[Tako Kichi]

If any of you are thinking of installing an AC*MAXX hard LCD screen protector on your K-30 here's a word of caution for you.

I decided to invest in one of these after my oldest daughter dropped her iPhone and shattered the screen glass (it still works thanks to the film screen protector she had on it but it's like looking through a spider web). I was placing the order for my K-30 that same evening so decided to err on the side of caution and get some protection for the screen. I got it from an Ebay seller in California and it finally arrived today.

On opening the envelope I found a blister pack with the bare minimum of instructions. I scrupulously cleaned the camera LCD, peeled off the backing plastic and carefully applied the screen protector to the camera body. Everything looked to be aligned correctly until I pressed the screen protector down firmly with the aid of a microfiber cloth. I now had a large, rectangular, 'blob' on the screen starting in the upper centre (right below the viewfinder) and extending down the screen past the halfway point! GRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

I tried to lift the screen protector back up but the adhesive had 'grabbed' really well. While trying to remove it I noticed that if I lifted the top edge (under the viewfinder) then the 'blob' disappeared but releasing the top edge brought the 'blob' back again. It looked like the 'blob' was caused by contact between the protector and the LCD screen. I was less than impressed (to put it mildly) as it looked like I was going to have to live with the 'blob' or tear the protector off and lose the money I had paid for it.

At this point I decided to stop messing with it and spent some time working through the camera manual and various settings as I learn the ins and outs of my new camera.

About 30 minutes later I decided to look at the screen protector again as it was still annoying me. As it happens today is a hot and humid one here, plus the camera had been turned on for a while so the body was now a lot warmer than it was when I fitted the screen protector. I carefully tried to lift the protector off starting just below the viewfinder as I knew that was the point of least adhesion. I got lucky and the screen started to lift and I was able to gently peel it back off until it was just held by the very bottom edge. One more tug and it came free...bonus!

I re-applied the protector but I was extra cautious with the alignment and this time it sat down perfectly with no blobs anywhere.

The bottom line is that if you decide to get one of these protectors DO NOT align the silver line on the bottom edge of the protector with the bottom edge of the black line on the LCD screen (where the screen meets the camera body) as the top edge of the protector will overhang the top of the LCD screen by about 1mm and that is enough to let the protector sag and touch the LCD screen. I now have about 2mm of the blue body showing between the silver line and the bottom edge of the LCD screen and it's a perfect fit with no 'blobs'.

[Docrwm]

Glad you got it fixed. No, they do not come with much in the way of instructions. Sorry it was a pain for you, I'm on my 5th set of ACMAXX screens and think they are well worth the cost and time to install.

[Kobayashi.K]

Thanks for your review!

What is the material of the outside of the K-30 LCD screen?
Is it polycarbonate or tempered glass (like the K-5 II).
Do you think that makes any difference for adding the protector?

[Tako Kichi]

Thanks for your review!

No problem and if it helps someone else it served it's purpose.

What is the material of the outside of the K-30 LCD screen?
Is it polycarbonate or tempered glass (like the K-5 II).

I have no idea to be honest but if the K-5 II is tempered glass I would suspect the K-30 was the same. It certainly feels more like glass than plastic to the touch.

Do you think that makes any difference for adding the protector?

As the protector sits just slightly above the screen glass (if it's fitted correctly (see above! )), which I suspect is due to the thickness of the adhesive around the perimeter of the screen, then the protector would help to protect the camera screen from impact to some degree.

If the camera screen is polycarbonate then it would certainly provide an extra layer of safety in terms of scratch resistance as well as impact resistance. The protector screens are removable so if it gets scratched up it can be replaced far more cheaply than replacing the LCD screen.

[monochrome]

The protector screens are removable

Gently heat the edges of the ACMAXX with a hairdryer.

[JimJohnson]

I have experienced the same issue and repaired it - only to have it recur as atmospheric the pressure changes. But here is the deal - if you have this singular blob as described, turn on the camera. How hard do you have to look now to see the blob? It almost totally disappears.

While the blob annoys me when my LCD screen is turned off, it doesn't impact my use of the LCD when it is on, so I am learning to ignore the blob.