Opera glasses was one of the byproducts of a long line of inventions. It started during 1608 with the Dutch optician Hans Lipperhey manufacturing binoculars comprising of two twin telescopes connected by a centerpiece. They had an impressive magnification ability of x3. Not to be left behind the Italian inventor Galileo Galilee within a year dramatically improved the design of telescopes, allowing a magnification of x30.
Binoculars of the time had one major disadvantage: Despite offering a much wider field of view than a telescope, they made use of convex lenses - which resulted in the image being inverted! It wasn\'t before more than 100 years later that Anton Schyrle for the first time manufactured binoculars with an extra lens that re-inverted the image. And it took another--1 years before John Dollond of England solved another big problem that binoculars had - color distortion. He started using achromatic lenses (color free lenses) and thereby solved this problem permanently.
Another major step forward was the development of prismatic binoculars by an Italian by the name of Ignazio Porro - a gunnery officer. Prismatic binoculars had a much wider field of vision than before and offered dramatically improved magnification abilities as well.
The first time we find opera glasses mentioned in the printed media is in London during 1730. The opera glasses advertised were in fact not binoculars, but rather pocket-sized Galilean telescopes. They were used as much for decorative purposes as to watch the opera. The bodies were frequently decorated with mother of pearl, enamel, ivory or various types of gems.
Binocular-type opera glasses made their appearance for the first time during the \'20s in Vienna. These early types were basically still only two small telescopes with a connecting bridge. The individual telescopes had to be focused by pulling out the tubes.
They proved to be very popular, however, and quickly became items of high fashion. The designs were so elaborate that one often would find both a painter and a goldsmith working on the end product. They were used as much to impress people as to watch opera - not to mention scrutinizing other opera goers to see if their opera glasses were perhaps more fashionable than yours!
The design soon improved to allow for the simultaneous adjustment of both lenses. This was another major step forward and only served to increase the popularity of this type of glasses. They also became highly valued gifts - as one can see from the inscriptions found on many opera glasses of the time.
Nowadays there is a wide array of opera glasses available. You can get them in virtually any color you want. They come in many different styles and materials. Strangely enough, monoculars are still popular, as are opera glasses with handles or reading lights. You even get them fitted with a jealousy glass - so you can watch another person in the audience without being seen!
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!
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