Magenta lenses for SCUBA diving worth it?

[purbeast]

In my OW course I just took the instructor sold a lot of people on magenta masks. As someone who has as goPro camera with a magenta filter, I know that it makes a HUGE difference in pictures. So why not have the same color correction for my mask? It was like a mindblown moment.

My wife got me a prescription mask a while ago and it's one that I can get magenta lenses put into as they are a SeaVision brand that takes them. So I could get magenta prescription lenses put in there pretty easily.

I am wondering if people think it's worth it to swap out to magenta lenses. I've only gone down like 20 or so feet deep snorkeling, and I've dove with my current mask and it looked good. But the deepest I went was like 25 feet where there is still a lot of sunlight.

I'm also wondering if having magenta lenses at the surface when snorkeling would have any downsides to colors? Based on my experience with my camera, as soon as I put it underwater no matter the depth, with the filter on, it looks better than it does without the filter as the color is more accurate.

I'm also wondering if it would be best to have 2 masks - 1 with clear (for snorkeling) and 1 with magenta (for diving).

Anyone have experience with this or opinions on it?

 

[kelemvor]

I had a seavision mask with a magenta lens (although it's now in davey jones' locker). I didn't notice any significant difference vs a clear lens. So, on one side of the coin I say - go for it. It didn't seem to detract from anything. I don't think it costs extra vs the same mask with a clear lens. Just don't get your hopes up that things will look as good in person as they do on video.

 

[divinh]

The filter for the GoPro is because the auto white balance doesn't work as well as your eyes. The filter is not adding back magenta, but rather causing the sensor to receive less green and blue so that the levels for magenta, green and blue all end up in about the same range. Without the filter, magenta levels would be very narrow and green and blue would have wide ranges, thus making the image more green/blue than full color.

If you end up wearing the magenta mask long enough, your brain will eventually white balance what you see and what you think should be white will be white, until you take off the mask and see that everything is the complementary color.

Filter on the GoPro, worth it. On the mask, not really.

 

[Schwob]

^^^ that !!! ^^^
And, it robs you of some of the light that comes through a clear lens.

 

[purbeast]

Wow okay well thanks for the input. I assumed that our eyes would work like the camera lol. I guess not.

 

[BAMA6977]

Not worth it. I have prescription SEA VISION mask with magenta lens and hardly ever wear it. Filters out two much light. Go with clear unless you will always dive in crystal clear water.

 

[purbeast]

Not worth it. I have prescription SEA VISION mask with magenta lens and hardly ever wear it. Filters out two much light. Go with clear unless you will always dive in crystal clear water.

Well to be honest that is my plan. I only plan on diving in the Caribbean or down in the Keys and places with similar warm/clear water. I don't have any interest in diving in murky water or anything like quarries and what not. At least not yet.