“Some digital cameras have a diopter adjustment that helps improve the clarity of the viewfinder. By adjusting a dial, lever or knob located near the viewfinder, sharpness and focus changes.” – Digicamhelp.com
I am often asked why a person can’t get anything sharp in the viewfinder. My first reply to that question is if the lens is on autofocus, are the captured photos are sharp?
If yes, then don’t blame the camera, read your manual. Who does that right? 98% of the time when you see blurry but the results are great when using autofocus it means your camera’s diopter is not adjusted for your eye. The other 2% of the time there is something wrong with the prism section of the camera which means send it in for repair.
The diopter is either a dial or slider switch located very close to the viewfinder. All SLR camera’s have one and many point & shoot camera’s have one.
Check out “How to Adjust a Diopter on a Camera” on eHow
So what happens if you don’t adjust your diopter? Well, if you are shooting on Manual focus then all of your photos, yes all of your photos, will be blurry. If you are shooting on Auto focus then you will most likely get lucky and find that there is something in focus most of the time. It may not be what you want however.
Adjusting your diopter is simple and should be done and checked often as sometimes you might accidentally change it. Or, if you lend your camera to someone you never know what they might touch.
Lastly, if you do a YouTube search for “camera diopter” you will see many videos of people showing you just how to do it. If you’re lucky you may even find your own camera.
So I hope that helps. Check your diopter, adjust it and have fun.
Thanks for reading and happy shooting,
Scott
carollinden
14 Apr 2010But how do we do it? I'm pretty sure it is by turning that little knob. ;-) But how do we know it in on the more adequate position? Thanks!
scottwyden
14 Apr 2010Find something with a lot of contrast. Something that you know the auto focus will lock in on easily. Let the auto focus do its job and then adjust your diopter until it's perfectly crisp for your eye.
carollinden
14 Apr 2010Thanks a lot! I have a Canon 50D and my pictures are all getting sort of blurry/noisy when I see them in real size. I'm getting crazy trying to fix it, and so far no success… tomorrow I'll test the dioptry to see if it solves the mystery.
scottwyden
14 Apr 2010If you're shooting on Auto Focus the diopter won't fix blurry photos. If you shoot on Manual Focus then that could be causing a problem.
carollinden
14 Apr 2010I only shoot AF. Oh my. I have no idea of what may be the problem. :-(
scottwyden
14 Apr 2010Is it still under warranty?
carollinden
14 Apr 2010No. And I don't live in the US…. :-( Here in Brazil only in São Paulo we have Canon representation and I don't live there… I am so lost…. Really, really thanks for your kindness in answering me.
scottwyden
14 Apr 2010I wish I could help more. Another thing to check is if you use only one lens it could be that causing your problem. If you have the issue with multiple lenses then it is def. the body. But either way the Diopter only controls what you see in the viewfinder, not what the camera captures. I hope you work it out. Good Luck!
carollinden
14 Apr 2010You would mind in taking a look in one of my pictures to see if you have any idea? happened in different lenses, so I think it is the body. And I'm afraid it will be expensive to fix…
scottwyden
15 Apr 2010Your Flickr is locked so I can't view the image large. If you want to email me the photo I'd be happy to look. I don't like to share my email address in public due to spam but if you click on this link http://scr.im/imgry you will be able to get my email address :-)
scottwyden
15 Apr 2010Your Flickr is locked so I can't view the image large. If you want to email me the photo I'd be happy to look. I don't like to share my email address in public due to spam but if you click on this link http://scr.im/imgry you will be able to get my email address :-)
Stephanie Moe
14 Mar 2012THANK YOU THANK YOU… I just got the D700, and thought something was wrong with it! My D300 did not have the diopter knob!! Easy and free fix!!
Scott Wyden Kivowitz
14 Mar 2012You’re very welcome Stephanie
Adam
18 Jan 2015I’ve been looking at 1.35x anamorphic adapters for my Canon, and I’ve been seeing a lot of people mentioning diopters when talking about these. I’m just not sure of the purpose of diopters for a lens adapter. I have searched the web and this blog entry is the closest thing to an explanation I can find. Any ideas?
Scott
20 Jan 2015Wish I could help with that, but I can’t unfortunately.
M.A.
21 Oct 2015Is the diopter linked to focus … ? I see no reason to adjust if using AI Focus …
What did I miss … ?
Scott
26 Oct 2015The diopter is only how your eye sees through the viewfinder. If not set up correctly, a perfect focus could look blurry to your eye.
Akhilesh Pyasi
28 Sep 2017If i will set the diopter according to my eyesight & if any one with normal eyesight uses the camera he will be able to see correctly clear image view with correct focus in the same viewfinder i have adjusted according to my need. Please reply with suggestion if any.
Scott
28 Sep 2017By setting the diopter to your eye, it will be out of focus for someone with different vision.
Ant
2 Jan 2019So then a photo will only be in focus for the photographer who adjusted the diopter for their eyesight? I’m still confused- what if I am using manual focus and have adjusted the diopter for my vision- how will the image appear to someone else with different eyesight?
Scott
3 Jan 2019The diopter is only for adjusting the focus within the viewfinder itself. The photo you capture will look the same no matter who looks at it.
julie pearce
12 Apr 2018My canon 1300d is housed inside a mirror photo booth, we altered the angle of the camera for a children’s party and since repositioning the photos have been soft. My partner moved what I think is the diopter and since then subjects at the front of the photo look clear but if I have a second or third row they are blurred.. is there an optimum setting please ?
Scott
12 Apr 2018The optimum setting for a diopter is when you see clearly through it. It’s totally unique to each person’s eye.
Melanie Franz
12 Mar 2019I have an older Minolta DiMAGE Z1. Should I adjust the the diopter while in ‘auto’ mode or when in manual mode?
Scott
12 Mar 2019If you ever look through the viewfinder you should make sure the diopter is set for your eye.