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Atomic Aquatics frameless. I am looking to buy one....do I want black or clear. Average recreational diving with the occasional snap of a camera. I have never dove with a black skirt mask before so not sure of the difference. Can anyone chime in who have tried both?
I've heard good things about the Mares LiquidVision, in terms of it being comfortable and fitting well as the silicone they use for the skirt is very soft. Of course, comfort and fit are the most important factors in mask selection.
You should also consider a frameless mask design. Within that genre nothing beats the Atomic Aquatics Frameless, which is another great choice you should look at.
Incredibly comfortable for sure, but one of the main benefits of the Atomic Frameless is that it has a very wide field of view. In fact, according to Scuba Diving Magazine's "mask round-up" a year or so ago, the Atomic has the widest field of view:
"The shape of the Atomic Frameless lens was computer-designed to maximize field of view both side-to-side and vertically, and no other mask tested here could beat it. In both the full-sized version and the slightly narrower Medium Fit version, we measured an impressive 85 degrees of horizontal vision and 75 degrees vertical."
Consider that there are two ways to improve field of view of a scuba mask:
The Atomic Frameless - as the name conveys - eliminates the frame, which improves the field of view in and of itself, and does give you a somewhat larger lens. However, it's also a very "low volume" mask, which brings the glass closer to your face. As a primary way to improve your field of view, this is a superior approach to merely increasing the size of the lens. Think about it this way: if you were looking out a window at your house - even a large picture window - where would you get the widest field of view? Standing on the opposite side of the room from the window, or standing with your face right up against the glass?
- make the lens bigger
- place the lens closer to your face
The Mares X-Vision is a good example of the "make the lens bigger" approach to increasing field of view. Hard to tell from any picture that doesn't have both in the same shot, but the Mares is a relatively wide, tall, clunky mask, with glass that may be a little larger than the Atomic, but that also is further away
Take a look at the pictures below and, for a pretty good frame of reference to compare the Mares to the Atomic. Focus on the nose pieces on the two masks: they are essentially the same size in real life. Also look at the mask skirt on the forehead area. Use those two factors to compare relative sizes - and locations - of the lenses and and the overall sizes of the masks:
More importantly, look at where the plane of each lens sits relative to the position of the nose pocket on each mask. You'll notice that the lenses on the Mares sit further out in front, over your nose. Compare that to the Atomic which has the lens in close, right over the bridge of your nose - about where a pair of glasses would sit. Also look at the mask skirt on the top of the mask where it would be on your forehead. Note how much skirt the Mares has, and how little the Atomic has. More skirt = further away. As the "picture window" example above illustrates, even though the Mares may have "more glass" it holds the lenses further away from your eyes, such that you actually get a SMALLER field of view than on the much more compact Atomic Frameless.
Plus, due to the dual-lens design of the Mares you also have to deal with a big chunk of the frame cutting into your field of view in the middle of the mask.
Unfortunately, while you get no improvement in field of view with a larger lens you will still pay the price of wearing a larger, clunkier, high-volume mask. The larger the mask, the greater likelihood of fogging, and the harder to clear if it leaks. But probably the worst part about diving with a higher-volume/wider-profile mask like the Mares is that you can really feel it pulling on your face in even the slightest current. In fact you can feel it fighting to push against the water even just when turning your head from side to side.
I happen to find this image just now of someone wearing the Mares X-Vision LiquidSkin; see how much wider the mask is than their face/head, how and how far the glass is away from their eyes...
Here's a shot I found of someone wearing the Atomic Frameless; note how the mask is not terribly wide relative to the diver's face/head, and how close it is to their eyes...
Long story short - don't get tricked into just looking at the size of the lens when evaluating mask choices. The location of the lens and the overall design of the mask are much more important factors to consider.
Of course, comfort/fit is the most important factor in mask selection. The Atomic is extremely comfortable, and comes in two different sizes as well, so ability to get a good fit might be better than other masks that only come in one size. You can read a "mini review" of the Atomic that I posted on this page:
Atomic Aquatics Frameless Mask at www.DiveSeekers.com
Good luck in finding the best mask for you! Since the main reason we go underwater is to see what's down there, the mask is arguably the most important part of gear we have. The right mask can make the difference between an unforgettable dive experience and 45 minutes of underwater torture.
