Picking Lens Color

[rbryant76]

So I started thinking about lens color and uses. Since some open frames are so easy to change lenses (half jackets, M frame, etc) that I may just use my slightly worn lens set for yardwork..and this got me thinking on all the color choices.

I know some are geared towards outdoor sports, etc..but are most colored lenses just for fashion, or are their true purposes for each tint/type?

I tried searching for a chart with explanations but could not find any.

Anyone have a handy link?

 

[Patient_Cero]

http://www.oakley.com/innovation/optical-superiority/lens-tints
http://www.evo.com/oakley-sunglasses-lens-tint-guide.aspx

 

[da_nige]

If you go to the Oakley website and search for lens tints you'll see the difference between them all.

Different lenses have lower or higher light transmission, some are neutral sone are contrast.

The lens tint page shows the differences in different scenarios

Neil

Edit: Too slow!

 

[rbryant76]

Well to bad I didnt click on the tint portion of that page when I was on it earlier

 

[Rustpot]

Some are fashion, some are preference based on contrast, some are preference based on transmission.

When you're looking at the lens tints page you see 3 metrics for each lens that really matter: transmission, contrast/neutral, and the name (color, iridium, polarized)

The protection index and conditions are both pretty much taken from the transmission number, so if you know what you're looking at with that number and what the name of the lens is you can figure out what it will do for you.

Also keep in mind anything that isn't a black/grey lens when you look through it is listed as "contrast" despite the color of the lens not really adding useful contrast.

So transmission is really the big ticket when it comes to choosing a lens. 9% is about as dark as Oakley goes, and I believe 96% is their clear. And you have a whole mess of options, the bulk of which is between 10 and 30%.

A good rule of thumb is to stick in the teens for a sunny day. Depending on how sensitive you are, or how dark you like your glasses, or what kind of day it is will really determine your preference.

Onto the name of the lens: The given name to any lens is in reference to its outward appearance. There are pre- modifiers (dark, light, OO) and post- modifiers (iridium, polarized) to give you more information on the lens.

Iridium is the metallic mirror coating. It helps reduce glare, as well as make the lens darker and provide the mirror to make it less likely to have someone see through the lens the other way. Iridium lenses will almost always say "iridium" in the name.

Polarized is what it says - there is the addition of a polarized filter. This will also darken the lens, but more importantly adds a linear polarizing filter to help eliminate glare from horizontal surfaces such as water or roads.

And finally the Contrast/Neutral: As I said above, this really only indicates whether the lens has a neutral (grey) tint, or some other color. If you're not a fan of colored lenses, then definitely stick to neutral tints. This really doesn't provide the full picture though, as the "contrast" base color of Fire Iridium will behave much differently than something like VR28.

So you can combine all of that and figure out, for the most part, what a lens will do for you. If you want to just have a shield for mowing the lawn and you don't normally wear sunglasses now, then you can choose just about anything. But if you want to tailor a lens to the job, you'd choose a contrast color that enhances green to help you read the grass better, and maybe have it be a lighter tint to handle more weather conditions, with a iridium coating to help cut the glare off the blades of grass or any errant water hazards around. Turns out Oakley makes their G30 lens specifically for Golf, but mowing the lawn is a pretty similar activity in terms of needs from your sunglass lenses.

 

[OakleyGuru379]

What he said

 

[Ventruck]

Rustpot pretty much nailed all that had to be said.

On his note of Contrast lenses being different from each other, same can go for Neutral tints. Ice, Jade, Black Iridium, Positive Red, Warm Grey...they're all neutral in the sense that color perception is mostly true and run the same base, but there's still variation in their overall tints - some being "cooler", some being "warmer". Consider it a finer tuning in lens selection.

Unlike contrast lenses which target specific hues, exact neutral lens preference is more personal - drawing from a wearer's long term experience. Something totally neutral is usually the safest bet, but of course we want something with a cool outward appearance so just take the best impression you can when sampling lenses at a store.

 

[rbryant76]

Wow, some great info here.

 

[Rustpot]

Rustpot pretty much nailed all that had to be said.

On his note of Contrast lenses being different from each other, same can go for Neutral tints. Ice, Jade, Black Iridium, Positive Red, Warm Grey ///they're all neutral in the sense that color perception is mostly true and run the same base, but there's still variation in their overall tints - some being "cooler", some being "warmer". Consider it a finer tuning in lens selection.

Unlike contrast lenses which target specific hues, exact neutral lens preference is more personal - drawing from a wearer's long term experience. Something totally neutral is usually the safest bet, but of course we want something with a cool outward appearance so just take the best impression you can when sampling lenses at a store.

Jade and Warm Grey aren't neutral lenses. If they're listed that way they shouldn't be.

Any neutral lens *should* appear grey from the wearer's perspective. Yes, there is a little accent to that on certain tints, but those two (Jade and Warm Grey) have a different color to the base lens.

 

[Ventruck]

Jade and Warm Grey aren't neutral lenses. If they're listed that way they shouldn't be.

Any neutral lens *should* appear grey from the wearer's perspective. Yes, there is a little accent to that on certain tints, but those two (Jade and Warm Grey) have a different color to the base lens.

Could see the point about Jade. I had to think about Warm Grey for a second, but wow, guess I learned something new today. Technically without an Iridium coating the only thing influencing the tint is the base itself, which therefore isn't neutral.