Smith Optics ChromaPop Glass Opal Mirror Sunglasses Lens Review
- Sunglass Science
- 1 hour ago
- 8 min read
Smith offers an excellent selection of glass sunglasses, with the Glass Opal Mirror being among their finest. A dark, comfortable "peach" tint (mix of rose and brown) with a striking mirror, this lens is amazing for comfort and color vibrancy in many conditions.
Check out the ChromaPop Glass Opal Mirror from Smith's website.
If you want to know more about how brown lenses work, click here.
If you want to know more about how green mirror lenses work, click here.
This review is for the Glass Opal Lens, not the poly version. I have not tried that lens yet to compare. They are not exactly the same, the poly is 12% VLT, the glass is 14%.
In This Review
Lens Specs | Smith ChromaPop Glass Opal Mirror |
Technology | ChromaPop |
Lens Color | Brown |
Mirror Color | Green/Blue |
VLT | 14% |
ABBE | 58 |
Coatings | Anti-reflective, Scratch-resistant, Oleophobic, Hydrophobic |
Material | Glass |
Weight | Moderate |
Scratch Resistance | High |
Prescription Available | Yes, in poly |
2 |
The clarity of the Glass Opal Mirror lens is top-notch, thanks to Smith's high-quality glass lenses.
The lens is equipped with every coating you’d want: anti-reflective, oleophobic (oil-repellent), hydrophobic (water-repellent), and UV protection (there may be more, but they are not stated; I will update when I ask Smith). Each of these coatings works together to provide a clean, clear, and durable visual experience.
Unlike other brands like Serengeti, Maui Jim, and Costa, Smith doesn’t advertise the use of thinner-than-average glass to reduce weight. While the lenses aren’t especially light, they’re not unusually heavy either. This middle-ground approach keeps the glasses feeling solid but not burdensome during extended wear.
The lens includes ChromaPop technology for color enhancement, which we will discuss in detail in the next sections.
With a visible light transmission (VLT) of 14%, the Glass Opal Mirror is a middle-of-the-road lens, not too dark, not too bright. This lens is polarized.
The mirror is not encapsulated in the glass and is prone to scratching more than non-mirrored options from Smith (though still much more scratch-resistant than any non-glass option). The mirror is highly reflective and maintains a mirror effect through almost all lighting and angles.
I do not know what the base tint of the lens is, nor how the mirror affects it. My best guess is that it is a brown lens and the mirror makes it more rose, but I will update if I get that information from Smith.
Is it eligible for prescription?
Yes, in polycarbonate. Smith sells it directly with ChromaPop lenses. SportRx sells it with their own lenses, of which there are many choices. Use code SCIENCE10 for $10 off your purchase at SportRx.
Also check out: Best Sunglasses Cases, Storage, and Travel Cases
How does the lens look?
The front has a solid green/blue mirror, which is highly reflective at all angles. It is fairly unique; I do not know of a similar mirror from other quality companies. Depending on the lighting and reflections, it can look blue or green.
The back has a green/yellow shine from the anti-reflective coating. The tint is a peach hue, on the brown spectrum, but more rose than most brown lenses. It is more rose than the Serengeti Drivers, for example, which is also rose-brown lens.
What does the view look like?
The Opal Mirror is like a brown lens with rose features.
When I compare it to a rose lens, it feels brown. When I compare it to a brown lens, even a rose-brown like the Serengeti Drivers, it feels rose. I have tried over 200 lenses from premium brands and I don't have any close comparisons to this lens.
What I think is happening is that it is a brown lens that the mirror and ChromaPop tech alter to be more rose.
Either way, the Opal lens is great, with a beautiful view. It is a warm tint, but the balance of the colors has a crispness to it. Blues are still the most impacted, as with most brown lenses, but within seconds the eyes adjust to the lens and it has that "rose lens effect" of seeming like a boosted grey, all while having a warm character. To be honest, I am struggling to describe this lens in a way a reader can understand, so I guess the pictures in the next section will be even more important than usual.
The visible light transmission (VLT) of the lens is 14%, which is a nice comfortable category 3 lens. This is a lens designed for full sun but can handle some clouds.
The tint is uniform across the lens and does not change color towards the edges, as some other mirrored lenses can do.
Many brown-tinted lenses can feel too “hot” in bright summer conditions. The heavy emphasis on red tones can amplify the warmth of already intense sunlight, making everything appear overly saturated and, at times, visually fatiguing. That “heat” isn’t just a metaphor; it’s a real effect of how your eyes perceive light. The Glass Opal Mirror lens somewhat avoids this problem. It's a slightly more balanced mix of red and blue (greens being nice and bright), and that keeps the view vivid without overwhelming your eyes as much as a typical brown lens.
Another strength is how quickly your eyes adjust. The color profile here is so well-balanced that adjustment is nearly instant. Any initial red cast fades within seconds, except in winter, when it still seemed a bit brown to me.
