Costa Del Mar is known for its high-performance lenses, designed to excel in intense sunlight and extended sun exposure. Their latest addition, the Gold Mirror lens, delivers outstanding contrast and vibrant color, providing enhanced visual clarity. This new release is a standout in Costa's impressive lineup.
Check out the Costa Gold Mirror lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Costa's website).
If you want to know more about how rose lenses work, click here.
In This Review
Lens Specs | Costa Del Mar 580 Gold Mirror |
Technology | 580 Technology |
Lens Color | Rose |
Mirror Color | Gold |
VLT | 14% |
ABBE | 58 |
Coatings | Anti-reflective, Scratch-resistant, Oleophobic, Hydrophobic, UV, Infrared and Blue-light blocking |
Material | Glass |
Weight | Moderate |
Scratch Resistance | High |
Prescription Available | Yes |
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This is one of the first reviews of the Gold Mirror lens. Costa doesn't even list it on their lens decision page. There is nowhere on the website that even tells you it's a rose lens.
As far as I can tell this lens only comes in glass material, while all other Costa lenses come in polycarbonate as well. That may change in the future.
Costa's 580G lenses are renowned for their crystal-clear optics, with every lens in their lineup featuring polarization as a standard.
While these lenses are crafted from ultra-thin glass, they may feel marginally heavier than models from brands like Maui Jim or Serengeti. However, they remain comfortable enough for all-day wear.
Costa equips its lenses with a full suite of premium coatings, and in my experience, their durability is unmatched. Water and oil glide right off, and the anti-reflective coating performs on par with the best I’ve tested.
A key innovation in Costa's glass lenses is their approach to mirror coatings. Instead of placing the mirror on the outer surface, they embed it between two layers of glass. This design provides superior scratch resistance—an area where most mirrored lenses fall short. Few brands, like Revo and Otis, take a similar approach, but they offer far fewer mirrored glass options.
Costa also sets itself apart with its commitment to transparency. The company openly shares patent details and encourages customers to learn about its lens technology. This openness is rare in the industry, and based on my hands-on experience, their lenses fully live up to the hype.
Is it eligible for prescription?
Yes. Costa is one of only a few brands that offer glass lenses (with color-enhancing tech) in prescription. From what I can tell, the max prescription they can do the gold mirror in is -4.5, though it can be lower depending on the whole prescription. They seem to do prescriptions in polycarbonate up to -5. Interestingly, the three lenses that can take the highest prescription values in glass are the rose and grey gradients and the gold mirror.
For non-prescription, Check out the Costa Gold Mirror lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Costa's website).
How does the lens look?
The front has a gold mirror. In some lighting, the mirror is yellow gold, but generally it is more like rose gold, mostly because the base tint is rose and that seems to slightly come through.
The back has a pink shine from the anti-reflective coating. The color of the base tint is rose. A gold mirror reflects light in the yellow, red, and orange wavelengths (around 570-700 nm).
This is why the mirror looks golden or warm-toned — it reflects these colors back to your eyes when looking at it. Technically a gold mirror will also absorb extra blue light. The effect of the mirror on the rose base is to make the tint just a bit more neutral, dark, and less aggressively red as some other rose-based lenses are.
What does the view look like?
Costa says in its only marketing for this lens: "Our new multi-layered gold mirror finish delivers a vivid, crystal-clear viewing experience with added scratch resistance, ensuring exceptional functionality."
That is true, but it doesn't really explain what this lens does. I do not know what the extra scratch resistance is since it's already encapsulated glass with a hard coat on all of their 580G lenses.
I recommend exploring how rose lenses work to understand why their bold tint doesn't create an overwhelmingly red view. Instead, it delivers an effect similar to an enhanced grey lens.
As noted in both this post and previous discussions, the view initially appears with a strong red cast for about two minutes until the eyes and brain naturally adjust.
