Giottos LCD Cover Glasses

[IMast]

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Has anyone fitted one of these protectors to the rear LCD of their M8 and if so:

 

1. What did you think of it.

 

2. Was it easy to fit.

 

3. What size did you use as there appear to be 3 different ones covering a 2.5" screen.

[highlander]

After a long hunt I finally found one where the postage did not cost more than the item itself, it is great, fits easily, looks wonderful and can be altered by using a hair dryer (Judiciously) . Contact Tony Rose at Popflash, the stated postage cost is astronomical, but ask and he will send it by a more economical method. I can't remember the exact size but tell him its for an M8 and he will sort it out.

Best wishes ... Jim.

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[Speenth]

Has anyone fitted one of these protectors to the rear LCD of their M8 and if so:

 

1. What did you think of it.

 

2. Was it easy to fit.

 

3. What size did you use as there appear to be 3 different ones covering a 2.5" screen.

 

I haven't used these screens because I read too many reports of their fragility. They appear to be very prone to breakage. Instead, after trying a number of variably useless alternatives, I discovered the Zagg 'Invisible Shield' protector screen.

 

Although the Zagg screen has a sticky backing, it is applied using a supplied spray which is sprayed first on your fingers (to prevent finger prints) and then on both sides of the protector sheet. Then you slide the damp screen into place. A squeegee is provided to remove bubbles and the remaining liquid traces. A lint-free cloth does the final clean up and polish. 24 hours later the screen is taut, bubble and artefact-free and looks just great.

 

The Zagg screen is a perfect fit and in practice, it is quite invisible - it seems to have no noticeable effect on brightness and subjectively, it appears to have improved contrast!

 

The Zagg screen is very durable and so far, is showing every sign of being on there forever - no wear, no lifting corners etc.

 

Recommended (despite the messy application).

[glenerrolrd]

I bought two at PhotoVillage in NYC and have been using them since October. They have been great ...the big advantage for me is the ability to wipe them off with anything thats handy. I use them with Luigi s half case/no back ..so catching an edge is never a problem. They have been through a lot of use ..probably 5000+ images ..6-8 trips . My only concern is taking them off. Some reports that if you heat the screen you may pull off the original protective glass along with you screen protector. I think for hard everyday use they are the best but they maybe overkill for the average M8 user and I still have the someday issue of getting them off if I want to sell the bodies.

[highlander]

I haven't used these screens because I read too many reports of their fragility. They appear to be very prone to breakage. Instead, after trying a number of variably useless alternatives, I discovered the Zagg 'Invisible Shield' protector screen.

 

Although the Zagg screen has a sticky backing, it is applied using a supplied spray which is sprayed first on your fingers (to prevent finger prints) and then on both sides of the protector sheet. Then you slide the damp screen into place. A squeegee is provided to remove bubbles and the remaining liquid traces. A lint-free cloth does the final clean up and polish. 24 hours later the screen is taut, bubble and artefact-free and looks just great.

 

The Zagg screen is a perfect fit and in practice, it is quite invisible - it seems to have no noticeable effect on brightness and subjectively, it appears to have improved contrast!

 

The Zagg screen is very durable and so far, is showing every sign of being on there forever - no wear, no lifting corners etc.

 

Recommended (despite the messy application).

 

 

The screen cover I removed before fitting the Giotto's was a Zagg. Despite repeated attempts to fit it smooth and clear there was always something that got in the way. I do not live in a laboratory. The supplied liquid was in such short supply, you would think it was some precious formula they had conjured up. There was always a consciousness that it was there and I for one do not believe that it gave anything to viewing the LCD. Horses for courses, the Giotto's is clean and clear, the only thing that took some time to adjust to was the black border, I am over that now but time will tell if the Schott glass is as good as they say.

[Guest Olof]

Has anyone fitted one of these protectors to the rear LCD of their M8 and if so:

 

1. What did you think of it.

 

2. Was it easy to fit.

 

3. What size did you use as there appear to be 3 different ones covering a 2.5" screen.

 

The best is 3M Vikuiti, its measuere made and not expensive !

