KevinNM
Contributor
My understanding is that the right coatings are really important when you have multiple optical elements in series, like you do with binoculars or a riflescope. Not so important when you have just one element.
High tech mask glass?
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This is probably due to the fact that with multiple elements {lenses} you still only get at best 99.4% transmission, so each lens cost .6%. It adds up and this is one of the reasons that for a long time fixed power scopes had the best low light performance. Variable power optics use several more lenses to work and so coatings to enhance the low light performance are important. One other thing that happens is in the case of some binos they will coat different lenses with different performance coatings because they cant just put them all on one lens. You still have to try and get as much light thru each lens as possible.
With one element, such as a dive mask you only have one to put a coating or coatings on....like the ARC. If this same result were required from a multiple element device {maybe an underwater camera lens} then they would/could break them out into separate coatings.
broncobowsher
Contributor
I just got the Atomic mask. I didn't even notice the special glass until I got it home and started peeling off the stickers. Dove it this past weekend. For a normal dive, nothing special was noted. For glass, I actually prefer it less than the Tios I had that had a reflective tint (spearfishing mask). The tint is a nice feature on the surface swim. Green glass is also the standard tinted glass used in cars. This is the clear windows that have the green tint, not referring to the dark smoke of the privacy glass used in the back windows. Most car windshields are the green tinted glass. So I am going to call this clear glass more of a marketing gimmick. But I really like the fit. Best fitting mask I have ever had. And a real nice field of view as well.
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[QUOTE="Gregory Maggiore, post: 8182571, member: 491774"
]I have personally handled 10,000's of dive mask over the last 48 years. I agree with msinc that unless your in a light deprived environment you will not notice the difference of the Schott glass; and that coatings that reduce light entering the eye reduce visibility.
[/QUOTE]
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@Gregory Maggiore
Gregory
Many years ago, perhaps as many as 50 years ago a small asvertisemt began appearing in Skin Diver magazine about prescription lens for dive mask produced by a fellow in of all places Brooklyn !
It was you late great father who led the way for the vision impaired divers.
I never had the need for a prescription lens but did have several exchanges of correspondence with him prior to recommending him to my students who needed prescription dive mask lens, Happy to lean that you now involved as a second generation ...The worlds best and oldest apprenticeship -- Father to Son.
I have a question :
In 1958 I purchased a 16 MM Samson camera housing from Herb Samson. One of Herb's selling points was that the housing port was made from Belgium Blue glass.
Just what is Belgium Blue glass? Did it offer any advantages over a clear port ?
Or was Herb, who was a fellow LB Neptune member pulling my leg ?
Sam Miller, III
]I have personally handled 10,000's of dive mask over the last 48 years. I agree with msinc that unless your in a light deprived environment you will not notice the difference of the Schott glass; and that coatings that reduce light entering the eye reduce visibility.
[/QUOTE]
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@Gregory Maggiore
Gregory
Many years ago, perhaps as many as 50 years ago a small asvertisemt began appearing in Skin Diver magazine about prescription lens for dive mask produced by a fellow in of all places Brooklyn !
It was you late great father who led the way for the vision impaired divers.
I never had the need for a prescription lens but did have several exchanges of correspondence with him prior to recommending him to my students who needed prescription dive mask lens, Happy to lean that you now involved as a second generation ...The worlds best and oldest apprenticeship -- Father to Son.
I have a question :
In 1958 I purchased a 16 MM Samson camera housing from Herb Samson. One of Herb's selling points was that the housing port was made from Belgium Blue glass.
Just what is Belgium Blue glass? Did it offer any advantages over a clear port ?
Or was Herb, who was a fellow LB Neptune member pulling my leg ?
Sam Miller, III
Gregory Maggiore
Registered
Sam,
Good to hear from you. I have a July 1963 Skin Diver Magazine with the add.
From what I gather "Belgium Blue Glass" is something akin to Fenton Glass which is for collectible glass objects.
A blue light filter is another item all together. The idea is to filter out the blue light/UV light to increase focus and reduce eye fatigue.
Good to hear from you. I have a July 1963 Skin Diver Magazine with the add.
From what I gather "Belgium Blue Glass" is something akin to Fenton Glass which is for collectible glass objects.
A blue light filter is another item all together. The idea is to filter out the blue light/UV light to increase focus and reduce eye fatigue.
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Gregory,
Thank you for the response .
I am still not certain if Herb was selling the dog or the bark -- but he sure was proud of his Belgium glass ports.
You certainly have something for you and your children to be proud and that was the pioneering efforts of your father to grind lens for dive mask-- He was the first -- he led the way for other to follow.
