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Sperical vs. Flat lenses

4K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  legallyillegal 
#1 ·
Are the advantages of spherical lenses that great? Specifically, I'm looking at some Zeals and trying to decide between the SPX (spherical) and PPX (photochromatic), and I cant bring myself to pay $200 for the SPPX. Their ads say that spherical lenses cause less distortion than flat, but I called the company, and the girl told me that the flat lens doesn't change the optics, but only the amount of air inside the goggle. Just trying to figure out where the truth lies, or if it really even matters. FWIW, I'm leaning towards the PPX.
 
#3 ·
Maybe I explained that poorly. They're not $200 more. The spherical AND photochromatic are $200, and I'm not buying those. I'm deciding between the ones that are spherical OR photochromatic. I'm wondering if giving up the spherical lens to get photochromatic is really an issue.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Here's a little tidbit I gleamed off the interwebz:

A goggle, like the Spy Orbits pictured below, has what is called a spherical lens. As the name implies, the lens has a curved shape that follows the eye and face. It's said to have less distortion than a flat lens and a greater amount of peripheral vision with less glare.

The increase in peripheral vision allows the manufacturer to make a smaller frame while still having a greater amount of vision than flat, regular goggles. While it is nice not to look like a bug while you're on the snow, it's even better (and safer) to be able to see more. The spherical lens is especially important for snowboarders who go down the hill sideways and are constantly using their peripheral vision to avoid objects and other people.

If you've ever had a camera and tried to take a picture during a sunny day, you know how crippling glare can be. Sunspots and glare occur when sunlight hits a piece of glass (or plastic) at just the right angle. Because a spherical lense is round, sunlight can't hit it at just the right angle in many spots at once. The sun only shines from one angle, so the amount of glare at any one spot on the goggle is cut down dramatically.


Is it worth $200? In my opinion, no. I have VZ Feenoms which I don't believe are spherical lensed and they do everything that the spherical are said to do without the $200 price tag.
 
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