[KJB]

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Has anyone fitted one of these protectors to the rear LCD of their M8 and if so:

 

1. What did you think of it.

 

2. Was it easy to fit.

 

3. What size did you use as there appear to be 3 different ones covering a 2.5" screen.

 

I like it overall and you want to fit it correctly the first time but not too difficult. I also got it from Tony at Popflash. The only issue to note is that it will block a small amount of the image on playback. It can be an issue when chimping but overall it has worked quite well and I have less concerns about scratching the original glass screen.

[rosuna]

The screen protectors for the Fifth Generation (5G) iPods are perfect for the LCD of the M8.

[Vieri]

I use the DA Protector on both my M8s and it works just great. I had it on my D2xs as well, without any problem. Here is a link:

 

Welcome to 'da Products

 

You will have to choose the "custom cut" option and enter the screen size for your M8. It comes with rounded corners, and fits it real good.

[dont458]

I use giotto 2.5" part number SP8250. It was suggested to me by Tony at PopFlash when I bought my M8. It was very easy to install but you must be very careful about getting it positioned correctly, on straight, and everything very clean since it's difficult or impossible to adjust once in place. I was told that you can heat it with a hair dryer to remove or ajust but I dont' think I'd like to try that. It is very thin glass so I'm sure you could break it easily, but better it than damage to the lcd. It is very slightly smaller than the lcd so there is a slight crop of image view. It is so slight that it does not effect any menu or information displays. It is easy to clean without the worry of lcd damage. I have had it on from the beginning and I like it.

 

Don

[Daniel Ortego]

Nope, although I am using “ScreenPatronus” with good results. It’s a simple self-sticky film type protector (3 per pack) and it fits’ the M8 screen nearly perfect. Simple to use and unlike some reports, it remains in place after a hectic holiday visit to Florida. The key is to have a clean screen and apply with tweezers.

Regards,

[usayit]

I had one installed by the guy behind the counter at my local shop at the time I purchased my M8. Works well... I like it.

[etrigan63]

I had one but the uber-warm and humid Florida weather caused it to fall off. I got a custom Luigi case instead.

[simon_hughes]

The Giottos appear to be a good idea but they are extremely fragile. I bought two of them from my two bodies and they were both badly cracked within a few weeks. I have since replaced them with Zagg (formerly known as Invisible Shield). It is a film used by the security industry to prevent glass from shattering and is astonishingly strong. I've used this on all my digicam for the past couple of years. Highly recommended.

 

BTW, as others mentioned, when I removed the broken Giottos, on one body, the LCD cover glass come up too. I was able to immediately stick it back down and it has held, but beware of this too.

[Speenth]

The screen cover I removed before fitting the Giotto's was a Zagg. Despite repeated attempts to fit it smooth and clear there was always something that got in the way. I do not live in a laboratory. The supplied liquid was in such short supply, you would think it was some precious formula they had conjured up. There was always a consciousness that it was there and I for one do not believe that it gave anything to viewing the LCD. Horses for courses, the Giotto's is clean and clear, the only thing that took some time to adjust to was the black border, I am over that now but time will tell if the Schott glass is as good as they say.

 

A very interesting counterpoint to my experience. I bought three of these Zagg screens - one for my M8, one for my wife's D-Lux 3 and one for my Archos 605 PMP. In each case, I applied the screens without taking remarkable precautions to eliminate dust and all three are completely artefact free. I put this down to the special spray used during application.

 

The liquid supplied by Zagg came in a whiteboard-pen-sized aerosol spray; one aerosol for each of my three screens. I used only a small amount of ONE aerosol to fit all three screens! This is despite my following Zagg's instructions to the letter and spraying my hands and finger-tips before handling the sheet and spraying both sides of each sheet.

 

Once applied, the screens effectively 'disappear' over a period of 24 hours as they become taut.

 

The most demanding requirement for these Zagg screens is not the camera backs; the M8 one is only used for chimping or reviewing menus and, while the D-Lux 3 screen is (regrettably) the only means of viewfinding, the Zagg screen is to all intents 'invisible' once the D-Lux 3 screen is illuminated.

 

No, the most demanding application is the Archos, which is a touch-screen device and multi-media player that majors on its exceptional image quality for reviewing images, watching movies, surfing the Internet etc. I find the Zagg screen has no effect on viewing, but it has markedly improved the touchscreen performance because the slight stickiness of the plastic enhances the precision of each touch of the stylus.

