Opera Glasses- A Closer Look
Posted By on December 25, 2009
The invention of opera glasses was a godsend for many theater goers. It was becoming increasingly difficult for theater-goers in the 1800′s to view what was happening on stage. Theaters were growing increasingly large and seats in or near the front row were very expensive. The Paris Opera House, for example, was finished in 1875 and featured 2200 seats. It was a massive building at the time.
Opera was also an important social event. People attending the opera wanted to be able to see and be seen and often spent time scanning the audience as well. To do this, they needed a simple and convenient magnifying device. Opera glasses were the perfect solution.
Opera glasses rapidly became status symbols and ways for people to show off their wealth. If you had the money to attend the opera you wanted others to know it. And a great deal of business was conducted at intermission as well. A huge portion of the high society social calendar was taken up by opera season.
Because of this, anything connected to the opera could become a status symbol. Opera glasses were no exception. A person attending the theater often had a pair made of expensive materials such as gold or enamel. The outsides of the glasses were often highly decorated. Cases to keep the glasses in were often highly decorated as well. Different variations came into being including lorgnette models that had an attached handle and folding models that were quite compact.
There are a number of places where you can find and purchase opera glasses. They still come in a range of different models and prices can range from the very reasonable to the extremely expensive. You may need to look a bit to find ones that fit your needs and your budget. Good starting places include camera stores and some Internet sites.
When you are purchasing your opera glasses you should check the level of magnification that they offer. It is usually recommended that you look for a 3x magnification. This will allow you a good field of vision and will minimize the amount of shaking may see from hand movement. Anything over 5x magnification is considered to be too high.
Once you know what your options are you can decide what style you are interested in. They still come in folding and lorgnette styles. There are compact models which will fold down into plastic cases which can make them more durable for outside use. This could be handy at an outdoor concert or at a rock concert where you may accidentally drop them.
Opera glasses can be a useful and beautiful accessory. It is an item with a long history that can make your trip to the theater much more enjoyable.
Before you attend any performance make sure that you have a good pair of opera glasses. Here you can check out Opera Glasses with handle, flashlight, chain and more!