[Buddha Jones]

I just googled 'pentax eyeglass lenses' and this thread came up on the first page, that is some serious SEO, good job Adam!

[lithos]

Go GoogleBombing!

I asked the dudes at Laubman & Pank (optometry franchise here in Aus) what that "Pentax Coating" meant - it showed up on their computer screen.

They said it was only used for glass lenses, as opposed to the plastic (or whatever they're technically called) ones.

Dunno if it was SMC, or some other coating.

Anyway, the local optometrist (run by the amaaazingly beautiful Vietnamese girl,) has Hoyas available.

But buying glasses down here is like how they portray buying a car on The Simpsons ("Ok, you got the ant-rust coat, five hundred dollars, the anti-corrosion coat, seven hundred...Ok, you need to keep your car in this tarp so it doesn't rust or corrode.")

Rarely will you see a bunch of pushier salespeople outside of a used-car dealership. As soon as they mutter their way through your eye test ("Just tell me if it's better or worse, don't tell me if it's the same, but in a different way") they immediately perk up and start the spiel of the Lens Coatings.

Not SMC or T* or anything, just generic single-coating, on the generic lenses you get offered down here.

You don't get Pentax or Nikon or Hoya lenses (although the optometrist's here has a Hoya and a Nikon ad) unless you've got some serious vision problems - IE, you need high-magnification lenses, which means you can cut the size down with high-refractive glass or cut down astigmatism with aspheric elements.

I'd imagine that brand-name lenses would add an already significant premium to the cost.

As for lens coatings, coated generic lenses actually cost less that uncoated. But not by much ($20-$30.)

Why? I have a theory. I've heard that coatings scratch much, much easier than the material used for the lenses themselves...and that by putting a nicely delicate coating on the glass, you'll be in much more often for new glasses!

[mithrandir]

Wow! Pentax lenses and a sensor (your macula) with dynamic range unrivaled by any digital sensor.

[ryan s]

Well...since we're discussing this, I have a few things to add/ask.

My current glasses have a strong green "look" from the coatings, simliar to multi-coating shots taken from an angle. I have no idea what brand they are. I can attest, however, that they do cut down on glare, especially at night.

For my next pair of glasses, I just might spend more money if I can get a couple things:
-I wear my glasses every waking hour. I need polycarbonate lenses due to my bad eyes and glass lenses are way too thick. This I know because my sunglasses have glass lenses versus my normal ones with "plastic."
-I want lenses that stay clean!
-I want lenses that clean easily and won't streak...because as of now, I just don't clean them since streaks are worse than dust/water spots/fingerprints.
-Multi-coatings are a must-have!

If I can get Pentax/Hoya lenses, I'd be the ultimate geek. If Nikon lenses satisfy my needs, I'd go with those. But would having "name brand" lenses really be better than the ones I have now? Would they be worth the extra price/hassle of getting them? Can anyone offer their opinion of "name brand" lenses versus "normal" lenses?

These lenses (from LensCrafters) have remained scratch-free for almost 3 years now through all types of use...including "cleaning without any liquid using the nearest available soft, clean cloth"

[séamuis]

If I can get Pentax/Hoya lenses, I'd be the ultimate geek. If Nikon lenses satisfy my needs, I'd go with those. But would having "name brand" lenses really be better than the ones I have now? Would they be worth the extra price/hassle of getting them? Can anyone offer their opinion of "name brand" lenses versus "normal" lenses?

probably not,mate. but how cool would it be to have pentax lenses? seriously. that's cool. nerdy, but cool.

[Arpe]

I'm a Surveyor, but we don't use Pentax theodolites either! Nor Nikon, but we do have a Leica!

[lithos]

Do you still measure in chains, Arpe?

Chain's the length of a cricket pitch, right?

[reeftool]

I have been wearing glasses for about 15 years now and I never knew you could request Pentax, or Nikon or whatever lenses. I have Transitions lenses on my current pair. I have another year before my insurance provides another pair. I always just pick out a frame and get whatever lens they give me. The Transitions feature I like and it seems to be available on every frame.

[Arpe]

Do you still measure in chains, Arpe?

Chain's the length of a cricket pitch, right?

No, we moved to metres yesterday!! Okay, make that 1972.

One chain = 100 links = 66 feet = 22 yards = 1 cricket pitch! = 20.1168 metres.
1 acre = 4 roods = 160 perches (or poles) = 4,046.8564 metres².

I only learnt this AFTER school so we could do the conversions!

[Saaby]

My grandma sells frames and lenses. She mainly uses Hoya...which is the parent company to Pentax. My frames have an oddly-shaped lens though (I should post a pic since we're all lens snobs, right?), and so they had to go to her other lab, and they came back with Zeiss glass in them.