 

Incidentally, and off topic - I have the 160Gb Archos 605 Wifi and I've found it is an excellent device for storing M8 images in the field. Very portable and just great for reviewing and storing the images when you're travelling light.

[gwelland]

I've used two on my M8's. They look great and they do an excellent job of improving visibility of the screen and provide some scratch resistance. HOWEVER, the glass has a slight lip around the edge of the LCD cover which makes them very susceptible to cracking, even if used with a Luigi case.

 

I had one shatter and it was a pain to remove using the suggested hair dryer technique. The heat does soften the adhesive but it's very easy to left up the Leica LCD cover when trying to pry off a broken chunk of glass.

[highlander]

A very interesting counterpoint to my experience. I bought three of these Zagg screens - one for my M8, one for my wife's D-Lux 3 and one for my Archos 605 PMP. In each case, I applied the screens without taking remarkable precautions to eliminate dust and all three are completely artefact free. I put this down to the special spray used during application.

 

The liquid supplied by Zagg came in a whiteboard-pen-sized aerosol spray; one aerosol for each of my three screens. I used only a small amount of ONE aerosol to fit all three screens! This is despite my following Zagg's instructions to the letter and spraying my hands and finger-tips before handling the sheet and spraying both sides of each sheet.

 

Once applied, the screens effectively 'disappear' over a period of 24 hours as they become taut.

 

The most demanding requirement for these Zagg screens is not the camera backs; the M8 one is only used for chimping or reviewing menus and, while the D-Lux 3 screen is (regrettably) the only means of viewfinding, the Zagg screen is to all intents 'invisible' once the D-Lux 3 screen is illuminated.

 

No, the most demanding application is the Archos, which is a touch-screen device and multi-media player that majors on its exceptional image quality for reviewing images, watching movies, surfing the Internet etc. I find the Zagg screen has no effect on viewing, but it has markedly improved the touchscreen performance because the slight stickiness of the plastic enhances the precision of each touch of the stylus.

 

Incidentally, and off topic - I have the 160Gb Archos 605 Wifi and I've found it is an excellent device for storing M8 images in the field. Very portable and just great for reviewing and storing the images when you're travelling light.

 

Do you know if it is possible to obtain just the aerosol, the one I was supplied with was tiny, from your description (whiteboard-pen -sized) it looks like I did not have sufficient liquid to do the job ( No funny remarks please). I have kept the old protector, so may be able to re-use if the Giottos goes south.

Regards.

[simon_hughes]

Not sure why anyone would need extra fluid. The amount supplied is more than ample to do the job. I end up with tons left from each little bottle. You only need to spray both sides of the plastic and the screen you're applying it to. A bit sprayed on your fingers helps keep the plastic from sticking to you and picking up finger prints. As far as I know, it's just distilled water.

It takes a day or two for all the bubbles (if any are left) to work themselves out, but after that, it's the best protection out there.

 

We use a very similar product on our office windows to keep the crack-heads from breaking in and it withstands enormous impacts. It works by distributing the impact force over the entire sheet of glass.

[TRSmith]

I use the DA Protector on both my M8s and it works just great. I had it on my D2xs as well, without any problem. Here is a link:

 

Welcome to 'da Products

 

You will have to choose the "custom cut" option and enter the screen size for your M8. It comes with rounded corners, and fits it real good.

 

I have one of the DA Protectors on my D2Xs and love it. The installation doesn't involve fluids and was pretty simple. Highly recommended.

 

Thanks for the reminder vieri, I'm going to order one for my M8.

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[markjames]

I have to say I really like the ZAGG screens too. I've tried everything (including 4-5 different makes of iPod protectors and the ZAGG is perfect once you let it sit for a day. Application is not all that difficult if you take your time and spray your fingers first - there's plenty of fluid too. I've got the screens on both M8s and an Epson viewer. Clear enough as compared to the bare screen for me especially for quickly checking composition and exposure ballpark. I would not want to fit more of an attachment to an already 'lean' piece of machinery like the M8. The ZAGG screens are much more robust than static activated iPod protectors and can be easily removed if necessary. No, I don't work for the company...

 

Mark