Clear or black mask?

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gtwtdvr

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Just wondering what the benefits of a clear or black mask are. I currently have a black mask and it's great but I'm in the market for a lower profile mask, so the question is clear or black all things being equal. Thanks for your thoughts.
 
I went to black several years ago. It helped with claustrophobia underwater. No side windows low profile. I have both a yellow lens for cold NW waters and a red one for the tropics.

Charles
 
clear silcone turns yellow over the years ..... black stays black forever .......
 
gtwtdvr:
Just wondering what the benefits of a clear or black mask are. I currently have a black mask and it's great but I'm in the market for a lower profile mask, so the question is clear or black all things being equal. Thanks for your thoughts.

I have two black masks and they have stayed black for hundreds of dives. My wife had a clear mask that she recently replaced. She went with black this time around.
 
The clear mask camp will tell you a clear mask allows in more ambient light to improve vision.

The black mask camp will tell you a black masks reduces peripheral light penetration, and helps photographers focus on the subject in fromt of them. Some photographers claim a black mask gives them a truer sense of the color and light of their subject.

That is the way it was explained to me.

I think it is basically a personal preference .
 
I prefer the clear mask as I like the ambient light during the day. My spare is a black mask which I use at night/cave/wrecks - cuts down on wandering lights invading my peripheral vision.

jcf
 
I find the light coming through the skirt of a clear mask to be distracting and near the surface it also creates refelctions off the inside of the lens that results in generally poorer vision.

The only real advantage I have found to a clear mask is when they are used on a photo subject. In that situation the extra light helps illuminate the model's face.
 
It's really hard to find a clear mask on the bottom...I should know, I've lost mine that way. Of course, if it isn't all clear, then you shouldn't have a problem.
 
Interesting that one person says black helps with claustrophobia, more often hear people say clear is better for that. Just another example of why it's preference. I prefer clear for the extra light or less claustrophobic feeling, and I don't really like the look of a black mask anyway.

(I had a clear mask for over 10 years that didn't yellow. I just keep it in its plastic box away from neoprene/rubber stuff.)

My husband is into photography, and against the common wisdom seems to prefer clear to black. He has a black one he won't wear.
 
I have a small struggle too when I was trying to buy a new mask last time.
First is black, then there is clear, then people talk about why black is good again....
let me share my 2 cents.

To me ambient light does not just offer me a better feeling (brighter overall), but as the gentleman here mentioned "to improve vision", I always compare that with the vision I need on land. What if something moving towards me from the side, and I have cutted my peripheral vision? This is a bigger concern to me than "the feeling of brightness".

Then when I tried the low volume/capacity black mask, my concern was released, since the distance between my eyes and the lens are closer, the degree of peripheral available was more acceptable (to me). Plus, by this time, some photographers (here and at the LDS) talked to me about minimizing internal reflection, e.g. when somebody shines his light towards our side while we are taking photo. So I ended up with a new black mask, and my clear is now my backup, which is good.


Finally, the world is not perfect, experts here reminded something, the low volume masks are less desire for blocking bubbles from the regulator (bubble interference)... so I think you also need to put that into account for your situation.
I realized something, although I tried to read couple of threads here before I went shopping but this was when I put different masks on, I realized which one is suitable for me.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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