Sun Glasses

[salmo]

I recently purchased two pairs of clip on flip up/down Polaroid sunglasses. One is a brownish tint and the other greenish. In you opinion which color is better for that late afternoon glassy light on the stream?

If this has been covered before, I apologize.

Thanks for any input.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

Probably the brown. Low light is usually rose or yellow. GG

 

[Fly-Swatter]

As long as I can remember, I used brown at about 85% filtered. If the light is so low that my sunglasses filter too much light (dawn, dusk, or very cloudy), then here is likely not enough light to sight fish so I just wear my clear glasses.

Brown lenses have at least 2 advantages: 1. They increase contrast; 2. They filter blue light. This should result in reduced eye strain over hours of peering into the water and shadows.

Blue lenses are typically used for deep water/offshore situations.

Prescription wearers: I need prescription progressive glasses for an astigmatism and myopia. I tried fit-overs and clip-ons and found the reflected and refracted light caused by the double lenses distracting and unacceptable. I also find the cost of prescription polarized glasses outrageous.

FWIW, I get my glasses from Zenni Optical online. It's about $150 for prescription polarized glasses with all the bells and whistles (coatings). I've used Zenni for 8 years and 3 prescriptions. So far, no complaints. As long as there is a decent amount of light, I have no difficulty tying fine tippet onto tiny flies while wearing either polarized or standard glasses.

 

[salmo]

Thanks, Fly Swatter. I used to get my polarized prescription lenses from a company called Action Optics. I don't think they are around any more. I will keep Zeni in mind for my next pair.

 

[pcray1231]

Brown/copper/amber colors increase contrast, which is important when trying to read bottom structure.

Green is often a low light lens. But check VLT. Truly dark (meant for bright sun) are usually 12-15%. Around 15-18% is your standard sunglasses. Low light lenses are generally 20+, with the majority in the 20-30% range but some up to 50%.

I'm a sunglasses geek and wear different pairs for different conditions, so I have all of the above. But if I was going to have only 1 pair of sunglasses for PA trout fishing, I'd probably opt for a lower light lens in the 25-30% range. These are suitable for a sunny mid-day, but can also be used under a dense forest canopy or take you pretty close to dusk, after which no sunglass should be worn.

 

[jifigz]

I think that I prefer an amber colored lens. I wear cheap sunglasses as long as they are polarized. I recently received a pair of YUM brand glasses from Walmart for free and they work good enough for me. I don't know much about tint levels etc but I know that I don't want expensive or a really dark tint.

 

[Dave_W]

I'm a prescription with bi-focals wearer who likes fit-over polarized fishing glasses.

I much prefer yellow lenses and pretty much use them for all my fishing and kayaking these days. They're better than amber and you can keep them on in heavy tree cover, the evening, or on cloudy days (think about where you fish in PA and under what conditions).

The "Cacoons" brand fit-overs are reasonably priced and are available in yellow. These are what I use (be aware that Caccons are vinyl and don't respond well to DEET).

Try yellow polarized lenses someday - I'll bet that you'll never go back to other colors.

 

[Swattie87]

Agree that different lenses for different conditions are ideal. For driving, or the beach, I have a dark gray 12% pair. They’re too dark for fishing though, except in direct bright midday sunlight.

For fishing I use a pair of 18% amber lenses. These are a good all around, middle of the road pair. Just dark enough to be passable for bright sun, but light enough for cloudy days or fishing in the forest. Too dark still for dusk fishing, but I’ve found I’m fine with no glasses then.

 

[pcray1231]

As far as polarization, the really cheap ones have terrible polarizing filters that really doesn't help all that much for fishing. Still better than non-polarized, but.... These tend to be stamped lenses and even if the filter was fine to begin with, the stamping process bends it and you get various alignments, often meaning it doesn't cancel reflection. The only way to avoid that in a stamped lens is to glue the filter on the surface after stamping, but it delaminates quickly then, so not many do that.

From about $30 up (injection molded instead of stamped) in various plastic lenses the polarizing filters are fairly uniform. No real great advantages. They work fine. Focus on fit, color, coatings, lens material/clarity, etc.

Until you get to glass lenses, that is. The bi-refringence of a plastic lens in the typical injection molded "sandwich", in any type of plastic, tends to scatter light polarization before it even hits the polarizer, reducing it's effectiveness. So part of that polarized reflection is de-polarized and not eliminated by the filter, reducing the "see into the water better" factor somewhat. The more rigid glass solves that issue. I've found glass lenses do have better polarization in tests. It's not really brand specific, it's glass specific. Costa, Ray Ban, Maui Jim, Smith all make glass lenses (but they make other materials as well, glass is used in only some of theirs). But glass lenses cost a ton of $$$$$.

 

[lestrout]

Another thing you can do in the store with cheap plastic polarized glasses: take a second pair and turn in 90 degrees and hold the pair you are thinking of buying up to the light. Look thru one lens of the second pair and rotate it slightly. You will see the first pair darken. Make sure the two lenses of the first pair turn dark at the same angle of rotation. Otherwise the polarization planes of the first pair will be slightly different. On the water, your dominant and non-dominant eye will be fighting each other and next thing you know, you will have a headache that aspirin won't fix.