Do you put screen protectors on your LCDs?

[Muse]

I received my refurb Canon ELPH 100 HS 5 days ago. Seems brand new. The one thing that was maybe a tip off that it wasn't new is that it didn't have a film on the 3" LCD. The included instructions said something a bit weird, saying that the LCD might have a film on it. It didn't.

So far so good, cleaning the screen with a wipe of my T shirt has it coming out spotless. I've put plastic film (sometimes just wide clear plastic tape) on several of the screens of my devices, am wondering if I should do something with this. For the time being, I'm keeping this camera in my pants pocket.

What are the screens made of? Is it glass or some kind of plastic. If plastic, I have to think it will scratch easily, and of course that's something I want to avoid. I think I saw an LCD cover advertized for this camera but it was ridiculously expensive.

What do you do?

 

[sixone]

I don't anymore, because my screen is articulated. I just turn the screen in when I turn the camera off.

If I had a cam like yours, I'd put a screen protector on it right quick.

 

[Throckmorton]

No. What are you worried about, reselling it? It's just a little P&S, don't obsess about meaningless stuff. I clean the screen on my Sony A35 with my tshirt, and it has some scratches from rodeo dirt, but who cares?

And don't worry about the lens either. It's glass which is very hard, and scratches don't affect your pictures.

 

[jhansman]

I don't anymore, because my screen is articulated. I just turn the screen in when I turn the camera off.

Same here. I had one on my Nikon D60 and it was fine, but now that I can manipulate the LCD, I keep it face down when not in use. I can say that when I sold the D60, the buyer appreciated the fact that he was getting a pristine LCD.

 

[Aharami]

yes. screen protectors are cheap.

 

[walkur]

I don't anymore, because my screen is articulated. I just turn the screen in when I turn the camera off.

If I had a cam like yours, I'd put a screen protector on it right quick.

Same here, it was one of the reasons i got the Panasonic G5.
Screen protectors are worth their weight in gold when you decide to sell it.

 

[JohnnyRebel]

No. But, they are cheap so go for it.

The D7000 & D200 both came with a hard plastic screen protector which I like since my kids ALWAYS have to touch the LCD when I show them the shot I just took of them. PB&J wipes off pretty easy and no worries. Never thought about it for my S95. I pulled out my decade old Nikon E995 and its screen is in great shape and never had a screen protector.

 

[SecurityTheatre]

The screens are hardened and coated glass. They're extremely durable, but I do put protectors on them.

Of course, my cameras are generally quite a bit more expensive than yours.

So, sure, screen protectors are good, but not having one is not worth keeping the thing locked in a safe. The odds of it getting scratched, even when tossed carelessly into a bag full of stuff, is pretty rare. I generally treat my gear as a tool, not a piece of art, and my camera is about 4 years old and has a minor scratch, but that's fine. It's a tool and it will show use eventually.

No stress!

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

the screens are coated glass? I don't think so. my 7D and T1i are plastic...

 

[Throckmorton]

What they should do is use Gorilla Glass like cell phones have

As a matter of fact, they should filters out of the stuff. It's almost unbreakable

 

[SecurityTheatre]

the screens are coated glass? I don't think so. my 7D and T1i are plastic...

The only thing I ever found in Nikon literature called replacement LCD parts this:

"LCD replacement: TFT + transparent glass substrate + Nematic liquid crystal"

Besides, I've seen the LCDs of cameras shatter in a very glass-like way. Plastic very seldom shatters or cracks down the center, but these are common failure methods of camera LCDs.

They resist scratching very well, but will shatter if hit very hard. iPhones, for example, are made of the same type of stuff.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The only thing I ever found in Nikon literature called replacement LCD parts this:

"LCD replacement: TFT + transparent glass substrate + Nematic liquid crystal"

Besides, I've seen the LCDs of cameras shatter in a very glass-like way. Plastic very seldom shatters or cracks down the center, but these are common failure methods of camera LCDs.

They resist scratching very well, but will shatter if hit very hard. iPhones, for example, are made of the same type of stuff.

certain cameras I suppose. I want to say my T1i and 7D are plastic though. I've put glass screen protectors on them before. The Schott ones are nice. They also block out glare and UV and improve the image rather than to worsen it. The downside is I cracked THREE of them. Point impact will shatter them. I had one on my T1i and after a plane ride there was a giant crack. My 7D failed later and my S95 did also. No more. They cost too much and while they look nice and protect from scratches, replacing the plastic cover itself is pretty cheap.

