sslabs's Full Review: Sony Alpha LCD Protector Cover (PCK-LH1AM) for DSL...
Well I guess the title gave everything away. Hopefully the curious Sony A700 owner will stick around for the details. You know it's amazing that this huge industry has popped up in response to LCD protection. It's been around for many years now, and well, most of you still can't get it right.
The reasons are many, in Sony's case it's greed, mixed in with a little indifference. But Sony isn't alone, other dSLR makers seem to be dropping the ball in this area as well. So, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax and Olympus pay close attention to the following sentences. A large percentage of dSLR owners want to protect the LCD screen. Why? Because we want to protect our expensive investment, because we'd like to look at a nice clear screen, not a scratched up, cracked mess.
Oh yeah some of you camera makers have tossed out some kind of protection, but it's like an afterthought, something carelessly thrown out to scoop up a few extra dollars. What we as camera owners need (that you can't seem to provide consistently) is simple really. There should be four holes at the corners of the LCD screen on the body, that can accept small hex screws. Why? So any company can make an LCD protector simply, and make one that won't pop off easily. Or even better, allow owners to make their own (collective gasp).
But you won't do that. In the case of Sony (and others) you will make some lame indentations for your PCKLH1AM LCD protector to clip on. Because of a possible design patent, you will be the only one to make use of these indentations. I've come to this conclusion because while several manufacturers have made something for the A700, none have copied the Sony design. How this LCD protector attaches to the A700 is simple really. It clips on, very easily. And it also pops off very easily. Not a big deal? That protector is like a twenty dollar bill waiting to fall off. I can't afford to drop a twenty dollar bill. I could use that to buy two gallons of gas.
What were you thinking Sony? The A700 is a semi-pro body, which means some people might actually use their A700 for a living. Some might carry their camera every day, in near dark conditions, in the cold and in the heat. Some people might smack their camera around, or crawl on their stomach to get the shot. Some A700 owners will get it wet, muddy, dusty, and God knows what else. This cute little pop on, pop off cover would be fine on a $350 super zoom being used by a more casual user. This LCD protector however is just sad, and has no place on a product such as the A700 dSLR.
But wait folks it gets worse. The plastic that Sony uses is crystal clear (when new) but it's the softest plastic Sony could find in the universe. How soft is it? If you rubbed this protector with a baby's butt, or say Angelina Jolie's cheek, it would scratch. After two weeks or so, this protector looks like that plexiglass I've seen used for pro hockey. And to make matters worse, there is no sealing of any kind. So from time to time, you need to remove the cover to remove dust. Actually removing the cover isn't a pain because it wants to fall off anyway.
There is a better plastic protector out there (well sorta) made by ACMAXX. The plastic has an anti-reflective coating and an anti-scratch treatment. It actually works, after a few weeks, there are only some very fine, hard to see, micro scratches. The downside, it uses adhesive to attach which I don't like 'cause once it's on, you better hope you lined it up right. You can also try Invisible Shield, people swear by it, but it's a film not hard protection.
What about the glass protector? They rule. Glass is hard, you can't scratch it with any kind of cloth, napkin or paper towel. Well, they rule until you bang your camera against something that just happens to be your LCD. How do I know this? Because I did it. So for the moment, there is no perfect protector.
The best solution would be a polycarbonate cover with an armor coat to reduce scratches that attaches securely (attention Sony) to the camera. In my dreams, a dual layer, glass/poly cover that can be screwed to the camera body with a rubber gasket to keep out dust and water would be made by Sony. In that world, if I flapped my arms really hard, I could fly to New York. You thought I was going to say the moon huh? Well I'm not completely crazy.
The Sony PCK-LH1AM protects your camera's LCD screen from dirt, fingerprints and scratches. Made from hard, transparent polycarbonate. @@ Approximate...More at Adorama
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