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Martin Fields Screen Protectors (and Camera Protector)

PyroSporker

Android Expert
Apr 3, 2010
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The not very well known Martin Fields Overlay Plus Screen Protectors are now available for the HTC Evo 3D! They sell a very nice Crystal Clear Screen Protector, but the real selling point here is an included Camera Glass protector!


  • Click here for their Official Store:

It comes with 1 premium cut Evo 3D specific Screen Protector and a Bonus Evo 3D Camera Protector. They are adhesive free and dry install, and will not place your device in any jeopardy whatsoever. Don't mess around with water on your device like those other screen protector guys require. These are easily removed with a simple piece of scotch tape with NO residue left behind. These are also re-usable. They can be removed, ran under water, air dried, and re-applied later.

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Their website has an installation guide for their products. They also carry a large line of protectors for other devices, especially digital camera screens and GPS unit screens.

There are a few reviews and install instructionals on YouTube; just search for the product name.

And there is also a few threads here on Android Forums for other devices regarding Martin Fields' products that might be worth reading.

Google-ing around the internet will turn up some reviews too. Their company is well known around the world as opposed to just the US. Most people in the US may not have even heard of them before. I believe they do a majority of their business in Europe and Asia.

Finally, Inform yourselves. Don't take my word for it.
I hope this informational thread will help someone out.
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Click this nifty show button for my past personal experience with their product and slight review. I am not a reviewer and gain nothing for sharing my opinion, I am just trying to help others out here:

Martin Fields truly does make a nice Screen Protector. I used it for quite a few months on my Evo 4G's screen, But eventually I switched back to Steinheil for the main screen. Even though I switched back I never removed the Camera Glass protector and was very satisfied with it. I will likely purchase Martin Fields' Evo 3D Screen Protector JUST for the camera protection. I custom cut a home made protector for temporary, but it turned out really bad and only covers 75% of the camera glass.

Martin Fields' Screen Protectors I would say are certainly on par with Steinheil - whom I consider to have the best material you can find on the market. Although, Martin Fields' material is slightly inferior to Steinheil's Ultra Crystal. However, they make up for it largely by having a unique and hard to find anywhere else Camera Glass protector.

The two aforementioned products are of approximately equal transparency but the Martin Fields protectors have a different physical make up. I believe they have a different type of UV coating on them. It seems they gather alot of fingerprints, but not only that they smudge around. The inevitable fingerprint oils also seem to create a purplish/rainbow-y effect on the surface when light is reflected off it. All around the Overlay Plus' also seem to be a tad more reflective than Steinheil's Ultra Crystal. The best I can compare it to is really nice expensive eyeglasses that have a UV coating on them. They usually are more reflective and sometimes have a light purplish tint coating on them that can be outwardly visible when reflecting light or if they get fingerprint/face oil on them. The UV coating does not hinder the visibility of the glasses and the wearer does not see everything with a purple haze (ha!), but in certain circumstances from an outsiders view the UV coating can be noticeable and somewhat annoying. Back to the phone screen though, I found the fingerprints and purple-y tint to be subdued yet annoying and it was one of the deciding factors in switching back to Steinheil. An average person may not even notice, but I have an eye for detail and it bothered me over time.

A few other things to note is that Overlay Plus' have more pronounced cut edges. The material may even be thicker and more rigid, which is a good thing. You can tell it is high quality. The feeling of the material is great, and when clean, swiping a finger on it feels like glass. They are slightly more difficult to install based on their cut though as they didn't allow for much of a fudge factor like other company's do. It is good because the protector does not leave as big of a edge around the screen - someone was just complaining about this the other day. It does however make it slightly harder to install. This was rather annoying with the Evo 4G because there was a special notch cut out for the light and proximity sensors and it had to be lined up perfectly to fit all 4 corners of the device. This should be less of a problem with the Evo 3D as there are no cut outs in the screen protector.

The real downfall of the Martin Fields Screen protectors is their cost. They cost significantly more for only one screen protector. Also they are imported from Hong Kong, so not only do they cost more but they have had ridiculous shipping charges in the past (they recently added more reasonable USPS shipping charge but ETA is 15-77 days! As I said before they are imported from Hong Kong).

