morehops52
45 Cal.
I've seen posts elsewhere that sort of mentioned this as a side discussion so I thought I'd throw what I have learned out here in hopes that it might be helpful.
If you want to know what lens will give you more light at dusk or night, the short answer is NONE. If you want to know if there is a lens that will help you see better at those times read on.
Ok, for those of you still around I'll give you some info I've learned from 25 years as a pro photographer and 10 years as a Certified Optician. The question of night lenses came up a lot as we have an older population where I live and of course there are the ads you've probably seen on TV for those yellow night driving glasses. They show you a before picture that looks like you're looking thru a windshield with milk thrown on it and then miraculously appear clear as a bell when you use those wonderful inexpensive lenses. Below is what I believe to be accurate info. If you have a knowledge to add a correction or addition, it wouldn't be the first time I've learned something new.
I'll use an example of a light colored wall that has a constant light source. We put our self say 10' from the wall and have a very sensitive light meter next to our eye. If I take a meter reading that will give us the light intensity. That is the light reflecting off the wall reaching our eye. Now put a piece of clear optical glass in front of your eye. You won't perceive any difference in the light but the meter will show a very slight loss. The reason is that some of the light is reflecting back toward the wall, some is being absorbed by the glass and some passes through. The overall loss is mostly from reflectivity. Any absorption is neglible so I won't address it. If we want to get more light to pass through then we need to add an anti-reflective (AR) coating. Every lens maker or dispensary has there own coating formulation and they come in many colors. You have probably noticed a tint on the front of your binocs or scope. That is the coating. Now the glass lets more light thru because less is being reflected. It can sometimes add a slight amount of contrast due to less flare. So the meter goes up slightly but we'll never get to 100% transmittance. A good coating can get into the high 90's . Multi-coating is better but is rarely used on eyeglasses
Now we're back to our wonderful yellow lens. If I replace the clear lens with a yellow lens then we are only seeing part of the full spectrum. The lens is blocking a lot of other wavelengths (colors) for it to appear yellow to our eyes so we getting less light thru. But for many of us there is an illusion that our eyes and brain tell us everything looks brighter. That's because most of our eyes have higher sensitivity to that spectrum. Another example is hunter orange or safety green. So while we're getting less light it looks brighter to most of us. The amount of lost light is dependent on several factors but unless the lenses have a strong tint to them the loss of light usually not significant. But that small loss of light might be enough for you to not see a deer in the shadows - or a pedestrian. IMO as long as you can see your target clearly there's no real harm to wearing them in the field. Maybe the perception of the woods being brighter might help you stay in your stand 5 min longer. Just know that anything in front of your eyes (except light amplifiers like NV scopes) lets less light thru than without a lens. Oh, BTW the light meter agrees with me on that.
So why do shooters often wear colored lenses? Different shooters prefer different color lenses for each situation. Some colors provide better contrast to pick up a target, but that color varies with situation and individual shooter preference. Polarized lenses add contrast but usually let in considerably less light. Also those lenses are for normal to bright light. An colored lens that can pick up a clay target at 1:00 PM may be near useless as dusk approaches. The only way to know what works best for you is to try different colors in the field if you can. If you just want eye protection my advice would be to get a pair of clear polycarbonate lenses with AR coating. Polycarbonate is the most shatter resistant of the common lens materials.
I have some more optical tips below that are not in line with my original title but you may find helpfu
1.If you're not sure if a lens has an AR coating, look at the front of the lens and have a light source reflected off of it. If it has a tint that is usually an AR coating. If it still looks clear or white, I would pass on it. Price will help you determine if you're getting a quality lens or not.
2.If you want the best quality optics for your scope or binocs always look for these three words ONLY! “ FULLY MULTI COATED”. Anything else is less and I personally wouldn't ever buy any field optic or camera lens that didn't say those three words exactly.
3.If you want to see as best you can while driving at night you need to keep your windshield clean both out and especially inside. The haze on the inside creates flare at night. Clean eyeglass lenses too. For the cost of wiper blades it can look better outside also. I personally wouldn't wear colored lenses at night but we all make our choices.
4.As lenses age the vision they provide can deteriorate from scratches. Even scratches you can't easily see with naked eye (micro scratches) will cause len flare that lowers contrast and scatters light. The most common cause is “shirt tail cleaning” (using ANY of your clothing) or using any products that aren't specifically made for cleaning lenses. While you may think that TP and tissues are soft enough, they contain wood fibers and WILL scratch your lens. You can use a clean old 100% cotton hanky or T shirt in a pinch.
