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Fields of Vision - mask comparison

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K

Kars

Well-Known Member
Oct 24, 2003
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Fields of Vision - mask comparison

Hi everyone,

My friend Carl got today his long awaited new Micro Mask.
He loves it, and one of the things he loves aside from the great fit and low volume, is it's view angle, Field of Vision.

Why is the Field of vision important?

Safety, observing a wider area, conserving energy, and lastly - certainly not least - the immersion feeling.

Having 3 masks and one pair of goggles with me I decided to take some measurements to compare the Field of Vision.

There are a few things to consider, though I tried to be precise I cannot guarantee you'll get the same results. Your mileage may vary because of factors such as your face shape, how tight you strap you mask etc.

Also I must note that I used for the scuba mask and Micro mask a rectangle to indicate it's FOV, because that shape was the closest to the experience though the the Micro mask was a bit more round on the lower side.

Also it's important to know that though one could see wide it would become blurry past a certain angel of about 65 degrees.

The ellipse shapes I used to indicate the goggles and sphera approached their FOV best.

Here below the story in pictures.



The numbers in the last picture with H mean the horizontal FOV and the V stands for the vertical FOV.
Take note that through the drawing I also like to show the placement of the FOV.

I would love to see you guys do some measurements with some other masks and see how these compare. :inlove

I also hope to be able to test some fluid goggles and see how they do, though I expect these to vary much more with the individual user, and different constructions.

By the way, the human horizontal Field of Vision above water is about 160 degrees.


Love, courage and water,

Kars
 
Last edited:
Reactions: Don Paul and spaghetti
I've never tried it underwater, but I do check the FOV on all of my masks on dry land when I first get them. My method is this:

1- Look down and see how many buttons i can count up on my shirt.
2- Look up and see how many ceiling tiles I can count back.
3- Put my hands out straight and see how wide apart I can spread them and still see my fingers.

Not quite as specific as your system, but much faster and easier.

On a side note, I can't stand clear silicone mask skirts. I find they let too much light in and give off strange reflections on the front plane of glass in my mask. Sometimes these can create some serious blind spots, even though there is lots of open glass and I should be able to see clearly. I don't have these issues with black silicone masks.

Jon
 
Reactions: spaghetti
All the masks I tested yesterday were with transparent skirts, and I would love to test the same masks with black skirts to compare.

Next time I'll bring my Super Occio and the Flow Mask I have laying around here. Let's see how they stack up.

I designed this test so that everyone can do this real-live test in their own pool. The underwater numbers and experience is different from the above water test, because of the refraction of the lens. A glass lens for instance gives you about 33 % bigger image of fish in front of you. The FOV is 25% less than what you have above water. With different lens material this changes.

Ok, I'm of to the pool!
 
This reminds me - I got my mitts on a Sporasub Mystic. I'm kinda surprised I don't see more posts about this great mask.

It compares with the micro for volume - but has a more robust seal, less tendency to press between the brows (according to my dive buddy - who has more of a brow-ridge than I) and does not leave as deep a line on your face.

Peripheral vision is better than the alien, but a tad less than the micro.
 
Since we're talking about mask is the sphera so much better than the others for pure freediving? Am asking this cuz in any video of pro freedivers the're wearing this mask, so we got 2 chance, 1)super sponsorized mask 2) really better than other mask for pure freediving.
 
Davide Carrerra did 99m in a micromask - but it is true most use the sphera or fluid goggles now. Its my fav partly because it corrects my vision underwater.
 

I just bought a sporasub mask and i did a test. My cressi matrix has a much bigger view especially looking down. The sporasub is very comfortable though but i prefer the matrix. This preference is so for spearfishing.
 
I have a matrix also - it is good for shallow dives but has a large internal volume. Very nice viz though.
 
No- recreational and photography.

I prefer the Sphera or Micromask - the micromask matches the matrix in all dimensions - though i do still like the matrix - I bought mine right after they were introduced.

Nice test Kars! The pictures of you standing on the bottom are hilarious
 
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I will have to check out the micromask. Ill probably just keep my matrix because its doing its job perfectly.
 
I like the matrix in the cold because it covers more of my face The micromask presses on some people's foreheads - not mine - and I like the very small volume.
 
Fondueset said:
I like the matrix in the cold because it covers more of my face The micromask presses on some people's foreheads - not mine - and I like the very small volume.
Click to expand...

What do you notice in your diving when the mask volume is very small?
 
It just takes a tiny amount of air to equalize. You should notice it with the mystic too - it's enough that at 30 you should save quite a bit of air.
 
Fondueset said:
It just takes a tiny amount of air to equalize. You should notice it with the mystic too - it's enough that at 30 you should save quite a bit of air.
Click to expand...

I know this is kinda off topic but last question.... I breath the air back in on the way up from the mask so does it really matter? I also use hands free to equalize if that means anything in this situation. I don't know if i want to sacrifice my fov for less volume. Will my bottom time be greater with a mask with less volume?
 
Probably just have to check it out with a low vol mask and see how it feels to you.
 
Hi Fondueset and others,

Thanks for the nice uplifting comments! :inlove

A little correction, I'm not pictured; that's my good looking friend Carl!
I'm much too ugly so I'll operate the camera That, by the way got nicked yesterday! :rcard

Please do go to the pool and check how many tiles you can see through your mask, I'm eager to know what the numbers are for all these popular masks!

Make sure you keep your head vertical, and don't turn it to the side you're counting, and you're 2m away from the wall. Not bumping into it :head


Choice of mask depends on many factors, so 't great to have choice, field of vision is just one of them.
Maybe an idea for those that have the mask press into their for heads, have the strap positioned higher on the head, and not strapped to tight.
 
I use a micromask too cuz i do pure freediving and spearfishing too. Am talking about pure freediving use of the mask, previusly i used a cressi minima than it get destroyed and now passed to micromask, i find it a lot more superior to cressi minima and good for spearfishing too, but i dunno if the sphara will be better for pure freediving talking about equalization, the best thing ever i think it will be using the googgles... thinking about em...
 
Hi Fellow Freedivers,

I tested two additional freediving masks:

The french 'Flow' mask (has any a brandname?)
And the Cressi Super Occio.



You notice that I used two ellipses to depict the vision of the Flow mask.
Also note that the vision of the flow mask is not super sharp, because the round lens distorts the view, especially when compressed or put on tight.
I feel that the mask could be improved much if they would adapt the design to remove this distortion, and make the view more like a rectangle view, a wider view version of the Micromask for example.

The Occio proved a pleasant surprise with it's small volume and pretty good view.
 
I used the Sphera for years, and got sick of it breaking every 3 months (and scratching).

Now I use a micromask, and I love it. The only problem is I still have some fogging issues, but generally it can't be beat.

Omer Alien is slightly more comfortable, but the micro mask has a better field of view.
 
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