Prior to his monumental break through divers had to rely on restricted vision or purchase a special frame that slipped inside a mask-- and often as not was immediately lost.-- Frame and lens.
There were a number of small advertisements in Skin Diver Magazine for your father's service-- always small but always in SDM.
I have been fortunate that I began diving long before Cousteau and his bubble machine appeared on our shores and for some unknown reason I began saving and binding SDMs from their initial issue in December 1951 and dive equipment catalogs as they appeared in the market place, creating a very valuable document of recreational diving history.
I am currently researching the impact of American catalog companies; Wards, Pennys and Sears on recreational diving. When I begin my next project I will be on the look out for your fathers first ad in SDM and copy it for you
So lets remain in touch-- PM your mailing or e mail address
It rained last evening -- and as the song goes it Never rains in SoCal
SAM
Thank you for the response .
I am still not certain if Herb was selling the dog or the bark -- but he sure was proud of his Belgium glass ports.
You certainly have something for you and your children to be proud and that was the pioneering efforts of your father to grind lens for dive mask-- He was the first -- he led the way for other to follow.
Prior to his monumental break through divers had to rely on restricted vision or purchase a special frame that slipped inside a mask-- and often as not was immediately lost.-- Frame and lens.
There were a number of small advertisements in Skin Diver Magazine for your father's service-- always small but always in SDM.
I have been fortunate that I began diving long before Cousteau and his bubble machine appeared on our shores and for some unknown reason I began saving and binding SDMs from their initial issue in December 1951 and dive equipment catalogs as they appeared in the market place, creating a very valuable document of recreational diving history.
I am currently researching the impact of American catalog companies; Wards, Pennys and Sears on recreational diving. When I begin my next project I will be on the look out for your fathers first ad in SDM and copy it for you
So lets remain in touch-- PM your mailing or e mail address
It rained last evening -- and as the song goes it Never rains in SoCal
SAM
For anyone still reading, here's what I've got together on the various high tech glass used by various companies on the market. No idea how it compares.
Atomic Aquatics SubFrame Scuba Mask with Anti Reflective Coating
http://www.seadivemasks.com
Synergy 2 Dive Mask, w/ Mirrored Lens, Silver | Scubapro Store
Alien Mirror Mask
X-Vision Ultra Liquid Skin Mirrored Mask
Atomic Aquatics SubFrame Scuba Mask with Anti Reflective Coating
http://www.seadivemasks.com
Synergy 2 Dive Mask, w/ Mirrored Lens, Silver | Scubapro Store
Alien Mirror Mask
X-Vision Ultra Liquid Skin Mirrored Mask
tanstaafl99
Registered
For what it's worth, I had the Atomic Venom frame-less mask and quite liked it. Lost the #@$#@$ thing though and have now switched to this:
DGX Ultra View Frameless Mask
It fits the same, has the same ultra clear glass and is as good as the Atomic in almost any way I can see...and it's $29.00 (so I bought two..).
They also have the same general shape with the reflective coating, still $29.00..
DGX Ultra View Anti-Reflective Mask
I just can't justify $169 for another atomic at this point no matter how much I liked it..
DGX Ultra View Frameless Mask
It fits the same, has the same ultra clear glass and is as good as the Atomic in almost any way I can see...and it's $29.00 (so I bought two..).
They also have the same general shape with the reflective coating, still $29.00..
DGX Ultra View Anti-Reflective Mask
I just can't justify $169 for another atomic at this point no matter how much I liked it..
Seadive also claims to have the best glass etc.. as I'm sure every manufacturer claims. Except billy bob's discount scuba masks where "Our masks aren't great but they'll gitter done in a pinch." So who are you going to believe, Atomic? Seadive? SeaVision? Synergy? X-Vision? Company 13? Bob's?
I believe the glass is mostly irrelevant as I suspect there is very little practical difference in most masks as far as lens quality goes. Mask lenses (except one that I've seen) are all single element. Yeah, some have coatings, and as mentioned upthread those have benefits and drawbacks. I personally like the coating on my mask. Your eyes aren't focusing on the lens, and the lens doesn't really do any image manipulation like you'd find in a multi element camera lens or rifle scope. I bet in a "blind" test that very few people could tell the difference in the lens on the chepest vs the most expensive dive mask.
Some skirt rubber is softer or designed differently than others. Some masks have less or more volume. some masks have two seperate lenses instead of one larger one.
Having used a few masks now, the thing I would look for most is a black skirt. It blocks some of the stray light that you can't really see clearly anyway.
Now it looks like we can add the new TUSA Paragon to the list of masks with high end glass and coatings.......doesn't take the manufacturers long to "ramp up" when they think there is another way to get customers!!!
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