerful enough? The 70-300mm is very expensive, double the price of the 55-200mm

I think that you made the right choice for your first lens. 18-105mm is a great all around lens, giving you both reasonably wide and long possibilities. Having that 18mm (should be around 35mm in your crop camera) is important if you want to have more included in the frame sometimes and you will, trust me.

I'm no expert (mildly put), but long telephoto lenses for wildlife and birds + sports are expensive and big and heavy. You with one arm will definitely need a good tripod to be able to use them, I think.

70-200 is a good lens and Nikon just released a new version (70-200 f2.8 VRII). So, I would look at the old 70-200/f2.8 lens. Price might drop a bit and it's a great lens for sports. That old VR I version is great on a DX body and if you can afford it, should be a better choice than this new VR II when it comes to price/quality.
There's also a 80-200 f/2.8D which is a pretty good lens.

Consider also the 180mm f/2.8 AF or 180mm f/2.8 AF-D. They should be relatively cheap now (around - depends on a currency - 450 euros).

Both Nikon (Nikkor) and Sigma have some great lens in that range. Sigma should be cheaper and I'd look at some Sigma lens too.

You should look it up if there's 100-200 or 100-300 lens too. Or something in that range. Not sure about the price, though, but something like that would probably be the best for what you need.

I'd hold off a bit and keep a look out for a used 70-200 VR I on the private market. Price should drop now that the new version came out.

Again, I'm not an expert and you should look a bit more on other sites too and see what others think. Telezooms/telephoto lenses are expensive in general and differences in prices should have a big role.

For wildlife (birds, wild animals...) the longer the better is the rule: from 300mm to 600+mm range. And lenses in that range are pricey, mildly put. Not to mention size and weight, which might be a problem for us with one arm... Tripod is a must for those things.

This post has been edited by onearmivan on Aug 7 2009, 09:40 PM