<()))>< Sun Glass Color

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Hellmtflies
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<()))>< Sun Glass Color

#1

Post by Hellmtflies »

"OK", I have just had Cataract Surgery. So now for the first time in twenty-five years I can head out to purchase nonprescription sunglasses. I used to use green lenses back then. But I'm wondering what color lenses you folks prefer for on stream work today. What color cuts the glare best for you and allows you to see past the surface of the water to locate those Trouts? What color Lense and what makers do you suggest? What sunglass makers are the most optically correct?
Thank you in advance.
Mark

PAGH
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#2

Post by PAGH »

You might want to take a look at Decot glasses (www.decot.com).
They specialize in shooting glasses and have some good information on various shades/tints. For here in PA I like dark bronze for sunny and yellow for overcast conditions.

Hope this helps.

PAGH

Doug K
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#3

Post by Doug K »

Polarized lenses are what let you see into the water, color is secondary. I like grey or bronze for most conditions, a pair of light yellow for early and late. For some time I used to have prescription sunglasses, now have given up and use fit-over sunglasses of various brands over my prescription glasses. Surprisingly this works really well, even the cheap fit-overs have decent lens quality. It also lets me carry multiple cheap pairs in various colors to match whatever light condition is happening.

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Hellmtflies
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#4

Post by Hellmtflies »

Thanx!

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carl otto
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#5

Post by carl otto »

I went through this exercise about 25 years ago. I wear prescription glasses so these comments are relevant to this use. I purchased and tried out a number of the different lens colors. I had prescription glass lenses, polycarbonate lenses and off the shelf overlay lenses

First: The must be polarized.

Second: I found the amber lenses the absolute best for on the water (not ocean). They cut the glare, heighten depth perception and "saw" right into the water so one can spot fish below the surface. Amber, not copper, not bronze, not yellow, grey or green. This is supported by a number of others also. I also found the amber lenses can remain on way later into the evening then the other colors.

Third: Prescription glass was too heavy. Prescription polycarbonate was lighter but, even with the extra special scratch resistant coating they became scratched. Both of these options are very expensive. I have settled on Cocoon type overlay. They last about two years of hard use and then need to be replaced. They overlay my regular prescription glasses without any issues. They are about 1/20th the cost of the prescription glasses. The only real issue I have is the "rubber" temple ends will degrade if you leave them in the harsh sun on your dashboard.

Hope this helps?

Carl
Last edited by carl otto on 08/04/22 08:14, edited 1 time in total.

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kevinhaney1
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#6

Post by kevinhaney1 »

I use cheap polarized yellow lenses. The problem I have with them is that I fish mainly on small heavily shaded streams. These glasses don’t allow enough light to penetrate to really see that well so I usually have to take them off. They are fine in the sun. I think the yellow is the best for low light conditions, but even they are not good enough, as I have found. Any recommendations?

Kevin
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bamboo
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#7

Post by bamboo »

I had both eye lenses done a few years ago. I chose to have long range sight over reading & hook eye sharpness. As a result I got a pair of Polarized bifocal bronze lens glasses. Mine are Coyote Eyewear brand. Got them from Sierra. com for $39.99 . Great quality @ a great price .They work very well. I also have Maui Jims in bronze but at the price they cost me ,I dont take them fishing.

All the Best,
bamboo....mike

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carl otto
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#8

Post by carl otto »

Kevin:

Amber. I wear my shades way into the evening after sunset without a problem. They work fine in the heavy shade you note and on overcast days.

Carl

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kevinhaney1
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#9

Post by kevinhaney1 »

Amber. I wear my shades way into the evening after sunset without a problem. They work fine in the heavy shade you note and on overcast days.
Carl, all of the Amber ones I have looked through are darker than the yellow ones and let in less light, so I’m not sure how they could perform better in lower light conditions.
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GerardH
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#10

Post by GerardH »

kevinhaney1 wrote:
08/04/22 08:13
I use cheap polarized yellow lenses. The problem I have with them is that I fish mainly on small heavily shaded streams. These glasses don’t allow enough light to penetrate to really see that well so I usually have to take them off. They are fine in the sun. I think the yellow is the best for low light conditions, but even they are not good enough, as I have found. Any recommendations?

Kevin
Yellow is generally considered the best lens tint color for low light conditions and in deep shadows -- it's the preferred shooting glasses lens color for upland hunters during dark overcast and late in the day. The problem I have with yellow is that it offers too much contrast and I can't wear them except in the lowest light. Also color accuracy is compromised. But most people I hunt/fish with don't seem bothered by that.

