As camera LCD display grows from puny 1″ screens to large >3″ LCD screens nowadays, the large surface area gets more and more susceptible to surface scratches, and in some cases, hard impact from buckles, belt hooks, etc.
While there are abundant peel-and-stick plastic LCD protectors available, most of these will not help prevent scratches, especially when the LCD comes in contact with a rather sharp object.
I ordered the GGS Glass LCD Screen Protector from one of my usual eBay stores from Hong Kong for US$9.00 with free shipping to Singapore and it arrived 3 days later.
The packaging is decent and while the instructions are all in Chinese, you shouldn’t need to refer to a user’s guide when installing something like this.
According to the seller (note that the text has been corrected from the usual “China-English”.
Item information:This GGS LCD screen protector is for Canon 40D SLR camera, which is completely different from the traditional plastic protective film . GGS LCD screen protector is using ultra thin optical glass and special processing, it is high transparency, anti-scrape, anti-bump, anti-aging and easy to install.
This Protector is a product compared to the PVC material screen protector. The thickness of the glass is only 0.5mm in which the level of transparency is guaranteed. Special coating has been applied to strengthen the LCD screen protector in order to prevent it from scratches. It provides high level protection for your camera LCD screen.
Specification:
• It uses a 0.5mm ultra thin optical glass with at least 90% transmittance. It has higher transparency than other LCD screen protector.
• It is as hard as 8H and it can bear a heavy burden (8kg/cm2), also it can prevent from being rubbed, scraped and bumped.
• It is well sealed by 3M double side adhesive tape which is not easy to be unglued and easy to be installed. There is no air bubble or angle occurs during sticking on the equipment. It will not affected by the temperature and humidity.
• It prevents the LCD screen infected by sweat stain, smear, acid and alkali element and prolongs the life of the screen.
• It can be removed and reused if the glue layer hasn’t been damaged.
• Anti-Scratch, Anti-Dust, Anti-Collision, Moisture-proof, UV Protection
I have to remove the previously installed plastic LCD protector that’s installed right now and clean the actual LCD surface. As you can see, the plastic LCD protector has already suffered some scrapes and bumps.
I cleaned off the LCD with a microfiber towel and a glass cleaner, then polished it off with the dry side of my towel to make sure no smudges remain.
Peel off the adhesive protector from the back side of the glass protector and carefully align the corners the screen protector and the camera’s LCD. You can see that the glass protector is solid and can stand on its own when held vertically.
Just like that, you’re done. Knock on the LCD with a pen and you’ll get a solid, glass-sounding *tink* sound instead of the plastic *thud*.
Compared to the cost of a branded plastic LCD protector, the glass protector is a steal, in my opinion. I don’t see a noticeable loss in brightness either. In addition, since the (lousy) Canon LCDs doesn’t sport an anti-reflective coating, you won’t really notice any changes in reflectivity. If you’re using a 50D or a 5D Mark II, however, you may lose the anti-reflectivity when you use the GGS.
I have to add this important warning, though. Unlike soft LCD protectors, you only get one shot to install this correctly. The finished product photos above are taken a week after the first batch of photos because I got a little obsessed with lining the corner edges up and I tried to remove the glass from the LCD. The result was catastrophic.
A friend of mine (thanks Sherwin), advised me to turn on the LCD when lining up the protector, so I took a photo of our white wall and viewed it on screen before lining up the edges. I also made sure that the bottom right corner doesn’t protrude towards the 40D’s on/off switch (main reason why I tried to pry off the first one).
The nice thing about installing a non-bendable screen protector is you won’t have to deal with air bubbles. Just line it up, press it flush, you’re all set. No bubble problems.
February 18th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Another good write-up Dave. Have used one on an LX3 and the installation was a breeze compared to those plastic ones (where you have to try to remove those nasty bubbles… grrrrr). Have used plastic protectors before and after a few weeks the corner would snag on something and cause it to peel off slowly.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Hi david,
Thanks for sharing. I plan to buy one myself for my 450D. I’ve been using the generic plastic protectors. Just a question, did it leave any marks on your LCD after you tried removing it on your first try?
February 18th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Nope, zero… Besides, adhesive is extremely easy to remove on a hard surface. :)
February 18th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
hey david,
how did this screen protector fared in terms of durability? is it very susceptible to scratches and hard knocks?
thanks for the review! :)
February 18th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Sam: Frankly, I’ve only had it for a few days, the whole point would be just to protect the original LCD surface anyway, at S$13 bucks, it’s not a big deal if it gets scratched, however, it’s surely a lot harder and scratch resistant than the original (unprotected) screen and plastic screens.
Just for your entertainment, I “wrote” on the glass protector with a ball point pen and rubbed the ink off and I don’t see any scratches even under harsh lighting.
I’m not trying it with an Xacto knife, though LOL :D
February 18th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
It might be a better solution against damage than a thin screen protector film, but it still does not solve the problem of glare on the viewfinder. I would like to know how much of the screen can you see when the display is subjected to sunglare? Based on our work, not much.
You might want to consider purchasing the NuShield DayVue antireflective screen protector film. You can place it over this glass screen protector and it will disperse sunglare and block UV rays from bouncing back to your eyes. You will be able to see the image on the display without having to shade the display. Our film is being used by crime scene investigatiors who have to document accident scenes in daylight and have to make sure that the shot is sharp and details can be seen. You can pick up our Cut to Fit kit which can cover displays up to 4.3 inch diagonal and cut it down to fit your display screen. The package is only $15.00 for two films and cleaning wipes. You can find it on our website: http://www.nushield.com/dayvue.php.