The lenses have an amazing coating on them. I ranted about it in another thread, but basically it's called Crizal and it's the best anti-glare coating I've had on glasses. (I'm a young chap, so some of you may have been wearing glasses longer in years than me, but I've worn corrective lenses for about 65% of my life). The website is a lot of marketing, but it's all true. The lenses stay clean, and when they get a little dirty, they clean up easy. I want Crizal on my lenses!

[lithos]

No, we moved to metres yesterday!! Okay, make that 1972.

One chain = 100 links = 66 feet = 22 yards = 1 cricket pitch! = 20.1168 metres.
1 acre = 4 roods = 160 perches (or poles) = 4,046.8564 metres².

I only learnt this AFTER school so we could do the conversions!

Only asked because when we were living back on the property in Bingara, we had to figure where our boundary ended and someone else's began. No fence (didn't have anything on it), so we asked this old guy who'd been around forever. Said it was two chains from the road.

Right, we said. Had know bloody idea what that meant.

[RichardS]

Specsavers in Melbourne are advertising on the radio that they use Pentax lenses.

Go GoogleBombing!

I asked the dudes at Laubman & Pank (optometry franchise here in Aus) what that "Pentax Coating" meant - it showed up on their computer screen.

They said it was only used for glass lenses, as opposed to the plastic (or whatever they're technically called) ones.

Dunno if it was SMC, or some other coating.

Anyway, the local optometrist (run by the amaaazingly beautiful Vietnamese girl,) has Hoyas available.

But buying glasses down here is like how they portray buying a car on The Simpsons ("Ok, you got the ant-rust coat, five hundred dollars, the anti-corrosion coat, seven hundred...Ok, you need to keep your car in this tarp so it doesn't rust or corrode.")

Rarely will you see a bunch of pushier salespeople outside of a used-car dealership. As soon as they mutter their way through your eye test ("Just tell me if it's better or worse, don't tell me if it's the same, but in a different way") they immediately perk up and start the spiel of the Lens Coatings.

Not SMC or T* or anything, just generic single-coating, on the generic lenses you get offered down here.

You don't get Pentax or Nikon or Hoya lenses (although the optometrist's here has a Hoya and a Nikon ad) unless you've got some serious vision problems - IE, you need high-magnification lenses, which means you can cut the size down with high-refractive glass or cut down astigmatism with aspheric elements.

I'd imagine that brand-name lenses would add an already significant premium to the cost.

As for lens coatings, coated generic lenses actually cost less that uncoated. But not by much ($20-$30.)

Why? I have a theory. I've heard that coatings scratch much, much easier than the material used for the lenses themselves...and that by putting a nicely delicate coating on the glass, you'll be in much more often for new glasses!

[MPrince]

I have been wearing glasses for about 15 years now and I never knew you could request Pentax, or Nikon or whatever lenses. I have Transitions lenses on my current pair. I have another year before my insurance provides another pair. I always just pick out a frame and get whatever lens they give me. The Transitions feature I like and it seems to be available on every frame.

I've been wearing glasses for 40 years, and I didn't know either.

I do have a pair of Pentax binoculars, though.

[Reportage]

i am guessing there will be fewer CR 39 lens users now.

[ryan s]

probably not,mate. but how cool would it be to have pentax lenses? seriously. that's cool. nerdy, but cool.

I have embraced the geek within me a few years ago...it's unavoidable so I might as well enjoy it

I'd have to get some little red Pentax stickers too...put them on the sides of the frames

My grandma sells frames and lenses. She mainly uses Hoya...which is the parent company to Pentax. My frames have an oddly-shaped lens though (I should post a pic since we're all lens snobs, right?), and so they had to go to her other lab, and they came back with Zeiss glass in them.

The lenses have an amazing coating on them. I ranted about it in another thread, but basically it's called Crizal and it's the best anti-glare coating I've had on glasses. (I'm a young chap, so some of you may have been wearing glasses longer in years than me, but I've worn corrective lenses for about 65% of my life). The website is a lot of marketing, but it's all true. The lenses stay clean, and when they get a little dirty, they clean up easy. I want Crizal on my lenses!

Thanks, I will keep a lookout for these when I get a new pair. Dirty lenses annoy me but cleaning them makes it worse :ugh: Paying more for better coatings (especially when one wears glasses all the time) is worth it.

I've had glasses since 2nd grade (so about 8 years old) and I'll be 25 this year

If I could see through my camera, I'd try to get a pic of the intense green coating on mine