Sunglasses for low light conditions
- This topic has 12 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated Apr 25, 2012 at 12:11 am by
.
-
Posts
-
I saw the general discussion on the sunglasses and various types, adv/disadv, etc… I wanted to a put a more specific question out there for discussion that I have been struggling with recently.
What are some good sunglasses manufacturers or models for low light conditions? The situations I am talking about is early morning or late afternoon/early evening on the rivers or on the flats. In these conditions, I am still wanting to see through the water either for spotting fish or for safer wading in the rivers.
I normally use a set of Costa 580 with the copper lens. I find them great for anything in bright conditions, but when the light starts to go down, I feel like I can’t see crap in the water. I am a big believer in always having eye protection for safety reasons when casting, so I would love to have a back-up pair of glasses to put on when the light conditions are lower, which still give the same quality of polarization and allow seeing “through the water.”
Any experience/advice on this would be appreciated.
Smith optics(formerly Action Optics) produce a polarchromatitic glass lens with an amber tint which in my honest opinion beats what you are wearing at the moment for all conditions of fish spotting in fresh water.
They also produce in the same format an “ignitor” tint lens in glass which is specifically for lower light conditions.
When my existing smiths fail I will be looking at one pair of each of the amber and ignitor…Cheers..PeteI’m a little out of date, but I use what Smith called their “all hour brown” which is a low density photochromatic brown color lens, I like them, next one will have to be different, probably amber, but I’ve been using Smith photochromatics forever and wouldn’t use any constant density lens if I had a choice.
JCHi Chad,
FWIW,
When my eyesight was 20/20, I used to shoot combat pistol, (IPSC),In low light, we used a yellow lens and it worked a treat!
For me though, having to buy prescription sunglasses of various colours is not an option but if you have 20/20 vision you will be OK
In reality, you will need at least 2 sets of glasses if you go down that track,
Lastly, there is another option,
I have a pair of photochromic glasses that also have a “clip on” Polaroid “over glass”
I have to say, with the clip on removed, even though they are still photochromic, I can see perfectly in low light
Regards,
GaryOnce you get to a certain point right before dark, the angle of the light is so low and there is so much glare that you’re not going to see into the water with any color lens.
Up to that point, I like a light copper lens.
I’m glad to hear the support for Smith’s Action Optics photochromatic lenses. It’s now been 10 years since I switched from Costa copper lenses to the Action Optics photochromatic copper lenses. Costa has great glass and frame styles, but I can’t think about switching away from my Smith’s if I’m just going to have one pair for a full day on the water. These lenses consistently give me 15-30 minutes at each end of the day versus those wearing other lenses. This generally some of the best fishing of the day, so being able to improve visibility at this time a big advantage over other lenses.
Jason
I agree with Brian D. after a certain point of the day I am not looking beneath the surface at all. Once the sun is below 30 degrees it only reflects and does not penetrate anyway. Even with Polarized lenses you won’t see much except the odd flash at the surface but only if the sun is behind you.
I am intrigued with those Smith PolarChromic Ambers though. I just read up on them and never heard of a yellow polarized lense until now.
Maui Jim has a new Palm Green HT (High Transmission) lens as well. I put some on but not used them on the water.Zach,
The clarity you get from the smith glass polarchromatic lenses is truly awsome ,I think they are around the usd220 mark for models such as the chief.
Ive had my latest pair for the past 8 years ,they have been well looked after but fished hard yet the lenses are still perfect as the techlite glass does not scratch like its plastic and polycarbonate cousins.
The lenses give some of the best protection ive found from the harmful UV bands and their ability to allow perfect vision when you walk from shade to light and vice versa is a real winner.
As a flyfisher when you put them on , the light through the lenses is so easy on the eyes you will find your face and eyes relax straight away,you then notice that everying both in and out of the water has a defininition thats attained without need to unconciously squint in order to see where you want.I frequently fish hard from dawn to dusk and at the end of the day when i take the sunnies off my eyes are as fresh as a daisy. In my opinion the spectrum amber is better than the copper for that extra clarity we need when searching for fish.The new ignightor lens e sounds great but i have not looked through it.In all i use mine for fishing,hunting,surfing.driving,skiing.
You cant use the exuse that they are to expensive as if you are sight fisherman your clarity of vision gives you an edge over those who do not have it .My glasses are just as important to me as a good rod reel and line.Dont fish with a handicap ;D try the smiths and you will be ble to count every spot on a good brownie.Cheers Pete .
+1 for Smith Photo Copper. I cant say enough good about them for what you want to do. They are not great on open water during bright days though.
I just picked up a pair of Smith photochromic ambers a few weeks ago and love them. I was using them while fishing with a friend who had the Smith photochromic coppers in a low light situation and the amber lenses were definitely superior. In a brighter situation, I might prefer the coppers, but so far I haven’t felt like the ambers weren’t enough. You might want to check out Smith’s website where it goes through the visible light transmission of each lens: http://www.smithoptics.com/technology/#/Sunglass+Technology/Lens+Options/view/.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.