Prizm vs. Polarized Lenses | Oakley Differences Explained

[johnalism]

Polarization is a tool, like any other. It's great for reducing glare. It's not great in flat or medium to low light conditions, and it tends to mess with depth perception and some terrain contour reading. It's a great option to have access to, but it makes the lens specialized, not necessarily versatile.

Prizm is the proprietary Oakley lens tinting process to enhance some colours to be a bit more vibrant. Whether you care about contrast or how much a lens messes with colour perception is a personal choice. In general, Prizm is versatile, and doesn't make a lens worse at what you bought it for. You should not think a "standard" lens with no Prizm, and no polarization is inherently crappier.

My advice is to try on pairs of sunglasses, and in particular try out different lens tints. Prizm tends to give lenses for everyday wear a slight rosy hue. Some prefer a grey lens that doesn't mess with colours as they naturally appear. Some people like a brown lens in sunny or overcast conditions for the soothing effect on the eyes without darkening so much as a grey lens.

You want to start your research with an idea of what you want to get out of the sunglasses. Do you want something you can wear every day in a lot of conditions? Do you want something for a sport or hobby you enjoy? Do you want something that will go with a specific outfit like a business suit, a uniform, or a sports jersey? With a few ideas of what you want, you can start looking at products designed for that role or look.

Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response. I appreciate it!

 

[johnalism]

Here's a great article explaining everything:

Oakley Prizm Lenses - The Complete Guide

A complete guide to Oakley Prizm Lenses, Sunglasses and Goggles! Find out what Prizm is, why it's different, and how it can help you on and off the field!

www.oakleyforum.com

Thank you!

 

[Ressiv]

Prizm -lense dye that increases colours, contrast and clarity.

Polarisation- technology that cuts out the glare of the sun

Prizm info:
•You can get specific Prizms (so specific lense dyes). What Oakley does is that they look at a setting in which you will be using your glasses. They then use specific dyes to enhance the colours you want to see and tone down the ones you don’t. For example with the golf Prizm it will enhance the colours green and white and make other colours more subtle. This causes the ball to stand out better against the grass, you can also see the grass texture/health much clearer.

Polarisation info:
• Polarised lenses work as window shutters in a way. It stops the horizontal white light from coming through the glasses. Hence why when you rotate your sunnies to the side the polarisation doesn’t have its effect!

Extra fun facts

•Many sport Prizms won’t come with polarisation. This is because polarisation throws off your depth perception, also when cycling you cannot see water on the road. All Oakley fishing lenses will though due to its ability to help them see through the water.

•All of Oakley’s pairs of polarised lenses are made at the same time to perfectly align and center the axis of polarization. Also it’s actually in the lense rather than being a film on top of it. This way ya cant lose it

Hope this helped!

 

[johnalism]

Prizm -lense dye that increases colours, contrast and clarity.

Polarisation- technology that cuts out the glare of the sun

Prizm info:
•You can get specific Prizms (so specific lense dyes). What Oakley does is that they look at a setting in which you will be using your glasses. They then use specific dyes to enhance the colours you want to see and tone down the ones you don’t. For example with the golf Prizm it will enhance the colours green and white and make other colours more subtle. This causes the ball to stand out better against the grass, you can also see the grass texture/health much clearer.

Polarisation info:
• Polarised lenses work as window shutters in a way. It stops the horizontal white light from coming through the glasses. Hence why when you rotate your sunnies to the side the polarisation doesn’t have its effect!

Extra fun facts

•Many sport Prizms won’t come with polarisation. This is because polarisation throws off your depth perception, also when cycling you cannot see water on the road. All Oakley fishing lenses will though due to its ability to help them see through the water.

•All of Oakley’s pairs of polarised lenses are made at the same time to perfectly align and center the axis of polarization. Also it’s actually in the lense rather than being a film on top of it. This way ya cant lose it

Hope this helped!

Yes, that helped a lot. I also didn't realize about the polarization being in the lens on Oakleys.

I wonder now; if I wanted PRIZM lenses (non-polarized) I could use for driving in the rain and for fishing, would a blue lens be a good choice?

 

[VirusSixZero]

I wonder now; if I wanted PRIZM lenses (non-polarized) I could use for driving in the rain and for fishing, would a blue lens be a good choice?

Whatever you like. Just remember that whatever the colour of the Iridium coating, it is automatically reflecting that colour, at least partially.

At the end of the day, if Oakley's marketing department says Prizm Shallow Water is the best choice for fishing, and it gives you a headache, or you don't like it... nothing else matters.

For fishing, I'd personally choose a polarized lens, probably with a coppery or brownish tint. For driving in the rain, a non-polarized lens, likely with a rosy tint, maybe a light brown or persimmon is what I'd choose.

If I was stuck with an everyday wear pair of sunglasses in either situation, I'd just deal with it, or toss em aside in the case of driving.

 

[johnalism]

Whatever you like. Just remember that whatever the colour of the Iridium coating, it is automatically reflecting that colour, at least partially.

At the end of the day, if Oakley's marketing department says Prizm Shallow Water is the best choice for fishing, and it gives you a headache, or you don't like it... nothing else matters.

For fishing, I'd personally choose a polarized lens, probably with a coppery or brownish tint. For driving in the rain, a non-polarized lens, likely with a rosy tint, maybe a light brown or persimmon is what I'd choose.

If I was stuck with an everyday wear pair of sunglasses in either situation, I'd just deal with it, or toss em aside in the case of driving.

I do already own a pair of cheapo sunglasses made specifically for driving in rain, so I suppose whatever I get won't *have* to have that function. Just would've been a nice bonus.

 

[Ressiv]

Yes, that helped a lot. I also didn't realize about the polarization being in the lens on Oakleys.

I wonder now; if I wanted PRIZM lenses (non-polarized) I could use for driving in the rain and for fishing, would a blue lens be a good choice?

Yea dude!

Depends what setting you are fishing in.

Oakley has two fishing’s specific lenses:

•Prizm Deep Water Polarised- this lense is my fave. The Prizm in that one cuts out blue tones and is mixed with the polarisation which cuts out the glare of the sun, it makes it super easy to see through the water. It looks good and is decent for driving too.

•Prizm Shallow Water Polarised is a groovy one too but doesn’t look as pretty in my opinion. The Prizm in that one has your general colour enhancing, clarity and contrast. This one helps you see river beds/structures way better and of course is mixed with polarisation to cut out the glare. You can see your eyes a bit through this one (I know that some people feel a bit funky about that) but the technology in it is 10/10. (And ofc is good to drive with)

 

[Ressiv]

Yes, that helped a lot. I also didn't realize about the polarization being in the lens on Oakleys.

I wonder now; if I wanted PRIZM lenses (non-polarized) I could use for driving in the rain and for fishing, would a blue lens be a good choice?

Hahaha just realised that you meant non polarised!

I’d go for a ruby lense to counter act blue/green tones in the water. Looks a bit fun but will definitely help!

You’ll definitely notice the difference without the polarisation though! What makes you want to try with out it?

 

[johnalism]

Hahaha just realised that you meant non polarised!

I’d go for a ruby lense to counter act blue/green tones in the water. Looks a bit fun but will definitely help!

You’ll definitely notice the difference without the polarisation though! What makes you want to try with out it?

Curiosity, mostly. I really like polarized, so I'm unlikely to give it up.