The Hydro Optix Bugeye special

I'm looking for a new mask, I have a great colleciton going on now...

Has anyone actually tried one of these Hydro Optix masks?

I would not recommend it for photography. Yes I have tried it.

Cheers

James

But James, I think you'ev forgot, I'm not a photographer, I'm a dive guide. I think it may help me find them little critters, what dya think?

I wear it, and like it - but wearing it and liking it means I was (am) obsessed with "true zero lag live view" being my #1 photography concern when I went to DSLR, so James' point is well taken.

Not sure it would help with little critters. Assuming you're in the nearsighted range it's designed for (glasses in the -1.5 to -2 diopter range, spherical) you're just using the domed air/water interface as your lens. The downside is actually that your near vision is forced to do even more accomodation. I've noticed that the tireder I get (yes, that's a word in Texas) the longer away I tend to hold my gauge to read it...basically the same effect that makes old people with nearsightedness but who've had good near vision all their lives tend to start to need bifocals (and have their distance vision slightly improve) as they age, because they lose the ability to accomodate.

It is very nice for the wide field of view. Again that can be a double-edged sword with photography - better to notice things, harder to exclude them when trying to concentrate on taking a shot. Harder to avoid all the other diver's lights on night dives, etc. I do think my overall diving situational awareness has improved significantly compared to my old flat-front glass mask with corrective lenses. Not sure I'd say the same if I wasn't so highly corrected though....

So hold on, is this only for those with impaired vision.

My sight is actually good, long distance not is a little out, though that actually has some interesting advantages... My sight only gets a little odd after too many drinks. For some bizarre reason all the women become so gorgeous after a lots of alcohol!

If you have good vision (20/20) you have to put contacts in to impair your vision to use the mask:

http://www.hydrooptix.com/ps_45dd_vision_guide.html

If you want to see normally on the surface while wearing these contact lenses you have to then wear glasses:

http://www.hydrooptix.com/ps_si_eyekit.html

Sounds like more trouble than it's worth to me!

If you have good vision (20/20) you have to put contacts in to impair your vision to use the mask:

Hey great, I'm gonna get one then... I always wanted to stick things in my eyes prior to diving!

Well, if you have the bad vision the mask is 'meant' for (like -1.5 to -2 diopters per eye) what happens is above water your vision is blurry - just like without your glasses. Underwater it's fabulous, with almost no visible change in FOV above and below.

The mask came with all them lensy doohicky things (a little monocular on a stick you can hold up to help you 'see' above water) but I just keep my old flat prescription mask in a BC pocket as a backup. If I ever really surfaced far enough away to not be able to 'see' where I was then I could swap, but then you're already in worse trouble than not having your vision corrected, eh?

I would not recommend it for photography. Yes I have tried it.

 

Cheers

James

Yes, at least that and I've tried it too.