# DSLR LCD Screen Protectors



## phototrek (Aug 23, 2010)

I would like to know if anybody has used a plastic film protector on their DSLR LCD screens. I have read that some work and some don't work. That they are a pain to put on and trying to keep the bubbles out when applying. So who has used them and which brand did you like? Are there any that are anti-reflective? Have any of you scratched your unprotective LCD screens when using your cameras?


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## KmH (Aug 23, 2010)

What kind of camera do you have.

I use this on my D300's
Nikon BM-8 LCD Monitor Cover for Nikon D300 Digital 25357 - B&H

It is a hard plastic cover that snaps on and off the camera.

Yes, I have scratched unprotected LCD screens in the past.


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## JG_Coleman (Aug 23, 2010)

phototrek said:


> I would like to know if anybody has used a plastic film protector on their DSLR LCD screens. I have read that some work and some don't work. That they are a pain to put on and trying to keep the bubbles out when applying. So who has used them and which brand did you like? Are there any that are anti-reflective? Have any of you scratched your unprotective LCD screens when using your cameras?


 
There are expensive film protectors, but in my experience, even the cheap stuff does the job just fine. You know... plastic film isn't going to help much if you smash your LCD into a rock, no matter how expensive it is... but the cheap stuff will protect against ordinary scratches just as well as the expensive stuff. And, frankly, you can by a whole package of sheets for a couple bucks... you can afford to replace them each month if you feel like it. The only difference, perhaps, between the cheaper brands and the custom, "made-for-your-camera" stuff is that you'll probably have to cut larger sheets of the cheap stuff down to size in order to get it to fit your LCD screen perfectly. It's pretty simple, really.

They aren't the most painless thing to put on properly... bubbles, as you mention, are the most prominent problem... closely followed by getting fingerprints on the inner side of the film. It's all in the application technique, which may take a few tries to get right. I wouldn't call it difficult, there's just a small learning curve.

I don't personally use them on my DSLR, since my D5000 has an articulated display that can actually be flipped around for protection. I have used them on various cell phones and iPods, though. I always make a valiant effort to put them on at least once when I first get an item, but I've never had the best of luck with them. They protect really well while they are applied... but it seems that no matter what I put them on, the film inevitably begins to peel off at the corners. At that point, if you don't replace them, the peeling will continue until they finally fall off or begin to detach enough that they are bothersome when trying to look at the display (in which case I just peel them off).

As far as anti-glare, I'm sure that there are plenty of options... just keep in mind that, more likely than not, they will eventually peel off no matter what you pay for them. It's much less disconcerting to have 50 cents worth of plastic peel off than $10 or $15 worth. I recently got a "custom cut" plastic film cover for my iPhone 4... cost me $15 or $20. It lasted about two weeks before I pulled it out one day to find that it had peeled on one corner when I put it in my pocket and lint had plastered itself all over the detached corner. That's $20 down the drain... I wish I hadn't bought it.


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## err_ok (Aug 23, 2010)

I am glad that one came with my D700 I rarely take it off, only to remove dust etc... It is pretty battered.. the screen underneath is perfect.


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## Derrel (Aug 23, 2010)

I never use ANY kind of screen protector...the LCD surfaces are quite tough...In nine years with d-slrs I have never scratched an LCD screen. I take the one that comes with the camera, and take it off,and throw it in a drawer. Live dangerously. Drive fast. Drink hard. PLay hard. Throw away the LCD cover.


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## Big Mike (Aug 23, 2010)

I always have a little laugh at those screen protectors...usually seen on Nikon cameras.  

I'm with Derrel...I've been using DSLR cameras for a while now, and I don't always baby them...and the screens are just fine.  

If you are really that worried about scratching the screen, then put the camera back into it's protective packaging and leave it there.  :er:


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## usayit (Aug 23, 2010)

Giottos aegis screen protector made from schott glass is the only one worth anything... if u do decide to use one.

Professional LCD Protectors


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## Josh66 (Aug 23, 2010)

I'm with Derrell on this one too.

I don't baby anything, lol.

Not a DSLR, but you see how my stuff looks  :




Looks bad, but it still works fine.

Here's the LCD:




You can see that the LCD took a pretty hard hit and no longer works.  It is scratch free though.

I have a lot of digital cameras, none of them have scratched LCDs...


If I ever did get one, I think I would get one of those glass ones usayit linked to.  That looks like it would actually protect from impact too.


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## Big Mike (Aug 23, 2010)

Back when DSLR cameras were first becoming mainstream, I heard that factory replacement screens were going to be fairly cheap.  $20-$30 for a screen etc.  The only problem being that you'd need to open up the camera to actually change it, and that's not exactly a user friendly procedure.  

However, I don't think I've ever actually heard of anyone who's had their screen replaced...as so few of them are ever broken...or if they were, the rest of the camera was also damaged to the point where repair was too expensive.


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## Josh66 (Aug 23, 2010)

Big Mike said:


> However, I don't think I've ever actually heard of anyone who's had their screen replaced...


I have another camera with a broken screen (350D).  It just died one day, no impact damage.  When I turn it on, it just glows white.

I would have replaced it myself, but it was just _impossible_ to find a new LCD for it...  You can't just go out and buy one.

I never bothered sending it in, because frankly - it didn't bother me that much.  I mostly shoot film anyway, so not having a LCD is no big deal.

Now it's just too old to bother fixing.  I'll probably just get a new camera body soon.  (It's been broken for like 3 years now...)


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## phototrek (Aug 23, 2010)

Thanks guys for your input. I really don't one to put one on my DSLR.  I don't abuse my camera gear so I don't see why I would need one.


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## Josh66 (Aug 23, 2010)

The glass ones look nice, and they should protect it from impact damage (what killed the LCD on the A520 that I posted above).  For that, it might be worth it.

If all you're worried about is preventing scratches, I would skip it.  Those screens are pretty tough.

Impacts can kill an LCD, but that can be (mostly) prevented by not abusing your gear.  Of course, you never know when an accident will happen...

In the case of my 350D, I think it was just a manufacturing defect that would have happened with or without a LCD protector.


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## TiCoyote (Aug 24, 2010)

I put a Giottos on mine.  It was $10, and the difference in clarity is barely perceivable.  I got it more to protect the thing from cracks than scratches.  Maybe it does nothing.  Maybe it gives me a false sense of confidence.  Maybe I wasted $10.  But it makes me feel better, so I can live with that.


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## Montana (Aug 24, 2010)

I put the cheapest film I can find on the rear screen on mine.  Not for protection, but I find it easier to wipe the sweaty nose prints off of.  LOL   The film has a really cloudy thumb wide swipe across it all the time from wiping away face tracks.  LOL


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