Lens review: ColourVue Phantasee Yellow Artist

 Hi hi and hello!

I'm doing another special effects lens review, woop di doop! Today I'll show you all the ColourVue Phantasee Yellow Artist, a not so extreme crazy lens. This is ngl more of an artsy lens, if you may.

Let's-a go!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.0 mm 

 Water content: 45%
Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

 

On an unsuspecting quick glance these look quite normal for a sfx lens, as in that the print isn't that bold nor typically blocky and simple like it tends to be on crazy lenses. The print in fact is rather delicate and detailed and it's really pretty if you take a closer look! Another thing I noticed was that it seems like the yellow color appears a bit golden hued when light hits it a certain way, making it look almost reminiscent of a metallic glimmering color. Almost.

One lens in.

When worn and viewed from a slight distance these look almost semi-natural in terms of first impressions – if we disregard the yellow color, that is. It's a quite pretty design and the color payout is great too, it's not too bold and disruptive but the black detailing makes it look a bit more muted and.. respectable? I don't know why but these make me think of like baroque style and such dandy eras haha.

Overall it's a really pretty, somewhat toned down medium to dark yellow with an extravagant and fine artistic print.

Lens photos below!

All photos are taken by yours truly during sunny weather. All close-ups are free from color filters and the like and that's so that the colors would appear as true to life as possible.

 

Natural room light, indoors.

Bathroom light.

Flash photo, indoors.

Facing a window indoors, not sun side.

Unlit corridor, weak distant natural light.

Outdoors, back against sun. (facing a wall)

Outdoors, facing the sun.

As with my other "backlog lenses" these were also part of that damned box I had stored away and forgotten about for years. By the time I found it all the unopened lenses inside had expired, sadly. So I'm doing these reviews purely in case it helps someone out there and yeah, due to the lenses being expired I'm not willing to play Russian roulette with my eye health so immediately upon getting the lens photos taken I threw them into the bin, which means I can't grade comfort properly. What little I can say though is that based on my first (and only) impressions these were somewhat thin and decent-ish but I felt them for some while after insertion and they seemed a bit drying too. I do have naturally dry and sensitive eyes so I can't fully rule out that it wasn't my eyes having a bad day but yeah, it's hard to tell.

Anyways, this is a very unique lens in terms of print design and it's fun yet sophisticated at the same time. It doesn't quite pack that same punch as sfx and crazy lenses tend to come with but honestly, we don't all need to be the same. I find these lenses charming in their own way and they would go well with steampunk attire and such.

Distance photo!

Short summary:

Color: 6/10 

It's like a darkish yellow, doesn't show up all that well from a distance but retains a yellowish look.

Design: 8/10 

Very intricate and pretty artsy design, it looks magical up close although due to all the finer details it gets "lost" when viewed from afar.

Opacity: 9/10

Surprisingly opaque and covering when you consider how "fine" these are when compared to typical bold and wild crazy lenses. I was perhaps expecting more transparency but nope, these are covering!

Enlargement: 2/10 

The enlargement effect is negligible.

Comfort: 6/10 

Decent and somewhat thin. I felt them in my eyes for a while and they seemed somewhat dryish but it's hard to judge based on a one-time wear.

Naturalness: 3/10 

From a distance you might get a fleeting pass but otherwise these are too fancy and yellow isn't a naturally occuring eye color in humans anyway.

Thanks for reading my blog, see ya!

~ Shiro Samurai out.