left handed cameras

Rebel t3i

Rebel t3i

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Tony
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Yes
Why don't they make them
no demand ?
to costly ?
can't be bothered ?
anybody else find it annoying that camera ergonomics in particular dslr like the xd xxd and xxxd and nikons equivalent mean you have to use it and hold it in your right hand
or is it just me
 
I could see it being an advantage on compacts, but not on DSLR's. When have you ever seen someone using one with only one hand? I don't think there is any need.

Joe
 
Demand, yes, but probably unfeasible for them to retool. There's a lot of models that they are struggling to produce enough to satisfy demand (Nikon D800 springs to mind), let alone making a completely swapped around copy.
 
they make left and right hand drive cars through necessity surely they could quite easily have done this 10 years ago in cameras particularly the grip side of say the xd xxd xxd
 
Mod Edit: Unnecessary comment removed
 
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Rebel t3i said:
they make left and right hand drive cars through necessity surely they could quite easily have done this 10 years ago in cameras particularly the grip side of say the xd xxd xxd
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erm.... having left and right handed drive cars has nothing to do with being left or right handed.. obviously.

I'm left handed but never bothered me with cameras being for right-handed people. But then I adapted to lack of all those things that would be unnatural to lefties because for instance I use scissors with my right hand.
 
My wife is a leftie (I did ask if her parents were cousins), and has no problem using my cameras. It's a non issue as far as I can see, when something's made one way, you just use it, surely? My wife certain appears to say so.
 
my comment about cars was to show that corporations can easily manufacture either if they have too
 
Rebel t3i said:
my comment about cars was to show that corporations can easily manufacture either if they have too
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Yes but they are cars!

At the end of the day they won't bother making lefties cameras because it wouldn't be worth the manufacturers cost and I'm pretty sure there aren't enough people for whom this is a problem, as lots of other lefties like me find it natural to use right handed equipment.
 
travellingcello said:
Yes but they are cars!

At the end of the day they won't bother making lefties cameras because it wouldn't be worth the manufacturers cost and I'm pretty sure there aren't enough people for whom this is a problem, as lots of other lefties like me find it natural to use right handed equipment.
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had you had the choice when buying your camera would you have bought the left handed version or right handed version though
 
I've removed a couple of posts in this thread. No more insulting left handed people please.

The OP asks a genuine question. Please refrain from taking the thread in an unpleasant direction.
 
im left handed but dont find a "right handed" camera in anyway awkward etc. ive always used a camera for years going back to old compact film cameras years and years ago its all ive known.

same with computers, always used a mouse in the right as thats what i learned. same with scissors (i guess dad taught me that rather than mum who writes left handed).

edit - insidentally as a left hander i have a sense of humour and didnt find toms comment offensive.
 
Leonardo Da Vinci was left handed
they make left handed scissors
IMO they don't make them as only 10 % of the population is left handed
 
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Rebel t3i said:
my comment about cars was to show that corporations can easily manufacture either if they have too
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Not many people would buy a left hand drive car in the UK - so manufacturers have to make a right hand drive car to make any significant sales in the UK, or otherwise they wouldn't make money. Same applies vice-versa depending on the country/country of origin obviously.

On the other hand, Nikon/Canon/Sony/Pentax aren't suffering significant lack of sales because of lefties. Most of the lefties I know are comfortable with using cameras, even the ones that are designed very right hand orientated.

Also, whilst this isn't so true anymore with ever more complex cameras, retooling a car to put everything on the other side is relatively simple compared to the amount of components and (lack of!) space in a camera body.
 
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neil_g said:
insidentally as a left hander i have a sense of humour and didnt find toms comment offensive.
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If the comment was meant to be humorous, the use of a smiley or two would help to portray it as such. As it stood, it offended enough people to get RTM'd.

Also:

The Rules said:
Please do not question or criticise moderator decisions publicly. Instead, use the Contact Us link to resolve things privately and amicably.
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Anyway, as you were..... :)
 
The Japanese drive on the left same as we do
IMO it is far more complex and costly to design a modern car to be left and RHD than it is a camera
and meet stringent rules and regs of each country
The Japs made lhd cars because of the massive US market
The Uk is a tiny country and it's market is insignificant compared to asia and the US
we are always last to get any new product
we in effect get the left overs
I don't think it would be that difficult to have made a left handed camera I think it is to do with the fact that a leftie is a small percentage of the market and they can easily use a right handed camera
whether they would be better photographers if they used a specific left handed camera we will probably never know
If I go to hammer a nail I use my left hand if I pick up a pen I use my left hand
If i pick up the kettle to make tea I use my left hand
but I pick up a knife and fork as a right handed person
How bizarre is the human brain

lets see you righties hammer in a 6 inch nail with the hammer in your left hand
I will have a paramedic on stand by lol

Just for the record I did not RTM the leftie abuse even though I was picked on as a child for being left handed
 
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Grendel said:
If the comment was meant to be humorous, the use of a smiley or two would help to portray it as such. As it stood, it offended enough people to get RTM'd.

