The Maritime is pretty cool. Light transmission? I take it the Maritime is polarized?

UPdate for those interested. Shot a round of Sporting today under overcast skies and still the Sporting Prizm lens was able to provide enough light and that great contrast to see everything very clear. This course had a lot of green background and the orange target stuck out like a sore thumb.

I found this site that had some specs on all the different shooting Prizm lenses including the new sporting clays lens. Darker than I thought with 21% light transmission compared to the TR22 at 22%.


http://www.thefirestore.com/store/product.aspx/productId/28694/Oakley-SI-Tombstone-Reap/

Oakley SI Prizmâ„¢ technology uses formulated dye compounding technology, producing a color-tuned contrast lens specifically for shooting
Prizm technology strategically blocks wavelengths along the color spectrum in order to maximize contrast between colors, providing the user with enhanced vision
Boost visual recognition of targets while blocking a variety of neighboring backgrounds such as dirt, trees, and sky
Allow the shooter to reduce eye fatigue and strain, while improving the ability to see reticle scope patterns more clearly
Are made from Plutonite®, Oakley’s high purity optical grade polycarbonate
Block 100% of UVA, UVB, and harmful violet-blue light up to 400 nm wavelength
Feature Oakley’s HDO® Optics to ensure razor-sharp clarity at every angle of vision

Available lenses:
Black iridium: excellent all-purpose lens for truer color perception in sunny conditions and extremely bright light. Features an iridium coating to reduce glare. Transmits 10% of visible light.
Gray: excellent all-purpose lens for truer color perception in sunny conditions and medium to bright light. Transmits 18% of visible light.
TR22: perfect for bright light. Transmits 22% of visible light.
TR45: perfect for low light and overcast conditions. Transmits 45% of visible light.
Clear: perfect for very low light or indoor use only. Transmits 93% of visible light.
Sporting clay: perfect for use when shooting sporting clay. Transmits 21% of visible light.

Yes, this really a shooting lens and clay target shooting lens to be even more specific, so I doubt it will be heavily promoted as are other popular Oakley lenses. There are very few Prizm Sporting lenses out the moment. The dealer I placed an order with a month ago had just received these a few days ago with a big order he had placed months ago. They seem to trickle in little by little and I was lucky enough to be toward the top of the list. Still have to go thru Oakley SI or one of their dealers to get them as far as I know.

I suspect in time they will become available for other frames as production catches up. My guess is the Radar and the SI M frame will be next.

Keep in mind this is a digital camera looking thru each lens so it's not going to be the same as if you were actually wearing them and looking thru them. Camera and light conditions can play tricks and i'm not a photo expert by any means. But the contrast difference is real.

What is accurate is how much the orange stands out and I think it's even better when your wearing them. Green is dampened or flattened out as well creating a high contrast between the orange clay and the background.

To be fair, my G30 Iridium lens is a lens i have used for number of years along with a VR28 and VR50 for lower light conditions and all have served me well. It's the proverbial "you don't know what your missing till you have it" with regards to the Prizm Sporting. I have looked thru the TR45 and TR22 Prizm lenses as well, although I don't own any, they really didn't offer nearly as much in the WOW factor as did this Sporting Prizm.

Just recently received a pair of Oakley Tombstone Spoils with the new Sporting clays Prizm lens. I shoot a lot of competition Sporting and have used Oakley M-Frames for the past 20 years and have collected a variety of lens shades in that time.

I will say I love everything about the Tombstone and especially the Prizm Sporting lens except the fit. In no way do they compare to the original M-Frame as far as feeling secure on your head. They seem a bit flimsy and loose unless your wearing them under a cap or muffs. I could literally shake them off my head if I wanted to whereas there ain't no way your going to do that with M-Frames. I've read this same complaint on a number of other reviews as well so I know it's not just me. In time I would hope they fix this by offering a lens that is not quite so long laterally which would IMO secure things a bit better for smaller heads.

Otherwise, I love everything else about the Tombstone.

Review

Oakley Tombstone Spoil with new Prizm Sporting clays lens.

I'm a competition Sporting Clays shooter. My First impressions on the Sporting lens is that it's darker than I expected. I also have a pair of M-Frames with a few different shades and comparing the sporting clays lens to say my G30 Iridium, it is a bit darker. If I was to guess on the available light transmission of this lens I would say it is in the 24-26% range. G30 being 30% and VR28 being 28%. Maybe not quite as dark as the TR22 lens, but close.

The other immediate difference is the clarity and contrast it provides. This is a very high contrast lens. Orange just plain POPS!! while green colors are dampened noticeably. One of my issues with lens colors from the various lens/glasses combo's I've tried on over the years has always been with orange targets against a bright blue sky. Just plain seems fuzzy and targets appear out of focus. Purple tints from other brands that i've used in the past have helped some, but when used against a green background really were of no help.

The Oakley Prizm Sporting clays lens seems to have solved this issue at least for my eyes. Blue sky contrast is excellent while not giving anything up when looking at green backgrounds. I can honestly say it beats the pants off both my VR28 and G30 Iridium M-Frame lens when it comes to blue sky. Below I posted a couple of pics of a clay target thru the sporting lens and my G30 Iridium. Camera settings were identical for both pics and I only sharpened up each photo a bit. Sun was to my back for both pics.

Both are considered contrast lenses. Note: The camera looking thru the lens is going to be different than what one would actually see if you were actually wearing them, but you can still see a difference. Though slightly darker than the G30, you can tell how much better job the Sporting lens does with contrast and that Orange just POPS!! from the sporting lens.

Love the no frame lenses, although I never had an issue with my M-Frames as far as that goes. Overall a nice large lens that covers a wide angle up/down or side to side.

Now to the frames/ear stems. Mark my words, these are no M-Frame... nope. They are very light in weight, but do not fit my head anywhere near as secure as the old M-Frame. Might be that my head is narrow :shock: , i dunno. They just feel a bit flimsy and loose on my head. A work around to that for myself is to tuck the end of the ear stems under my hat which snugs things up a bit.

Final thoughts.

Are they worth the money.... I would say that if it weren't for the excellent Sporting Clays Prizm lens offered, I would probably have said no. Vision in sporting Clays is vital and I'll take any advantage I can get. :D Otherwise, I just don't see enough of an advantage over the tried and true original M-Frames. That Sporting Prizm lens truly is an improvement over anything else i've tried from Oakley in the past.





G30 Iridium Lens




Prizm Sporting lens