Review: Smith ChromaPop PhotoChromic Performance Lenses

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Smith Shift XL Mag with Chromapop

• Lens Tested: ChromaPop Photochromic Clear to Gray
• Visible Light Transmission: 12%-67%

Photochromic sunglasses are nothing new in the world of performance athletic eyewear, offering skiers, mountain bikers, trail runners, and other outdoor athletes the comfort of multiple levels of UV light protection with the efficiency of a single lens.

Shop Smith's Shift XL Mag with PhotoChromic ChromaPop here.

In a nutshell:

Smith, long known and loved among skiers for their sunglasses, goggles, and helmets, just introduced photochromic technology into their existing color-boosting ChromaPop line of lenses. An issue I’ve always found with existing photochromic technology is that the color and contrast from these lenses has been lacking, especially in dappled light or really bright and reflective settings–the exact type of light I’ll usually find when skiing or mountain biking. The combination of Smith’s color-boosting ChromaPop tech and photochromic tech helps to give these lenses an edge in making the world around you look a lot prettier–and boost contrast to make objects, obstacles, and details a lot more visible while skiing, riding, or running.

The new lens is available across most of Smith’s performance eyewear frames, including the popular Wildcat, Bobcat, Shift Mag, Shift XL Mag, and Shift Split Mag. I tested the new PhotoChromic ChromaPop lens in the Shift XL Mag frame over the late spring and summer, with some summer skiing, alpine climbing, and many days of mountain biking.

How do photochromic lenses work?

Like automatic window blinds or automatically adjustable screen brightness on your phone, the material inside photochromic glass senses how much light is hitting, and will absorb various levels to give off a darkened appearance, protecting your eyes in bright light, and letting you see more when it’s darker out.

On a microscopic level, some of the molecules that make up the plastic lens are reactive to UV light. These are called optically-active or photochromic dyes, and are typically carbon-based compounds with really complicated names and structures like pyridobenzoxazines and indenonaphthopyrans. Without UV light, they appear as clear, letting through most visible light. When UV light hits these substances, however, a chemical bond inside of them breaks, and the new molecules absorb more light, causing a darker appearance of the lens.

Related: Powder Review: Smith Pursuit Sunglasses and Summit Helmet

How do Smith’s Photochromic ChromaPop Lenses perform outdoors?

I’ve typically never been a huge fan of photochromic lenses because of two things: they haven't transitioned fast enough in the environments I work and play in, and the optical and color quality hasn’t been as good as non-transition lenses brands have offered. I have very sensitive eyes, and typically prefer really dark lenses (Cat 3-5). So, I’ve typically stuck to a single lens, usually the darkest one I can find, and just dealt with the fact that sometimes it was darker than it needed to be. Some of my favorite non-transition lenses and frames have been from POC, Smith, and Vaurnet.

That’s all to say that I was a bit skeptical, but hopeful, when Smith sent me a pair of the new Photochromic ChromaPop Lenses. The Shift XL Mag is one of the biggest frames they offer, and fits my large head very well. They have an adjustable nose bridge. Changing lenses is a quick, painless process, and even allows you to swap lenses without actually touching the plastic thanks to small magnets and a nose bridge clip. The frame is incredibly light, well cushioned, and doesn't move around on my face. An additional fully-clear lens is included in the box.

It’s the lens, however, that really blew me away. The clear to gray transition goes between 12 percent and 67 percent visible light transmission. That’s not actually that clear or that dark (other brands like Julbo offer a bigger 4-87 percent change), but it’s really effective for outdoor sports, especially given how quickly the glasses actually transition. On sunny spring and summer ski days, wearing these touring was great when moving between shaded trees with dappled light and all-out sun on a glacier or snowfield. In the resort, they seamlessly transitioned between full sun on a groomer or chairlift and quickly skiing onto shaded aspects in the trees or just on a shaded side of a run. The same goes for mountain biking or running, where similarly fast transitions between shade and sun occur.

Furthermore, the optical and color quality of ChromaPop has always been excellent, and that hasn’t changed at all with the new photochromic tech. The increased contrast allows you to pick out more details in the snow, especially when the light becomes flat thanks to cloud cover. That makes choosing a line through uneven and unpredictable snow surfaces much easier, especially knowing it will adapt when the light changes.

What sort of skiers should be shopping for the Smith Photochromic ChromaPop Lenses?

Smith’s updated Photochromic ChromaPop lenses are an excellent choice for any skier looking for a single pair of sunglasses to do it all - ski, bike, run, fish or just enjoy the mountain lifestyle on chill rest days. If you’re already a fan of Smith’s popular performance frames like the Wildcat, Bobcat, Shift Mag, Shift XL Mag, and Shift Split Mag - go ahead and upgrade your next pair with a photochromic lens.