Any other lens tint color would be less effective in low light, so I'm not sure what the best solution would be for you.

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ReelPatina
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#11

Post by ReelPatina »

I too am in the amber polarized lense club and have been for many years. As a matter of fact it is the only outdoor lense I will ever wear unless something drastically changes in that field. Knocks the brightness down appropriately and yet gives a crisp edge and appropriate color to other things in your periphery that you would normally not see as such.

In regards to above the amber over the yellow gives you the color advantage of yellow with the brightness elimination of blue blockers ( normal dark lense) without them being too dark. Basically what we are looking for in my opinion.

jim royston
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#12

Post by jim royston »

For the past umpteen years, I have used 1 pair of sunglasses for stream fishing and flats fishing. Photochromic copper from Smith. Their current product line offers what is called Chroma-Pop, which guides have told me is superior. If I were in the market, I would buy those, in copper ( I think they refer to it as bronze now)
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ibookje
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#13

Post by ibookje »

I have been using pink (rose) colored lenses for the past 20 years. They seem to give the best contrast during regular to bright conditions. I have them on my Maui Jim and Tiemco (Japanese) sunglasses.

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GerardH
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#14

Post by GerardH »

I should add I'm in the amber/copper camp for stream fishing. If I was fishing open water under a high sun, I would consider blue or gray for more light blocking; but I agree amber gives you the best performance for the variety of light conditions we encounter on the stream.

I'm jealous of those who don't require prescription lenses -- the composites they use for fit-overs are very good but optically they're still not at the level of glass IMO. Certainly not the Cocoons I've been wearing the past dozen years or more.

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Drossi
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#15

Post by Drossi »

I prefer amber for bright conditions and yellow for low light. Big Maui Jim guy here, great customer service, you get 1 free redo with your purchase, send them back and they'll fix/replace them once over the life of the purchase.

Bill Terry
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#16

Post by Bill Terry »

Many years ago, there was a company, now apparently defunct, called Specialized Eyewear (if memory serves) that made a product called Night Vision Glasses. These glasses had nothing to do with the kind of infrared-detection eyewear used by the military; they were just regular glasses with the least amount of light reduction that would still permit polarization. I got a pair and still use them when fishing late into the evening. They are a light brown in color.

In the Smith Action Optics website, the visible light transmission (VLT) is given for each of their sunglasses. In the Guide's Choice model, the VLT for their yellow lenses is 33%, while for all the other colors it is between 10% and 20%. How well you can see in dim light is highly dependent on how much light gets through the lenses.

Also, for several reasons, we see colors on the red end of the spectrum more sharply than colors on the blue end (https://www.quora.com/At-a-distance-why ... more-sharp). A nice mnemonic for the spectrum of visible light is ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), in order of longest to shortest wavelength. So yellow lies in the middle. I would expect that glasses that transmit more red light would give sharper images than those than transmit more blue light.

With those considerations in mind, I would suggest copper lenses in bright light for the superior sharpness, but yellow lenses in dim light for the greater light transmission.
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Skimpole
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#17

Post by Skimpole »

For bright conditions a VLT around 15 in amber or brown. For overcast days, deep shade, early morning and evening, the Smith Optics glass Low Light Ignitor has a light golden olive lens with a 40 VLT.

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Hellmtflies
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#18

Post by Hellmtflies »

Thanx Folks. A lot to process.

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ReelPatina
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#19

Post by ReelPatina »

I wanted to add that I have been using glasses by Native , which can found online or also now at Cabelas. They used to have a booth at the fishing trade shows, maybe still do. The Price is right Bob…

All of your sunglass lenses are manufactured by about 4 companies in the world. If they are branded by Gucci or Walmart they come from the same place. $125 ( prob $150 today, that figure was from some years ago now) is your ballpark average plus or minus. Anything above you are paying for marketing and name brand slapped on the side of the lenses.

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flyslinger
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Re: <()))>< Sun Glass Color

#20

Post by flyslinger »

I'm in the amber lens camp, as well. Years ago I was wearing some green/gray polarized glasses, fishing for bonefish in Honduras. My guide was wading next to me on the flats, and he kept pointing out bones amongst the eel grass. I couldn't see them, but when he gave me his amber sunglasses to put on, the water lit up with them. That was the last time I ever went fishing without amber lenses.

I tried the yellow lenses, but unless it's very early or late, in low light conditions, I find that they give me a headache over time.
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