Expert Shield Screen Protector

Give Your Gear Some Love

If you’ve followed my blog for a bit, you’re likely wondering what I’m doing writing about a digital camera accessory. While it’s true I love the experience of shooting with film, great design is always near and dear to my heart and there are some wonderfully designed digital cameras out there, with the Fujifilm X-Pro2, Ricoh GRii and Olympus TG3 occasionally finding themselves in my hand or somewhere in my Peak Design Everyday Backpack. A common feature of all three of these cameras is an exposed screen and -as one who obsesses about keeping his toys tidy- preventing those screens from becoming damaged is important to me.

You’re Writing About A Clear Piece of Plastic?

Yes, yes I am! As I mentioned, I love great design, and even something as simple as a screen protector will catch my attention if it’s executed well. The Expert Shield Screen Protector is a simple lesson in excellent product design and user experience, enough so that I’ve actually been thinking about writing about ever since i installed my first one. So here we go, the short and sweet on why this is the only screen protector brand I would consider for my cameras.

Fit & Finish

I’ve now purchased and installed two Expert Shield screen protectors, one on my Ricoh GRii (above) and the other on my Fujifilm X-Pro2 (bellow) and the fitment is absolutely spot on. My X-Pro2 protector even came with a spare in the sleeve (perhaps inadvertently?) and when I lined it up it matched the screen as perfectly as the original piece I affixed. For the Ricoh I chose the “Anti Glare” variant, whereas I used the “Crystal Clear” version on the X-Pro2. This was somewhat strategic, given the Ricoh lacks a viewfinder and thus good screen visibility in all lighting conditions is paramount. With the Fuji, I primarily use the viewfinder to shoot, and so the screen is really used just to review my shots.

The screen on both cameras is slightly recessed and for this reason I believe the protector is about 1mm shy of perfectly flush with either side, which actually helps with ease of installation. The screen comes cleverly sandwiched between two protective layers which helps you not mess up in handling and when practicing test fittings. Finally, there’s nothing flimsy about it; both versions have a quality feel with a thickness and rigidity that might surprise you but definitely will inspire confidence in their ability to help protect your gear.

Easy as ABC

About a year ago I witnessed first hand as a camera-store employee ham-fistedly affixed another brand of screen protector to my Xpro-2 (and assured me all the bubbles left behind would sort themselves out). The experience left me a bit gun-shy about trying it myself, but eventually the old protector was so dilapidated that I simply had to peel it off and find a replacement. Expert Shield clearly have put a lot of thought into ensuring their customers’ experience affixing the protector is stress-free. They even provide a handy screen wipe to ensure your screen is crystal clear before adding the protector. The package has clear, concise and fairly comical instructions printed on the back, and of course there’s even more detail and installation videos on their site. The installation tip recommending doing the final installation in a slightly foggy bathroom (to reduce dust in the air and thus landing on your screen) seemed especially clever; though my wife was curious what I was up to bringing the camera into the bathroom and running a steamy shower…

It Works

After several months of rattling around in backpacks, purses and the back of our cars; the screens (and shields) look as immaculate as the day I installed them. No bubbles, all edges firmly affixed and not even a scratch on either. Both versions work well in various lighting conditions without distorting or obscuring what you’re aiming to see. The crystal clear version which I have on the XPro-2 feels a touch softer than the anti-glare variant, so I expected it to start to show some scratching but it’s been remarkably resilient. In fact, when I started writing this piece I had to check the XPro-2 closely just to make sure it was indeed still installed -it’s that clear and precise a fit. The anti-glare shield on the Ricoh quite frankly feels like it will outlive the rest of the camera. It’s a touch more difficult to clean fingerprints from than the crystal clear version, but I find a mild screen cleaning solution such as Zeiss Lens Cleaner does the trick to keep it clean. I highly recommend these affordable, well-made shields for your camera. They’re a cheap investment to help protect a not-so cheap tool and certainly give you a ton more piece of mind when working with cameras with exposed screens.

Disclaimer

I purchased these screens from Amazon on my own and was neither sponsored nor subsidized to do so nor to write this article. I’m a consumer and enthusiast sharing a great experience for like-minded individuals! If you’d like to purchase these screen protectors for your own cameras, please consider using the links in my article, through which I might earn a small commission on qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. This will help to offset my hosting costs and allow me to keep generating content you enjoy! Thanks! RicohGRii and Fujifilm XPro-2