colored lens on scope cover

[Mike.357]

Maybe lens is the wrong word.

Anyway the two scopes I use on .22 rifles have see through covers.

One lens on the cover is clear the other is amber colored.

Anyone know why this is or what purpose it serves?

[Oh Shoot]

It's just so you can use them in a hurry with cover still on, like maybe for hunting.

Yellow is for eye piece.

At least that's what I've always assumed.

Yellow claims to cut through haze some and boosts gray scale contrast. Some claim it's better in dim conditions too, but I think that's been proven to be a myth.

- OS

[Mike.357]

well thats an answer anyway. I will have to make sure I keep the yellow side towards my eye just in case I need to hunt something in a hurry

[Alleycat72]

Yellow will make black targets contrast against a green background.

[Guest gcrookston]

as the others said, looking through a yellow increases contrast in the grey scale(remember the Vaurnet Sunglasses 20+ yrs ago intended for skiers? Shooters in the 50's and 60's often wore yellow tinted glasses which made the blacks of clays and paper targets more vivid).

The Vaurnet's supposedly (and at least in my experience, "effectively"), help skiers better define the subtle variations of snow covered terrain -- the grey scale. Other's swear by the red tinted lens. I suspect it does the same thing: I.E. cancels out one spectrum of light.

What it is basically doing is absorbing one spectrum of light, which allows the remaining spectrum's (Blue/Red), to be perceived as more vivid and enhances the ability of the brain to define grey scale, especially Black. -- At least that is the supposition.

I, fortunately or unfortunately, am a big fan of Butler Creek scope caps, so tend to toss the bikini covers into the ash bin.

Edited April 11, 2010 by gcrookston