Eyesight is going.....

[JamieSilverstein]

I know this is a bit off topic, but now that age is catching up with me, my eyes are not as sharp as they used to be. At this moment in time, when I operate conventionally, I have to operate with my glasses on to insure focus. Obviously this option is a pain in the ...... eyeball.

So where in NYC does one get a diopter made for use in an eyepiece? Also does anyone know if I have to get one for both Panavision and Arri, or does one diaopter fit both eyepieces.?

Thanks in advance for any tips and info.

Jamie.

[Eric Fletcher S.O.C.]

Your optometrist should be able to make you one.

 

Also I think you can buy them from Arri

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Jamie,

 

Peter Agliata, fellow op on "30 Rock", uses one. Give him a call.

[paul magee]

Hey Jamie,

 

I feel your pain, my optometrist provides me with my diopters but depending on your prescription

it might be cheaper to get the manufacturers version.

I use a set of 52mm tiffen diopters ( 52 bucks from B&H ) with the Panasonic full size

cameras (Varicam, SDX 900 etc..) and found them to be a nice quick fix.

Be prepared for the endless bitching when others without our problem want to use the eyepiece and

can't focus through the diopter.

 

 

Paul " impressionism is coming back " Magee

Philadelphia, PA

[JamieSilverstein]

Thanks for all of the advice and direction pointing...... Now if I could only find my guide dog..... "Here Spot, here spot"

Jamie "Helen Keller" Silverstein.

[Alf Tramontin]

My eyesight is going too!! I just bought longer monitor bars for my Ultra when working in low mode!

[Erwin Landau]

Hi Jamie,

 

I had glasses since I was 10 years old... it was never really an issue, not at my old job as a draftsman, or the theater or even as an AC and later as a B-Camera/Steadicam guy... until I did my first feature as an A-Camera operator. I spend more time then ever actually looking through the lens and constantly looking up to discover and identify foreign objects in the frame by naked eye... with the interruption of looking for my glasses, put them on and then check...

 

I know exactly where my eye site is... on the Panaflex short eye piece just turn the diopter all the way to the right and there we are... blind like a church mouse (neee... doesn't really translate to english... does it?)

 

I was thinking about a diopter, custom made. I went to my optometrist ??? eye guy. The diopter was fairly inexpensive at around $100.- - $150.- (Compared to my glasses) what turned expensive was the custom ring that via magnet would attach to the viewfinder... of course it would not fit all viewfinders... especially the 16mm once.

I tried at ARRI it was just ridiculously expensive... and I still had to find my glasses to look up.

 

And of course the DP and the Director would want to look through the lens at what point the diopter just disappeared...

 

After I destroyed 3 pairs of glasses (dropped and got mangled, run over by the dolly, fell of the insert car) on a feature in winter 2004, I looked into laisik eye surgery... haven't made my mind up yet as my glasses saved my eyes so many times in the past... I would be blind by now without them... (flying debris from a levee, welding without welding glasses, flying shells from my sharp shooter days, etc...)

 

I think I actually did not help at all... good luck!

 

Fly safe,

 

Erwin

[JamieSilverstein]

Erwin;

Truthfully you didn't help, but I did enjoy reading your insights. I have been doing a lot of work as the A operator on Criminal Intent and SVU of late, and I am finding it harder and harder to see focus. Episodic is, as you all probably know, a quick medium, so I sort of have to see focus really well so that I can help the assistant out as much as possible. At least thats what I like to think. I usually use my glasses on the first take, and then when all is looking good, I take them off for comfort sake. It works, but its not very elegant.

I might bite the bullet and buy the expensive ring. After all, it is my career........ We gladly spend a ton of cash on Steadicam stuff, some of which we don't really need, but think might help our careers. I am pretty sure that this will, if not help, secure my spots as much as possible.

[Peter Abraham]

The next time you're stepping into Pier 61, look to the left. See the guy in the "Steadicam" jacket? I'll give you a wave. I spend an obscene amount of time on the other side of the wall, at CSTV.

 

:D

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Peter,

 

"I spend an obscene amount of time on the other side of the wall, at CSTV."

 

Where were you when we were doing "Love Monkey?" We were in CSTV a hand full of times using it (as well as NY1) for the TV station. Your buddy Scott always took great care of us.

[Peter Abraham]

I know you were there, I was out of town a bunch of times and other times sadly, I was not put on the schedule. That'd have been FUN, man.

 

:)

[JamieSilverstein]

Peter;

I'm on Criminal Intent on Thursday. If we are on the stage, I'll stop by, if I can actually see you that is. I guess I'll just have to wear my glasses.

To hell with vanity.

Jamie