 

[Throckmorton]

The only thing I ever found in Nikon literature called replacement LCD parts this:

"LCD replacement: TFT + transparent glass substrate + Nematic liquid crystal"

Besides, I've seen the LCDs of cameras shatter in a very glass-like way. Plastic very seldom shatters or cracks down the center, but these are common failure methods of camera LCDs.

They resist scratching very well, but will shatter if hit very hard. iPhones, for example, are made of the same type of stuff.

I think the layer behind the LCD is glass, but the layer on top is plastic. There's an easy way to test. If metal can't scratch it, it's glass.

 

[Muse]

I think the layer behind the LCD is glass, but the layer on top is plastic. There's an easy way to test. If metal can't scratch it, it's glass.

I'm certainly curious but not willing to discover that the topmost layer on the LCD of my Canon ELPH 100 HS is plastic by putting a permanent scratch in it. :\

I did some poking around. Couldn't determine anything about the screen, but people who have bought screen protectors on Amazon are very often not pleased with the difficulties of applying them... bubbles, in particular. They usually come in sets of 3, and the experiences seem very YMMV. Presently I'm keeping the camera in my pocket, where it has no company. I'm hoping the screen will endure no trauma. So far so good...

 

[cvrefugee]

All the screen protectors I've used in the past have always degraded the image or created a nasty grain.

 

[yhelothar]

Nope

 

[MontyAC]

I don't.

 

[thescreensavers]

On my cell phone which I use everyday and is known to scratch sure, on my P&S no.

 

[gevorg]

no way, life's too short to worry about these things...

 

[Muse]

All the screen protectors I've used in the past have always degraded the image or created a nasty grain.

Indeed. The screen looks so good naked, I think I'll try to just keep it pristine.

 

[blastingcap]

I only use screen protectors on $600+ stuff. My Canon s95 goes naked.

 

[SilthDraeth]

http://www.xpel.com/products/bulk.asp

That is what I use on my Nexus 7 screen. I use the xtreme ppf. A 1ft x 1ft is 9 bucks and like $12 shipped. You just cut it to the size you need, put a drop of dawn dishwashing liquid in a squirt bottle mixed up in some water, and mist your screen and the film. Apply and keep squeeging out the bubbles until you almost can't see them anymore, any of the super micro tiny bubbles will go away as it drys, but ripples and larger bubbles causing film to look like it is peeling up are possible to push out with a credit card, or something smaller but similar to fit your lcd.

Anyways, it looks excellent on my nexus 7, has a slightly rubbery/less slippery feel, but I am ok with that to avoid the scratches I would inevitably get on the screen.

Also the stuff is really hard to penetrate through and if your not paying attention the first pass with a brand new utility blade won't slice it... you have to use pretty firm pressure and make sure you have a nice firm cutting board and metal guide or the material will warp vs cut clean... ie it is TOUGH.

I haven't used the top of the line self healing, but I probably would on a fancy phone or something expected to get a lot of abuse.

 

[Muse]

Interesting! I just looked up the Nexus 7, wikipedia describes its screen thus:

7 in (180 mm) diagonal IPS-backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16:10 widescreen aspect ratio
1280×800 WXGA pixels (216 ppi) with 16M colors, 178° viewing angle
Scratch-resistant Corning Fit Glass

 

[SilthDraeth]

Interesting! I just looked up the Nexus 7, wikipedia describes its screen thus:

7 in (180 mm) diagonal IPS-backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16:10 widescreen aspect ratio
1280×800 WXGA pixels (216 ppi) with 16M colors, 178° viewing angle
Scratch-resistant Corning Fit Glass

Right.

It isn't a camera, but it does have and LCD, and can benefit from screen savers. Granted I have a lot more real estate to cover than you.

I would assume it would work fine on your camera's lcd.

 

[Garming]

If you get a plastic one, remember to clean it often. I had one on my d90 and the accumulated dust in between the lcd and the screen protection left marks on my screen.