The last problem is that any camera glass protector causes a SLIGHT visual loss to photos. This is going to happen anytime you put something in between a lens and your subject. I don't want to overstate this because it is not a huge difference. My findings are all subjective and circumstantial as I have no data to back up my claims. I've simply noticed that it doesn't take great super duper up close photos, and sometimes has trouble focusing the lens if you are trying to take an up close macro shot. Also there is a tiny tiny bit of added noise to pictures - especially in low light. But nothing substantially more than a bare camera I would guess. I'm a self proclaimed details guy, and if it was not up to my standards for detail I would let you know. I didn't take alot of photos with the Evo 4G but I did take some great pictures even with a camera glass protector on. If someone wants Martin Fields camera glass protection but didn't want to cover the lens area of the 2 rear facing Evo 3D cameras I've thought of an easy solution. Just punch out the two lens holes in the plastic material using one of these one hole plastic/paper punches that is extra sharp and well aimed:
270652535692_0.jpg


When it comes down to it, Martin Fields have a really great high quality product. And most people would be beyond satisfied when it is installed on their screen. I however notice certain details that might not bother others which made me switch back to Steinheil. But as I said before, Even though I switched back to Steinheil's Protectors I still left Martin Fields' Camera Glass protector on and was abundantly satisfied with it. It is low profile, unlike a case, and will prevent scratches directly on the glass. You will be hard pressed to find another dry install camera protector around the internet (Phantomskinz and Ghost Armor use water to install - a big no no for my electronic devices). If you can justify the cost, give Martin Fields Overlay Plus a try and let us know what you think. My guess is that you will be satisfied by the screen protection, and with peace of mind knowing that your camera glass is not going to get scratched anymore simply by setting your device down.



(Since I compare Martin Fields to Steinheil so much, You may want to see my thread on SGP Products for reference Stenheil (SGP) Screen Protectors Thread)
 
or you can go to Walmart and get a 5 pack of generic screen protectors for 5 bucks. Each pack makes about 20 covers.

This is what I was thinking about doing. I have several unused screen protectors left from old phones and was thinking about cutting them up for camera protectors. Does anyone know where to get the dimensions so we could make a template for this purpose?
 
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I had a Martin Fields protector for my Hero. These really are the best protectors I've ever used (although I do hear that BoxWave makes a comparable product). The shipping fee is killer, though, since these are coming from Japan.

They now offer $4.99 USPS shipping (but a longer wait time - hopefully shorter than their estimates). Its still a bit spendy, but not like it used to be. Back for the Hero and Evo 4G they seemingly only had Fed-Ex Next Day Air shipping, which cost as much as the screen protector.
 
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They now offer $4.99 USPS shipping (but a longer wait time - hopefully shorter than their estimates). Its still a bit spendy, but not like it used to be. Back for the Hero and Evo 4G they seemingly only had Fed-Ex Next Day Air shipping, which cost as much as the screen protector.

Just pulled the trigger and used the USPS shipping option. I'll let you know how long it takes to get to me (California). True, you can get protectors for cheaper, but I really haven't used anything better than these.
 
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Do you think putting a screen protector on the camera would hurt the picture quality?

It is sort of an inevitable truth that it does effect picture quality. This part is from my original post up top, hidden in the wall of text. It sums it up pretty well.

The last problem is that any camera glass protector is going to cause a SLIGHT visual loss to photos. This is going to happen anytime you put something in between a lens and your subject, but I don't want to overstate this because it is not a huge difference[in the case of Martin Fields]. ... I've simply noticed that it doesn't take great super duper up close photos, and sometimes has trouble focusing the lens if you are trying to take an up close macro shot. Also there is a tiny tiny bit of added noise to pictures - especially in low light. But nothing substantially more than a bare camera I would guess. I'm a self proclaimed details guy, and if it was not up to my standards for detail I would let you know.

I didn't take alot of photos with the Evo 4G but I did take some great pictures even with a camera glass protector on. If someone wants Martin Fields camera glass protection [or any self cut material] but didn't want to cover the lens area of the 2 rear facing Evo 3D cameras I've thought of an easy solution. Just punch out the two lens holes in the plastic material using one of those one hole plastic/paper punches that is extra sharp and well aimed

The amount that it hurts the picture is going to come down to what material you put on it and the quality of said material.

