It was 6:30 a.m., lightly snowing and cloudy. The conditions on the ground were beautiful — the light conditions, not so much. As I was skinning up for some first tracks, I could feel the cool air on my face. I was working fairly hard, trying to warm my body up. And yet my glasses weren’t fogging up at all.
I reached the top, transitioned, and began making some turns. But the flat light was some of the worst I’d ever encountered. I simply couldn’t see through my goggles. Thankfully, I had the option to switch back to the shades I’d been testing on the tour up, the Dynafit Ultra Pro sunglasses. Low-light lenses and higher color-contrast lenses don’t have anything on these bad boys.
In short: At $219, these glasses are tailor-made to adapt to different light conditions across a range of activities. I found that they were stellar performers in everything from low light to high light. While there are lots of photochromic sunglasses out there, I haven’t found any like these that fit comfortably (even with a helmet or hat), stay on, and can handle as many different light conditions in the mountains as these can.
- Materials: Polycarbonate lens, silicone rubber nosepad, rubber temple grips
- Lens: Photochromic
- Interchangeable: Yes (comes with 2 lenses, photochromic and clear)
- Treatments: Hydrophobic
- Field of view: 180 degrees
- Dimensions: 142.6 mm (frame width), 62.5 mm (height)
- Weight: 31 g
- UV protection: 100% UV-A, B, and C
Pros
- Fantastic field of view
- Great clarity
- Versatile in all conditions
- Don't fog up
Cons
- Still not enough contrast in intense sun
Dynafit Ultra Pro Sunglasses Review
I tested the Dynafit Ultra Pro sunglasses over the course of several weeks of ice climbing, snowshoeing, skiing, driving, and winter hiking with my dog in Colorado from January to February. I really wanted to push the performance of these sunglasses during higher-output activities. When I was on the move, would they fog up? How well would they transition to Colorado’s always-changing light? And how would they fit on my face with a hat or helmet on?
Overall, I was really impressed with what I found. So much so, that these have become the sunglasses I use across the board for outdoor activities.
Fit, Feel, and Function
Sunglasses are useless to me if I can’t take them on and off my face easily and comfortably all day no matter what I’m up to. They also need to stay on during use. Sunglasses that can achieve this, I’ve found, are a rare breed. And the Dynafiit Ultra Pro sunglasses hit the mark on all those needs.
These sunglasses were comfortable. My face is on the smaller side, so sometimes I have trouble finding glasses or goggles, especially ones with a wider field of view, that fit well. This wasn’t the case with the Ultra Pro. The width and reach of the arms were comfortable — not too loose or too tight on my small head. And the grippers on the arms did not agonizingly rip out strands of hair when I took them off.
And under a hat or helmet, they didn’t pinch my temples or feel abrasive on my skin.
Lastly, there are no wires or hard metal, tiny groove components, or heavy plastics used in the arms or upper frame. These glasses are frameless on the bottom half. Dynafit used a fairly simple design and kept it very lightweight in terms of materials.
Even the venting on the lenses is minimalist. There are just four small cutouts to provide airflow when you are working up a sweat. Across all the activities I tested these in, both in warmer and much colder weather, I never had them fog up.
Testing in Different Light Conditions
I was impressed with the Dynafit Ultra Pro’s ability to change to different light conditions on the fly, throughout the day. But that’s kind of the expectation with photochromatic lenses. So, how well did the Dynafit Ultra Pros do that?
In one day, I wore them on an early morning dog walk, a hike, and then a full 6 hours of ice climbing in both sun and shade at the crag, and then relaxing in the warm sun afterward. I never had to take the Ultra Pros off once. Especially in Colorado, when I am hiking or skiing at altitude, and when conditions are ever-changing, that is an amazing feat.
And in low light, these sunglasses did equally well. Even on very overcast days with low light outside, the Ultra Pro sunglasses still provided a small amount of tint and UV protection. But when removed from natural light and the sun outside, they become purely clear. At first glance in the photo above, the Dynafit Ultra Pro sunglasses look absolutely nothing like what they did when I was wearing them outdoors.
I was hard-pressed to find conditions that these sunglasses couldn’t adapt to — from dark dusk light to partial, full, and high-altitude sun. If you are someone who spends a ton of time outside engaging in a variety of adventures, the Dynafit Ultra Pros are really an awesome choice that’s very versatile. When I’d normally toggle between my “car sunglasses,” a nicer polarized pair, and/or goggles, I often just reach for these now. They have become my go-to glasses in lots of situations.
That being said, I realize they do come at a price point ($219) that’s not accessible for everyone.
Dynafit Ultra Pro Sunglasses Conclusion
The photochromic effect of these sunglasses was stellar in all conditions I tested. Some might want slightly more contrast in the lenses in the full, intense sun (especially on snow). Other Dynafit testers did mention that they wished these glasses had better contrast in really bright, high-light conditions. But for me, from sunny high noon to the lowest light conditions I wore them in, these glasses performed exceptionally well.
Overall, the Dynafit Ultra Pro sunglasses have great photochromic powers and adjustability to light, great venting, grippy arms, and lots of coverage protecting my face. What more could I ask for from a single pair of shades?