February 19th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Andrew: Yes, you’re correct. Canon’s lack of anti-reflective coating in their LCD’s older than the 5DII/50D is annoying, as mentioned in the review. The NUSHIELD you posted is great, I’m sure the readers (and myself) will seriously consider adding that.
As for your query about glare, I’m not certain as to how the viewfinder is affected by the LCD screen as the viewfinder is pretty much recessed and covered by your eye when you use it. Or are you referring to viewing the LCD screen itself as a viewfinder, like most point-and-shoot cameras?
I do have a question, though. I’m really bad at cutting, do you have pre-cut 3″ screens?
April 11th, 2009 at 1:29 am
Hi David, I bought a GCS LCD protector off my favorite HK-based eBay store, specifically shaped for a Nikon D60. The OC in me had second thoughts installing it, because it would cover the Nikon D60 logo under the LCD screen, but once I got over that it wasn't so bad. :D The thing is I didn't know about the white screen guide until AFTER I had installed it, and as a result I installed it with a slight tilt. Didn't hamper viewing on the LCD screen itself though, and as I was mulling taking it off and putting it back on straight I saw the picture of the broken protector you had. So I'm not touching mine anymore — until I get a new one, that is :)
April 12th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Bambit: Haha, yeah, if nothing's protruding, just let it me, it sucks if it breaks….
May 9th, 2009 at 11:22 am
I was looking into buying a Delkin lcd protector with hood for my D1x . You know why I need a hood. He,he. But on second thought, this hood can injure me if I forget to pop it closed before taking another shot. It's like getting poked witha teaspoon if one forgets to remove it before taking a sip. So I might buy this one for the D1x and D40. Thanks for the review.
May 9th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I'm pretty sure that's available in the Philippines, Noel… Try asking Aperture or Echostore :)
November 1st, 2009 at 2:32 am
How do you remove the glue from the LCD after you remove the GGS Protector.
November 1st, 2009 at 6:44 am
Adhesive removers such as Goo Gone will work, as will simple distillates such as WD40, just spray some on your finger, rub the surface lightly, then wipe off with tissue paper, then wipe with a dry cloth.
January 28th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Did you try to remove it from one corner?
You might have better luck if you use a credit card (or similar) and support the whole glass across as you slide the card under the protector. Lateral force from one corner puts torque on the glass from different angles.
February 11th, 2010 at 2:47 am
Thanks!! bought this based on the groups recommendation, fits and works great on my 40D
cheers,
April 9th, 2010 at 5:20 am
Its a mess to install the protector, but , one might have better luck if you use a credit card (or similar) and support the whole glass across as you slide the card under the LCD screen protector film. Lateral force from one corner puts torque on the glass from different angles.
July 7th, 2010 at 1:06 am
i'm considering buying a ggs protector because i have 3 daughters with nikon coolpix cameras. I've had to replace all three of them within a two year period because the lcd screen cracked. Would this help to protect against screen cracking?
July 7th, 2010 at 1:46 am
It would if the cause of your previous cracks were direct hits on screen, then yes.
July 7th, 2010 at 2:51 am
i'm guessing that they dropped the cameras. I'll probably go ahead and buy the screen protectors. It's starting to get expensive replacing screens!
July 25th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
I'm considering the purchase of one of these screens for my Canon A650. It has a swivel, variable angle screen… and, my concern is if the this GGS protective glass is thin enough to allow the screen to properly snap shut onto the camera back once it's attached. As it is now… without a protective screen… there's absolutely no "give" (movement) nor much space between the LCD screen and the camera back, itself. Any insights regarding the use of a GGS glass protector on an articulating LCD camera screen? …thanks in advance.
July 26th, 2010 at 7:53 am
Hi Irma. It'll be a tougher decision for a swivel screen. I suggest you find a proxy sheet of cardboard or something to test thickness first before buying the GGS. Getting a protector that's slightly smaller would be advisable as well.
July 26th, 2010 at 2:12 am
…thank you for your quick response and wise suggestions, David. I tried the cardboard test at 1mm, which is double the thickness of the GGS protector. And, I'm happy to say that the Canon swivel screen closed easily… without resistance. Now, my A650 has a 2.5" screen and the next size down for protectors appears to be a 2"… a bit too undersized for my liking. So, I'm going to "roll the dice" and buy a 2.5" GGS. In the chance that it doesn't fit within the sides of the A650's display, I'll simply attach it onto my non-swivel back, Canon A550 LCD screen… also 2.5". In any event, I'll let you know whether or not the GGS worked for that swivel screen.
thank you again, Irma
July 26th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Hi again Irma, please do post your results here. Thank you.
July 28th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Well David… it didn't fit the A650 swivel screen. Apparently, the stated dimensions (in this case, 2.5") is the clear, transparent part of the GGS protector. That measurement doesn't include the blackened, opaque frame that's around the edges of the GGS screen. The actual diagonal measurement of the GGS glass is 2 and 11/16ths, which is perfect for flush, non-swivel back LCD screens. But, it's a "no go" for swivel screens that are exacting in size and inset on an articulating back. Nothing ventured; nothing gained… and, I'm pleased to say that my Canon PowerShot A550's LCD now has this impressive and pristine protector to conceal its ugly scuffs and scratches. As for the A650… I'll have to use a plastic film protector that can be trimmed to fit. Thanks again for your advice and insights… Irma
July 29th, 2010 at 12:05 am
Gotta love your positive approach! :)
Nice to know that at least your A550 still benefited from it. I've never considered the challenge on swivel screens, I must thank you for bringing the topic/issue up.
Have a good day Irma
Dave