markpsf,

I'm using something called Hoodskins from Hoodman. It's Model #HSK-PROSLR in a size 2 1/4' by 1 3/4". They don't cover the LCD completely, but I suppose it is a start until I find something better.

For the A700, Sony offers a plastic protector shield that snaps over the LCD display. They're around $11 on the Sonystyle website. I just got mine today, but I haven't had time to put it on. You might want to see if Sony makes them for the A3XX. I know they make them for the A200.

I don't believe that the lcd is scratch resistant.

I have fitted a transparent screen protector to my A350. You need a 3" protector to cover the whole screen. I tried the Sony one but found the quality suspect. These screens are slightly more reflective thant the original screen but not too bad. I used to have an Olympus E-330 after 3 months the screen coating was badly scratched so I have fitted one to my A350 as a precaution. Just Google "lcd screen proctector". You do really need a 3" one. Mine cost £3.49 for 2 on ebay UK source.

on the A300 and A350, they dont have a slotted groove to accomodate the hard plastic protectors like you can use on the A200 and A700 (both of mine have one on it).

I've heard great things about invisible shield.

Carl

I was just reading through the May 2008 Issue of Photography Monthly. On page 18 was a little blurb on the launch of LCD protectors by a company called Marumi. The website was listed as www.kenro.co.uk

After a little investigation, I found they had a product for the A100. Probably, there will be more to follow.

The specific product page is http://www.kenro.co.uk/product/MARUMILCD_Group/3/45/Marumi+LCD+Panel+Pro...

You UK guys catch all of the breaks.

It is best to protect. Just about any of the stick on LCD Protectors will do. I know you can buy snap on ones for the A7 and KM7D. As I have discovered, replacement of this is quite expensive……LOL.
Thanks for letting me share,
AJ

I've had one on my a100 for a few weeks now. It was cut to exact size, very clear and definitely tough. I put a little effort into trying to scratch it in a corner and couldn't. I will admit I wasn't trying to hard but, hard enough that a regular sheet protector would have been scratched.

SKB

I just spent 2 weeks in Alaska with a brand new Sony snap-on LCD protector on my new A700. After only 2 days of use, I noticed that the plastic protector was already quite scratched--probably from the buttons on my shirt, and possibly also from the velcro strip in my Tamrac shoulder bag. After two weeks, the protector looked like the ice surface in a hockey arena following an NHL game. (Go Red Wings!) It does protect the LCD--but also obscures the image on the LCD. In general, I had difficulty viewing the LCD outdoors to review my shots--with or without the protector. Indoors, without the protector, the LCD is of course beautiful and makes reviewing images a joy.

A further problem with the Sony LCD protector is that it is fairly easy to dislodge. It fell off twice during my trip when I was taking photos. Once on the deck of our cruise ship, and another time when I was working in close quarters sitting in a jet boat.

Since I purchased two of the Sony LCD protectors, I will be replacing the first one after only two weeks of use--and making sure I don't wear any shirts or jackets with buttons or zippers. However, this is only a temporary measure--and I will surely be looking for a better way to protect the LCD. One possibility is the invisibleSHIELD (www.zagg.com). I put one of these on my wife's Canon SD 850 before our trip, and it seems to have held up very well--no scratches, easy to wipe off, and doesn't obscure the LCD. However, it was not all that easy to install the invisibleSHIELD. I had a hard time getting all the bubbles out, and I'm not sure how easy it would be to remove it--or if this would damage the LCD. Thus I intend to carefully explore other options before sticking (literally) one on my A700.

Regarding battery life, I rarely turned off my camera during the day and went through about 1-1/2 batteries per day (typically using up about 50% of the spare battery). Almost all photos were taken outdoors with very little flash, and I almost never turned off the SSS. (Had to leave my travel tripod home, as there just wasn't enough room in our suitcases to pack it.) Shooting mostly extra-fine JPEGs, I filled up one 8GB UDMA card and almost all of another. (I deleted about 10-15% of my shots on the fly.)