I've had a self cut piece on my Evo 3D as well and haven't noticed a huge degradation in image quality either, although I have no control for my experiment; ie. a bare Evo 3D camera to compare it to.
 
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It is sort of an inevitable truth that it does effect picture quality. This part is from my original post up top, hidden in the wall of text. It sums it up pretty well.



The amount that it hurts the picture is going to come down to what material you put on it and the quality of said material.

I've had a self cut piece on my Evo 3D as well and haven't noticed a huge degradation in image quality either, although I have no control for my experiment; ie. a bare Evo 3D camera to compare it to.

Regarding additional noise with a screen protector, I can't see how this would be possible unless the protector is changing (reducing) the amount of light hitting the sensor, causing it to raise the ISO. It will be interesting to see if this is, indeed, the case. If I remember to do so, I'll try to experiment how/if the ISO changes with and without the Martin Fields camera protector when it arrives.

I'm assuming focus problems can arise if the protector gets dirty/accumulates a good amount of scratches, but I would rather have said dirt and scratches on a removable film as opposed to the non-replaceable camera glass.
 
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Does anyone know where to get the dimensions so we could make a template for this purpose?

When I needed measurements I just laid a sheet of paper over the camera glass and lightly pressed the writing utensil into the slight edge of the bezel around the glass without piercing the paper. Or you can lightly draw over the entire shape like a relief shading. I ended up with a nice outline of all the edges and the corners, which are especially hard to measure traditionally. It gives an approximation. You can then lay your clear protector material on the sheet of paper and trace the shape on the removable backing. When you go to cut the material, just cut a little bit inside your lines.

I don't necessarily recommend this method as a final solution, mine turned out pretty poorly cuz I rushed on the corners and knew I would get something better later, but it does the job.

Everyone can find their own solution (custom cut, Martin Fields, Phantomskinz, etc.) or not even worry about the camera glass at all. People can make their own decisions and have their opinions. I personally find it much easier in the end to just buy the Martin Fields protector, as it will have a really good cut of high quality material. :cool:

---edit---
Just noticed it is even easier to trace the camera pod with the battery door off. Or you could even use the battery door as a stencil and trace around the opening in it, although it will be a bit less accurate.
 
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Has your parcel arrived yet? I'm ever curious about the product fitment, specifically for the camera.

Haven't received it yet... USPS is notoriously bad when it comes to tracking packages (especially from overseas). All I know is that it was processed at the sorting facility in Singapore (this was 4 days ago).

From the Martin Fields website, it appears the camera protector covers the entire back camera module minus cutouts for the LED flashes.
 
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Haven't received it yet... USPS is notoriously bad when it comes to tracking packages (especially from overseas). All I know is that it was processed at the sorting facility in Singapore (this was 4 days ago).

From the Martin Fields website, it appears the camera protector covers the entire back camera module minus cutouts for the LED flashes.

Yes, I am quite familiar with USPS. Like you mentioned, Customs are only going to make things worse. Maybe their 14+ days approximation is closer than we expected. I thought it would go quick since they filled your order so expediently and got it to the post.

Yes, I noticed it had the cut outs for the dual LED flash, kinda strange.
My curiosity lays within how near to the edges it will cover the glass, and how easily it installs. I can see that since you haven't received the item yet we are both in the same boat of wonderment :) Guess I'm just excited that you are getting the product and I'm not (I'm forced to wait due to cash flow issues). I can tell you will keep us up to date though.
 
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Yes, I am quite familiar with USPS. Like you mentioned, Customs are only going to make things worse. Maybe their 14+ days approximation is closer than we expected. I thought it would go quick since they filled your order so expediently and got it to the post.

Yes, I noticed it had the cut outs for the dual LED flash, kinda strange.
My curiosity lays within how near to the edges it will cover the glass, and how easily it installs. I can see that since you haven't received the item yet we are both in the same boat of wonderment :) Guess I'm just excited that you are getting the product and I'm not (I'm forced to wait due to cash flow issues). I can tell you will keep us up to date though.
I was wondering why there were LED cutouts too, and found out it was smart for them to do so -- the flash would likely result in internal light refraction within the screen protector causing image degradation. In other words, with it on, if you put your thumb over the LED flash with the light on, you'll see the screen protector's edges light up, as there is some internal light reflectance going on.
 
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