The lens has Chromapop technology in it. That means they have used dyes to manipulate the light spectrum to separate and enhance colors. I actually had the privilege (with another brand) of testing some Smith lenses with a visible light spectrometer. What we found is that Smith has heavily reduced the light that between blues and greens, and yellow light that is between greens and reds. This creates a sharper contrast between colors.
That said, this lens does not have a "wacky" effect like lenses that over-manipulate the spectrum can have. The colors lean natural and easy on the eyes, with the brown/rose tint doing most of the heavy lifting.
Sunny Conditions
These photos are what I have used to show the view. Keep in mind that photos will never look as good as the real view looking through the sunglasses with your own eyes.
Interested in experiencing the lens for yourself? Check it out from Smith's website.
Here is my simulation of how the lens looks:
This is a bright, early fall day towards the end of the day (judging by the long shadows).
The Opal Mirror adds a lot of warmth while keeping colors vibrant and somewhat natural. A grey lens will work well in these conditions as well, but will be noticeably cooler:
Where the Opal is even better is in bright mixed conditions like this:
Cloudy Conditions
The Glass Opal Mirror performs very well in overcast and cloudy situations, where it adds more contrast and color than a standard grey lens, but the lens still borders on dark and is not ideal for anything more overcast than thin clouds (the colors will still be nice and boosted, but at some point, we need enough light).
Optimal and Suboptimal Viewing Conditions
The Glass Opal Mirror lens is a year-round, sunny, and mixed conditions lens. It works great in the summer, spring, and fall, and fine in the winter. It is a very versatile lens.
It is also pleasant to look through, not just that it works, in nearly all settings. In my opinion, it is Smith's best brown lens.
This lens is close to a Tier 1 lens. I am still on the fence about it and might add it there at some point. When I look at other Tier 2 lenses, I think this is better, but I don't think it is as good as the Tier 1 lenses, something seems to hold me back from including it there. But I am sure that not only will most people enjoy this lens, many people will be adamant it is a Tier 1 lens.
Sports
Because of the great contrast-adding performance in bright light, the Opal Mirror is an excellent choice for sports, where warmer colors and added contrast is an advantage. It will also work well enough in overcast for sports. It will work well for sports like golf.
Avoid the glass lens if the activity has any chance of significant impacts to the face. Avoid this lens entirely if polarized lenses would not work for your sport.
Comparison to the same brand - Smith Optics
Smith ChromaPop Glass Brown Polarized
The Brown lens from Smith is much more of a yellow-brown than the Opal Mirror, which is rose-brown. It has a 12% VLT, which is slightly darker, and no mirror.
Smith ChromaPop Glass Polarchromic Rose Blue Mirror
The Polarchromic Rose Blue Mirror has nearly an identical lens tint to the Glass Green Mirror (compared below), but with a VLT of 12-24%, this lens brightens up in darker conditions in a way that the Glass Opal Mirror does not. I wear this lens a lot and find it to be one of the most versatile and pleasant lenses in my collection. The Opal Mirror is more of a brown lens and has a warmer view. The picture below has the left side activated and the right side still unactivated.
Smith ChromaPop Glass Polarized Green Mirror
The Glass Green Mirror is darker at 11% VLT, and is a rose lens. It works well year-round in sunny conditions and performs better in winter than the Opal, though the Opal is better in overcast conditions.
See here for the full Glass Green Mirror review.
Comparison to Brown Lenses of Different Brands
Maui Jim HCL Bronze
The Maui Jim HCL Bronze is a more classic brown, and feels more natural/neutral and less "boosted", while being a comfortable and vibrant lens to look through. It has a bi-gradient gold mirror and a slightly higher VLT. One of the best and most versatile lenses out there.
Check out the full HCL Bronze review.
Serengeti Drivers
One of the best rose-brown lenses ever made, the Drivers is mildly photochromic, comes with no mirror or a gold one, and is more "dressy" than the Opal mirror. The view is slightly more brown. It is the closest lens to the Opal mirror I know of.
Check out the full Drivers Review.
Dita Lancier Land
Another great driving lens, the Dita Lancier Land lens is much rosier than the Opal Mirror. Unlike the other lenses mentioned, it is made of nylon and is very lightweight.
Conclusion - Smith ChromaPop Glass Opal Mirror Lens Review - Should you buy it?
The Smith ChromaPop Glass Opal Mirror is one of the most distinctive lenses in Smith's lineup, and quite possibly their best brown option. It sits in a category of its own, blending the warmth of a brown lens with the brightness and pop of a rose lens, without fully committing to either. That balance is what makes it work so well across so many conditions.
Anyone who wants a versatile, year-round sunny-condition lens with a warm character but doesn't want the heaviness that some brown lenses bring. It is a great pick for driving, golf, fishing in calm settings, hiking, and general everyday wear in bright light.
For most people, the Glass Opal Mirror delivers a beautiful view, excellent build quality, and a level of versatility that justifies its place near the top of Smith's offerings. It is a borderline Tier 1 lens, and you will probably understand why the moment you put them on.