Rose lenses primarily amplify reds but also enhance blues. They permit less green light, yet since our eyes are more sensitive to green, the result is a balanced, vibrant color spectrum. The view takes on a warmer tone, with deeper blues and more distinct, contrasted greens, creating a vivid, color-enriched experience.
Sunny Conditions
Costa has no photos or simulations to describe the lens, so I will do my best to show it. Keep in mind that photos will never look as good as the real view looking through the sunglasses with your own eyes.
Interested in experiencing the Costa Gold Mirror lens for yourself? Check out the Gold Mirror on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Costa's website).
Here is my simulation of how the lens looks:
The reds are boosted but the blues stay a deep rich hue. Greens are not as bright but are still prominent. The Costa Gold mirror takes a hot view and makes it even hotter. The definition and contrast in the trees are brought out beautifully. The sand, already very red, gets a pinkish hue. The sky becomes a deep, dark blue. Contrast to a grey lens below which is calmer but less rich and colorful. Grey lenses provide a calmer, more subdued viewing experience compared to rose lenses, making them more comfortable for extended wear. In hot, sunny environments, rose lenses can intensify the sensation of warmth, whereas grey lenses maintain a cooler, more neutral feel.
Brown or copper lenses will be the other contrast and color-enhancing lenses to compare with. The greens are brighter (you can see the green highlights in the water) and the reds are nice, but the blues are a bit diminished. The balance between blue and green being more or less impacted is the determining factor between rose and brown lenses.
In an area with a lot of green but also other bright colors, rose lenses perform wonderfully, as they keep the greens prominent while adding definition and color to the rest of the view. Places that are hot and very red, like a desert, would not be great.
Cloudy Conditions
The Costa Gold Mirror works well in overcast and cloudy situations where they add warmth, contrast, and color. They really thrive in mixed conditions or bright haze. Other rose lenses that are a bit less neutral than the Gold Mirror work slightly better, but it will still be much better than a grey lens.
Often, a brown lens will perform better in overcast conditions, as it adds some brightness to greens that rose lenses do not.
Optimal and Suboptimal Viewing Conditions
This rose lens stands out from traditional rose-tinted options because it’s specifically designed for full-sun environments rather than mixed conditions. While the view appears "warmer" or more intense, the gold mirror coating helps neutralize the tint, balancing the vibrant color boost for a more pleasant visual experience. However, unlike other rose lenses, it’s less effective in overcast conditions.
The Gold Mirror lens shares similarities with brown lenses, offering one of the most versatile viewing experiences available. It functions as an all-purpose lens that performs well in a variety of lighting conditions.
The slight difference in VLT between the 14% for the Gold Mirror and the 10%-12% for most of Costa's other lenses does not have much impact. Costa's lenses are generally darker and more geared to high sunlight, and the Gold Mirror still fits that mold.
When it comes to functionality, rose lenses are particularly effective for sports and fast-paced activities. The heightened contrast helps users perceive their surroundings with greater accuracy — a critical advantage where precision matters more than visual aesthetics, though this lens does both excellently.
Additionally, red is on the "warm" side of the color wheel. According to color psychology, different color temperatures evoke different feelings. For example, warm colors are said to bring to mind coziness and energy, while cool colors are associated with serenity and isolation.
Rose is right at the warmest part of the color wheel.
The Gold Mirror is also excellent in winter, though I only wear it on sunny days. When the skies are not clear the Gold Mirror is not as red and bright as lenses like the Serengeti Sedona for me, and I want more color and warmth when the conditions are gloomy and there is less color to work with. But the Gold Mirror is by far the best Costa lens for the winter.
Sports
As mentioned above, for functional use, rose lenses may be the best anytime because of the high contrast, especially for sports. In these situations, the goal isn't to have a more beautiful view but to help you perceive your surroundings and activities as accurately as possible.
Avoid the glass lens if the activity has any chance of significant impacts to the face. Avoid this lens entirely if polarized lenses would not work for your sport.
Keep in mind that long exposure to bright conditions rose lenses may be fatiguing, but the functional benefits may outweigh that.
