Invisible Shield screen protector

[Ben Z]

Today I received and attempted to install "Invisible Shield" brand screen protectors on my M8 and D-Lux 3. These $11-each things are supposed to stick better and not scratch like the others. You put them on by spraying a solution over them and sliding them into place, then squeegee the wet stuff off.

To cut to the chase, I've been using the standard screen protectors for years and can apply one dry in about 30 seconds, perfectly aligned with no bubbles. But after a half-hour on each one all I managed to do was ruin both of these Invisible Shields, and I hope none of the wet solution seeped into the guts of the cameras. I'll certainly take the manufacturer's advice and not turn them on for 24 hours!

Sure regular protectors (Palm brand, 13 for $20 ,from Office depot) get scratched and need replacing maybe once a year (probably the M8 and D-Lux 3 will need it more often because their LCD's stick up above the surface, while the ones I'm used to are recessed and so harder to get the edges picked up), but I think I'll go that route.

Anyone who got a perfect result the first time with the Invisible Shield, I bow down at your feet in humble awe of your manual dexterity😱

 

[RF-Addict]

I put Invisible shields on all my cameras and they really work great - no scratches and most importantly they don't come off even in the most demanding environments (blazing hot in Arizona and very humid in the Costa Rica Cloud forests). The trick is to get not too worked up when you have a bubble - use a credit card to flatten it as much as possible, but don't over-do it. Within the next 5 days the bubble(s) will disappear and you have a perfectyly flat surface.

 

[Ben Z]

I understood that. I've installed window tinting film on home and automobile windows, which is the same process on a much larger scale. Some people have had good results with the Invisble Shield but equally many, now that I read further, have had the same terrible results as I did. The first problem was that there were places around the thing where it wasn't cut through and it didn't come off the backing without using a cuticle scissors to separate it where it wasn't cut. I remain completely unimpressed. I have a PDA protector on my Canon 20D for oer a year with not enough scratches to warrant replacement.

Post script: I just ordered a 3 1/2 x 9" sheet of the same material for $9 shipped, as the $11-ea Invisible Shield, from a place called Best Skins Ever, and I will try again. At least this will give me enough material to get at least one perfect, for less cost .

 

[Ronald M]

But can you get them off again?

 

[chuckcars]

Leica rep says Giotto's makes one out of Schott glass. Trouble is Giotto's does not make one specifically for the M8. I wrote the factory in China and they have no plans to do so. You have to measure and order the Giotto's from the measurements. I have not done so, yet. Leica says they come off easily with a small amount of heat from a hair dryer.

 

[Ben Z]

But can you get them off again?

Good question, and again I've read conflicting reports. Some say they came off fine, others said not. I'm probably going to keep going with the PDA protectors unless I find they really don't stand up as well as they have on other cameras I've owned, then I'll try the Best Skins.

Leica rep says Giotto's makes one out of Schott glass. Trouble is Giotto's does not make one specifically for the M8. I wrote the factory in China and they have no plans to do so. You have to measure and order the Giotto's from the measurements. I have not done so, yet. Leica says they come off easily with a small amount of heat from a hair dryer.

Both B&H and Popflash have the Giottos protectors that fit the M8. I forgot the number, but it's on their websites. There are 2 of them the same size, the one for the M8 has narrower frame borders.

The problem I have with the Giottos are that they are thin (1/2 millimeter) pieces of glass that have a strip of double-stickum around the border. That would leave a slight separation underneath, i.e. it's not flat against the LCD. I don't care that they say they are tempered, I can still imagine it wouldn't take that much of a smack to crack it. It doesn't say they are laminated or made to crumble vs break into shards. Not interested.

 

[simonclivehughe]

Don't bother with the Giottos... I put them on my two M8s and they were both badly cracked after 3 weeks. I'm reverting to Invisible Shields which I've used for a couple of years with great results.

 

[chuckcars]

Thanks Ben and Simon for stepping forward. My info came from the Leica rep at their all day workshop/demo. I will take your advise.

 

[Ben Z]

Chuck, see my update HERE. I got Best Skins Ever, which is the same identical material as Invisible Shield, but a lot less expensive and gives you extra to screw one or two up (if you buy the cut-yourself sheet as I did). I put it on dry, like a PDA protector. Worked much much better than their wet method, and didn't involve getting a $5000 un-weather-sealed camera wet!