EliGEAR.com

Review: Invisible Shield for Nikon D90

A friend of mine had a spare Invisible Shield for the D90, and offered to send it to me. Well hey, I can’t turn down gear to protect my gear. It arrived today, and I set about installing it.

The package includes protectors for the main LCD and top LCD, a sponge with fluid to activate the adhesive, an “installation card” (the plastic card that comes with most screen protectors), a microfiber cloth, and instructions.

The application process on the main LCD went about as well as any screen protector I’ve ever used. The sponge had small pieces of debris on it that invariably ended up under the protector, and I had to remove, clean, and reapply it a couple of times to remove these. After that, it looked pretty good. Hopefully it won’t interfere with the Nikon-provided BM-10 screen protector (it’s still drying).

Update: It does not interfere with the screen protector, and it fits tightly enough that it may prevent dust from becoming trapped in there. That’s pretty cool.

Installation of the protector for the top screen was easier, mostly due to its smaller size. It’s actually pretty useful there too, as that screen isn’t covered by the stock screen protector.

So it’s not a bad product, but it is important to note that Invisible Shield consists basically of advertising and packaging. I know a $0.30 piece of plastic when I see it, and these little appliques definitely fall into that category. For this, and some fabulous packaging, they charge $14.99. And that’s for approximately a 2x2” piece of material. MacBook shields cost upwards of $54.99. LOL, guys, seriously.

On an iPhone or MacBook, one of these would absolutely ruin its aesthetics, and usability on a touchscreen would suffer to a degree I’m not willing to tolerate. Also, I’m only going to say this once, because I’m really tired of repeating it - THE IPHONE HAS A TEMPERED GLASS SCREEN. GLASS SCREENS DO NOT REQUIRE SCREEN PROTECTORS. But the plastic screen on my camera? Sure. Really, I’d put it on anything that’s not a touchscreen and isn’t pretty (sorry, camera).

And then there’s that price. Here’s a list of companies with similar offerings at generally lower prices..

Final score: Point off for price, point off for debris on the sponge, half a point off for being sold in Best Buy and Radio Shack. Two and a half Eli’s for appearing to work as advertised. Also I like the method of application a lot better than the traditional peel-and-stick screen protectors.

I’ll report back in a little while and see how it’s holding up.