Have a good time shooting & I hope this has helped a few of you.
If you want to know what lens will give you more light at dusk or night, the short answer is NONE. If you want to know if there is a lens that will help you see better at those times read on.
Ok, for those of you still around I'll give you some info I've learned from 25 years as a pro photographer and 10 years as a Certified Optician. The question of night lenses came up a lot as we have an older population where I live and of course there are the ads you've probably seen on TV for those yellow night driving glasses. They show you a before picture that looks like you're looking thru a windshield with milk thrown on it and then miraculously appear clear as a bell when you use those wonderful inexpensive lenses. Below is what I believe to be accurate info. If you have a knowledge to add a correction or addition, it wouldn't be the first time I've learned something new.
I'll use an example of a light colored wall that has a constant light source. We put our self say 10' from the wall and have a very sensitive light meter next to our eye. If I take a meter reading that will give us the light intensity. That is the light reflecting off the wall reaching our eye. Now put a piece of clear optical glass in front of your eye. You won't perceive any difference in the light but the meter will show a very slight loss. The reason is that some of the light is reflecting back toward the wall, some is being absorbed by the glass and some passes through. The overall loss is mostly from reflectivity. Any absorption is neglible so I won't address it. If we want to get more light to pass through then we need to add an anti-reflective (AR) coating. Every lens maker or dispensary has there own coating formulation and they come in many colors. You have probably noticed a tint on the front of your binocs or scope. That is the coating. Now the glass lets more light thru because less is being reflected. It can sometimes add a slight amount of contrast due to less flare. So the meter goes up slightly but we'll never get to 100% transmittance. A good coating can get into the high 90's . Multi-coating is better but is rarely used on eyeglasses
Now we're back to our wonderful yellow lens. If I replace the clear lens with a yellow lens then we are only seeing part of the full spectrum. The lens is blocking a lot of other wavelengths (colors) for it to appear yellow to our eyes so we getting less light thru. But for many of us there is an illusion that our eyes and brain tell us everything looks brighter. That's because most of our eyes have higher sensitivity to that spectrum. Another example is hunter orange or safety green. So while we're getting less light it looks brighter to most of us. The amount of lost light is dependent on several factors but unless the lenses have a strong tint to them the loss of light usually not significant. But that small loss of light might be enough for you to not see a deer in the shadows - or a pedestrian. IMO as long as you can see your target clearly there's no real harm to wearing them in the field. Maybe the perception of the woods being brighter might help you stay in your stand 5 min longer. Just know that anything in front of your eyes (except light amplifiers like NV scopes) lets less light thru than without a lens. Oh, BTW the light meter agrees with me on that.
So why do shooters often wear colored lenses? Different shooters prefer different color lenses for each situation. Some colors provide better contrast to pick up a target, but that color varies with situation and individual shooter preference. Polarized lenses add contrast but usually let in considerably less light. Also those lenses are for normal to bright light. An colored lens that can pick up a clay target at 1:00 PM may be near useless as dusk approaches. The only way to know what works best for you is to try different colors in the field if you can. If you just want eye protection my advice would be to get a pair of clear polycarbonate lenses with AR coating. Polycarbonate is the most shatter resistant of the common lens materials.
I have some more optical tips below that are not in line with my original title but you may find helpfu
1.If you're not sure if a lens has an AR coating, look at the front of the lens and have a light source reflected off of it. If it has a tint that is usually an AR coating. If it still looks clear or white, I would pass on it. Price will help you determine if you're getting a quality lens or not.
2.If you want the best quality optics for your scope or binocs always look for these three words ONLY! “ FULLY MULTI COATED”. Anything else is less and I personally wouldn't ever buy any field optic or camera lens that didn't say those three words exactly.
3.If you want to see as best you can while driving at night you need to keep your windshield clean both out and especially inside. The haze on the inside creates flare at night. Clean eyeglass lenses too. For the cost of wiper blades it can look better outside also. I personally wouldn't wear colored lenses at night but we all make our choices.
4.As lenses age the vision they provide can deteriorate from scratches. Even scratches you can't easily see with naked eye (micro scratches) will cause len flare that lowers contrast and scatters light. The most common cause is “shirt tail cleaning” (using ANY of your clothing) or using any products that aren't specifically made for cleaning lenses. While you may think that TP and tissues are soft enough, they contain wood fibers and WILL scratch your lens. You can use a clean old 100% cotton hanky or T shirt in a pinch.
Have a good time shooting & I hope this has helped a few of you.
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