I took about two thirds of my shots (mostly landscapes and wildlife) using a Sony 18-250mm lens, and about one-third using a Minolta 100-400mm. Used my Minolta 50mm f1.7 for some indoor museum shots where flash was not allowed. Did not use my Tamron 11-18mm very much except for a couple wide glacier shots and some close-in shots of very tall totem poles. There were a few times I could have used something longer than the 100-400 zoom for wildlife, but it would have been hard traveling in a tour group on boats, small planes, and busses with anything larger. Lens speed was seldom an issue. Most of our fellow travelers used point-and-shoots, while a couple used SLRs with what appeared to be about 70-200 or 70-300 zooms. I did see 3 people on the cruise ship hand-holding Canon 300mm and 100-400mm lenses. These were MUCH larger than the svelte Minolta 100-400, which proved quite easy to hand-hold and no doubt benefitted considerably from the Sony SSS--especially when snapping grizzlies, Dall sheep, whales and bald eagles in flight. In general, I was very satisfied with my assortment of lenses--and both long zooms attracted a lot of admiring glances from my fellow travelers.

While the A700 with the zoom lenses certainly proved a much heavier load to tote than my Maxxum 5, I did not find this to be much of a problem with my neoprene camera strap. In general, I enjoyed the versatility of the A700's settings and found myself using P, A, S, and Landscape a lot. However, with so many buttons and two control wheels, I found that it is very easy to change camera settings inadvertently--especially exposure compensation and even AF/MF. Once I was shocked to discover that I had taken several outdoor shots at ISO 6400--and I really have no idea how that happened. I generally set the camera at IS0 200, and when I did use Auto ISO the limits were set at 200-800. Obviously, I must have done something to change the ISO setting to 6400 without realizing it.

In any case, we had a wonderful trip with outstanding weather, and I truly enjoyed playing with my new Sony/Minolta toys. Alaska is certainly a beautiful and amazing state. Now if I can only find time to download and edit the 2,000 or so photos we took. Hopefully there will be a few good ones I can share with you!

Andy

I recently applied invisible shield after losing my sony lcd protector but haven't taken any shots with it on yet. I didn't find it too hard to apply, other than(for me) being pretty much impossible to get it 100% perfectly aligned on the lcd. I'd say it's about 99%, one corner is misaligned just a hair, I'm worried that it might lift up and peel-we'll see. I don't want it so much for protection as I do to prevent smudging.

And wow Andy, that sounds like a fantastic trip, very interesting, thanks for the sharing that. Your choice of equipment, and how it worked out for you is especially helpful. It sounds like you chose really well for what you needed. That's good to know you did okay on 1.5 batteries per day in those cold conditions too.

Can't wait to see some photos when you sort them out.

Eric,

I can't really say how well the a700's batteries would work in cold conditions. Daytime temperatures in Fairbanks and Denali were actually in the 60s. Ditto for Anchorage, Haines, Juneau, and Ketchikan. Most afternoons were sunny--which I'm told is rare for Alaska. It only rained twice--both times while we were riding on the McKinley Explorer train. It did get a little chilly out on Resurrection Bay during our Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise, but the sight of all those Orca and Humpback whales quickly warmed us up. As usual, Mt. McKinley was not visible from the ground, but we did get some good close-up views of it from a twin-engine fixed-wing flightseeing plane. Except for the fact that the salmon are not running yet, late May is a great time to visit Alaska. Moderate temperatures, lots of snowy peaks, not too many tourist busses in the parks, and generally good wildlife views because the deciduous trees and shrubs have not leafed out yet.

Andy

I'm getting this for the Alpha A300, only 12 bucks! Now that is affordable piece of mind.

http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/sony-alpha-dslr-a350-cases-screen-pr...

I've got the Invisible Shield on my A700 and on the second try got it fitting perfectly. It is great, I really don't worry at all about scratches - was a bit paranoid in the first week of owning the camera without anything on the screen. Very different to the screen on my old Dimage A1.

I also have the Invisible Shield on my iPod Classic and it works a treat on it too. However, that really is fiddly to fit. I was worried about the sheet on the front side working away at the edges, but once properly aligned so there is nothing overhanging the edge, and having left it for 24 hours to properly affix it is perfect and no problems.

Love the email, Andy. We head off to Alaska mid June to visit my wife's family. Will be taking A700 with me. Have borrowed a friend's Minolta 75-300mm for the trip though I am really hankering after the 70-300mm G... may have to settle on Tamron until funds permit.

Very encouraging to read your experiences.

It gets my vote too after taking it on the first outing. It picks up face oils less easily than with the lcd protector, which is my main thing, I hate constantly cleaning the lcd. I'm pretty much always shooting outdoors when sweaty.

I don't like the finesse required to get the thing lined up right, and am still worried mine might peel off since I'd say it's about 99% alined.. But so far so good.