ZEISS vs XYZ Optics????

**db1** · 10-21-2008, 08:36 PM

Hey fellow optigeeks!!! i have a stump... i am trying to get a true definitive answers on why the Zeiss sun lenses are superior to the xyz optics technology. Can anyone assist?????

**Chris Ryser** · 10-22-2008, 05:02 AM

Originally Posted by db1

Hey fellow optigeeks!!! i have a stump... i am trying to get a true definitive answers on why the Zeiss sun lenses are superior to the xyz optics technology. Can anyone assist?????

Actually they were.....................in the 1930s to 1950s, they had some real good an different sunglass lenses in glass. (Zeiss Umbral which were excellent in higher altitudes, as for skiing and mountain climbing) Zeiss always heavily promoted their ultimate UV protection, which all glass lenses did anyhow.

However Bausch and Lomb as well as American Optical made some big inroads in the 1950s and 1960s in that field, with their Ray-Ban and TrueColor and Cosmetan lenses. These products were as good and even in Europe were considered as equivalent and good sellers for sunglasses.

These days in the age of plastic lenses, with the possibility of even doing sunglass lenses in house, you can make equivalent sunglass lenses to the best of the manufactured ones at fraction of the cost they charge, as long as you know what you are doing and what products you are using.

You would also need a UV meter with a good transmission readout. You should only use lens dyes that provide spectrometer absorption or transmission curves on demand for the dyes used.

The answer to your question, valid these days ..........is a clear NO, because anybody can make as good a sunglass lens as the manufacturer mentioned in your question.

**db1** · 10-22-2008, 11:40 AM

Thank you for your reply.......thats good for me but i am still trying to explain the difference to someone that has been wearing oakley with XYZ optics for a number of year.

**drk** · 10-22-2008, 12:04 PM

Rx or non?

**db1** · 10-22-2008, 12:08 PM

Non RX. i have a customer who wears oakely with XYZ optics and is now wanting a pair of Chrome Hearts that are manufactured with ZEISS sun lenses. so the customer is trying to compare the lenses because he was told by oakley that his lenses do not have any deviation. I mentioned that the zeiss lenses are manufactured with prism correction for an 8 base lens. So i am not sure if anyone has any better reply for me.

thanks

**drk** · 10-22-2008, 12:14 PM

That's all that Oakley does, to my knowledge--apply the BI prism; otherwise it's standard fare. If Zeiss does that as well, they'd probably be equivalent.

Ophthalmic-grade plano lenses are plano lenses, in my opinion, pretty much regardless of tint color or material.

**tmorse** · 10-22-2008, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by drk

That's all that Oakley does, to my knowledge--apply the BI prism; otherwise it's standard fare. If Zeiss does that as well, they'd probably be equivalent.

Ophthalmic-grade plano lenses are plano lenses, in my opinion, pretty much regardless of tint color or material.

I'm trying to understand the purpose of BI in a plano RX. Can you expand?

**drk** · 10-22-2008, 02:25 PM

I'll tell you what I roughly know, and others may expand.

A lens with non-zero thickness, when tilted (as in a high faceform sun frame) will create unwanted BO prism effect.

You can try this with a low-power trial lens and a vertical line: tilt the lens on the vertical axis and notice the minimal object displacement.

I believe this is thickness and tilt dependant and never amounts to more than about one prism diopter. However, I know I can "feel it" in wrapped plano sunlenses.

**MarcE** · 10-23-2008, 01:24 AM

But don't forget that the Oakley "XYZ Optics" use the inferior poly lenses. You know, the ones with the low abbe value. I'm sure that is in the Oakley brochure.;)

Don't forget, Oakley never misses an opportunity to deceive.

You know they invented "unobtainium".:idea:

The best optics will be polarized amber or copper glass with a backside AR. Your lab can compensate for the "XYZ" BS

**Uilleann** · 10-23-2008, 08:21 PM

Several of the better plano sun makers world wide do in fact include some degree of BI prism in their lenses as well. This is nothing new, nor does Oakley have a corner on this market. They'll tell you they do of course, and how ready they are to sue anyone "infringing" on their wonderful idea.

**EyeFitWell** · 10-24-2008, 11:16 AM

::Zombie:: Oakley is better because Luxottica says so. What's this chip in my brain? ::Drool::

Personally, I really dislike Oakley. They act like they're the only ones with these 'spectacular' lenses. Plutonite? Hello, ever heard of trivex? And why do they have to act like they're far superior to everything else? I think if your product is as wonderful as they seem to think, you should be able to sell it by simply explaining why your product is good. Why bash and dog every other company on the market? I nearly cried for joy the day they started putting eyesize and bridge on the frames. Finally! Now, could we start labeling frames like normal people?