Also:



Anyway, as you were..... :)
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I don't use smiley's, you are either intelligent enough to read with out pictures or not.
 
tiler65 said:
I don't use smiley's, you are either intelligent enough to read with out pictures or not.
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perhaps you ought to in future
They are there to be used for a reason :D
:thumbs::thumbsdown: if you look closely at these you will see he is left handed :nono: and he is
oh and another :bonk: and another leftie :bat:
 
Cars are actualy very easy to make left/right hand drive.
There is no difference in the body work or the vast amount of components.

Slightly different in a camera body where about 90% of the camera would have to be changed.
The body would have to be completely reversed as well as all the internal components.
They could do it, but it would put ££££ onto the cost of the cameras.
 
evilonion said:
Cars are actualy very easy to make left/right hand drive.
There is no difference in the body work or the vast amount of components.

Slightly different in a camera body where about 90% of the camera would have to be changed.
The body would have to be completely reversed as well as all the internal components.
They could do it, but it would put ££££ onto the cost of the cameras.
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This...

There's not a huge amount to change, the camera would need a completely separate chassis and probably redesigned components depending on how they are designed to mount within the system.

I'm left handed and don't have an issue with cameras.
 
a car is only easy to convert from left to right hand drive because the car manufactures have spent billions designing them this way
it is a costly and lengthy job to convert say an escort from left to right hand drive if you we to do it your self
easier in production
you have to change the bulk head for a start steering rack dash board brake pedal box head lights etc etc
all of these items would cost more new than a 5d mk3

I have no issue using a right hand drive camera but would i feel better using a left hand drive one I will probably never know
It's discrimination that's what it is I'm going to write to the European jobsworth parliament roflol
 
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If (and that's a massive IF) manufactures started to make left handed cameras then you're looking to sell to 10% of all photographers (if the stat quoted above is correct). As most of those left handed photographers will be used to using a right handed camera then it would seem unnatural to change over. Therefore the market for left handed cameras may only be targeted at about 1 or 2% of all photographers. Not really worth doing.

Anyway, why would it even make a difference to a left hander anyway? Using an SLR is a 2 handed job. Left and right hands are used to press buttons, hold the camera and adjust lenses. Whatever you currently "struggle" to do with your right hand you'd just "struggle" to do soemthing else with different buttons.
 
You would have to have left handed lenses too. All the controls are on the left hand side of them, were a body with a left hand side grip developed it would be impossible/impractical to reach and use the controls.
 
Not what I mean rob as your explanation could quite easily be explained by say being a life long canon user then suddenly switching to nikon
I would feel more comfortable if I picked up and held the camera in my left hand being left handed
If your right handed try doing things like picking up the kettle with your left hand to make tea
pick your brew up with your left hand and drink it etc etc
 
Nespresco said:
You would have to have left handed lenses too. All the controls are on the left hand side of them, were a body with a left hand side grip developed it would be impossible/impractical to reach and use the controls.
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I'd already thought about that but didn't dare mention it yet
I was saving that for later :lol:
manufactures have moved button layouts on lenses before because they got it wrong for the righties and the lefties
 
comparing to car manufacture is pointless as its nothing to do with abilities rather the countries driving standards. We drive on the left, so we have cars with the wheel on the right. It has nothing to do with being left or right handed.

10% of the population are left handed... That does not mean 10% of photograpghers are, so the % is probably actually far less than 10%.
Why would a manufacturer make a camera for the left hand when over 90% of users are right handed? Its pointles.. and would make the camera cost thousands. So much more that a lot of lefties would just use the right handed camera as it would be cheaper.

The only reason cameras are so cheap is due to mass production. You can hardly mass produce to a less than 10% market. Especially as they wouldnt get the whole 10% anyways as each manufacturer would then be looking to get a slice.
 
I take it you are right handed too dave
I would pay a bit extra for a camera like the 7d if it was available as left hand drive
My referral to cars was just to show that corporations can easily produce either
so my first post is correct then demand and production cost
 
IMO if say Nikon made a left handed version it would be one one-upmanship over canon
and to be fair even though I am an old canon fan the nikon is ergonomically a better camera to hold and handle for men
perhaps if they made a left handed grip camera this might feel better for right handed users considering most function buttons are on the right side
perhaps it's time to make a real new model instead of them all looking pretty much the same as the old model
a job for apple perhaps
 
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Im right handed, that has no bearing on my posts. I run my own business. I understand economics and making a profit.

There is no profit to be made from creating a left handed camera. They will gain no extra sales. People that want cameras buy them whether left or right handed. It will cost them millions to retool and produce left handed cameras all to satisfy less than 10% of overall customer base... It would be nearer to 3% which is tiny for the overall outlay.
 
I am a lifelong Leftie and proud. The statistics show that their is a higher proportion of us in the genius category in both the artistic and scientific fields. It wouldn't surprise me if their were more lefties on here than the general population and you all seem to be so cleaver :)

No problem handling a camera - its scissors I struggle with :)

Donald
 
donald said:
I am a lifelong Leftie and proud. The statistics show that their is a higher proportion of us in the genius category in both the artistic and scientific fields. It wouldn't surprise me if their were more lefties on here than the general population and you all seem to be so cleaver :)

No problem handling a camera - its scissors I struggle with :)

Donald
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They make left handed scissors my fellow genius
 
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