Interested in experiencing the Costa Gold Mirror lens for yourself? Click here to buy on Amazon.
Comparison to the same brand - Costa Del Mar
Costa Del Mar 580G Green Mirror
The Costa Green Mirror is Costa’s primary color-enhancing lens, a very red-brown with a hint of rose from the effect of the green mirror. It is the darkest and most saturated brown lens I’ve used. Excellent for long sun exposure when you want high contrast like for inshore fishing. The Costa Gold Mirror will be better or worse than the Green Mirror depending on the environment. Both do a good job of boosting reds, but when greens should be brighter and blues subdued, I would go for the Green Mirror, like activities near water. When greens should be more muted and blues enhanced, I would take the Gold Mirror, like around a golf course. Both are excellent full-sun contrast-enhancing lenses.
See here for the full Costa Green Mirror review.
Costa Del Mar 580G Gray Silver Mirror
Costa’s least color-enhancing lens, the Grey lens and the Grey Silver Mirror are very comfortable in full sun, keeping everything calm and neutral. The rose will be better in anything other than full sun but can feel too “hot” over long exposure to sunny conditions whereas the Grey lens will not.
See here for the full Costa Grey Silver Mirror review.
Costa Del Mar 580G Blue Mirror
The Costa Blue Mirror is the Grey lens with a Blue Mirror that adds an amber effect to the lens, creating a warmer view than the Grey lens has, but without being as intense as the copper-based lenses. It will have similar results to the Grey lens vs the Gold Mirror, but I generally prefer this lens for full sun.
See here for the full Costa Blue Mirror review.
Comparison to Rose Lenses of Different Brands
Serengeti Sedona
The Serengeti Sedona is a brighter and more colorful rose lens than the Costa Gold Mirror. This makes it much better in any scenario other than full sun. I’m more comfortable with the Costa in the summer, but I find myself enjoying the Sedona much more in fall and winter. The Serengeti is also mildly photochromic and slightly adjusts to light.
See here for the full Serengeti Sedona review.
Maui Jim MauiRose
The MauiRose is more saturated and boosted than the Gold Mirror, and a little darker. It will give a more intense view and will feel even “hotter” than the Costa. It’s like taking the Costa’s already great rose effect and dialing it up.
See here for the full MauiRose review.
Revo Drive
The tint pictures are different but in view these lenses are very similar, with the Revo being a bit more brown. This means the greens will be a bit brighter. I had the Revo Drive first and I really enjoyed the lens as it is very pleasant and easy to adjust to rose, but I hoped to find the same tint with glass lenses, as the nylon lenses of Revo were missing a bit of the magic that glass lenses have. The Costa Gold Mirror is exactly what I was looking for for that tint.
Oakley Prizm Dark Golf
Almost all Oakley Sport lenses are rose-based, but I think the Dark Golf is the best all-round sports lens Oakley makes. It’s a rose with a hint of brown, similar to the Revo Drive. Unlike all the lenses so far discussed, this lens is not polarized, as is the case with most of Oakley’s sport lenses. Oakley lacks the coatings the rest of the lenses mentioned have, and its polycarbonate lenses do not have the same optical quality as glass or even nylon, but it does have excellent impact resistance, making it a great choice for activities that have a risk of impact.
Island Optics Green Flash Mirror
An amazing budget option, this lens is similar in tint to the MauiRose lens, without some of the amazing tech added, but at a fraction of the cost.
Conclusion - Costa 580 Gold Mirror Lens Review - Should you buy it?
The Costa Gold Mirror lens is a game-changer for those seeking vivid color, sharp contrast, and crystal-clear clarity in bright sun. Built with Costa’s legendary 580G glass, it offers unparalleled scratch resistance, premium coatings, and a unique gold mirror finish that balances the warm boost of rose lenses with a more natural, vibrant view. Whether you're fishing, golfing, or exploring under intense sun, this lens delivers.
Ready to see the difference? Check out the Costa Gold Mirror lens on Amazon, often at a better price than Costa's website.
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