John Mitchell Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 My trusty old Sony NEX-3 now has a pretty beat-up looking screen that is getting a bit difficult to use. David K. posted this informative article in 2011 explaining how to peel off the old plastic cover and replace it with a glass one. Has anybody tried this procedure? If so, how did it work out? P.S. I have a glass screen protector on order, coincidentally the same one that David used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Thanks a lot for posting that link, John -- I have the same problem with my NEX-3 screen. I put good screen protectors on both my 6 and 7, but the 3 is a mess. Sorry I can't help you, since I've not tried it. And I'm not sure I will, since it's my third-level NEX backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 Thanks a lot for posting that link, John -- I have the same problem with my NEX-3 screen. I put good screen protectors on both my 6 and 7, but the 3 is a mess. Sorry I can help you, since I've not tried it. And I'm not sure I will, since it's my third-level NEX backup. Right. You have an extensive camera wardrobe. I still use my NEX-3 fairly often. I quite like the camera's simplicity, especially when using old MF lenses that I've been experimenting with lately. A glass screen replacement on eBay (from China, of course) will set you back less than $5 if you do decide to give it a try. Can't figure out why Sony used a crappy sheet of plastic on the screen since the camera itself is solidly put together. I wisely (for once) put a glass protector on my NEX-6 right away. No deterioration so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidhu Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 John, I bought the glass screen a few months back intending to follow David's advice. However although my screen is in a bad way the cover has not lifted at the edges so I can't get any purchase on it to pull it off. I've tried tentatively poking at it with a thin screwdriver but I fear I'm going to do it some damage so I'll just have to live with it as it is for the time being. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 John, I bought the glass screen a few months back intending to follow David's advice. However although my screen is in a bad way the cover has not lifted at the edges so I can't get any purchase on it to pull it off. I've tried tentatively poking at it with a thin screwdriver but I fear I'm going to do it some damage so I'll just have to live with it as it is for the time being. Dave Interesting. I haven't tried to pull the plastic off yet. Anything to do with camera repair makes me very nervous. I believe David recommends applying hand warmth to help make the plastic more pliable. Have you tried that? Don't think I would want to poke around with a screwdriver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidhu Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 John, yes tried that plus leaving it in indirect sunshine but the edges stubbornly refuse to lift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 John, yes tried that plus leaving it in indirect sunshine but the edges stubbornly refuse to lift. You must have gotten one with industrial-strength glue. Thanks for the heads-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 John, there is a YouTube video on replacing the screen (on the NEX-5, which is the same, I think), but the idiot doing it look totally incompetent. I couldn't even watch it all the way though. And the corner was a bit off to begin with. It was like all those people demonstrating how to cook scrambled eggs, who have no idea what they're doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 John, there is a YouTube video on replacing the screen (on the NEX-5, which is the same, I think), but the idiot doing it look totally incompetent. I couldn't even watch it all the way though. And the corner was a bit off to begin with. It was like all those people demonstrating how to cook scrambled eggs, who have no idea what they're doing. Thanks, Edo. I believe that I've seen that video. It won't be nominated for an Oscar, that's for sure. You're right, watching it to the bitter end is torture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 It went well with a scalpel blade for the first 3 mm. From there a very firm and even pull, but very very slow. It can easily take 10-15 minutes. So far I have not replaced it with the protective screen, which I had bought before I began the operation. Did a Nex3 and a RX100. The rest of the cameras have many more scratches than the glass. wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 It went well with a scalpel blade for the first 3 mm. From there a very firm and even pull, but very very slow. It can easily take 10-15 minutes. So far I have not replaced it with the protective screen, which I had bought before I began the operation. Did a Nex3 and a RX100. The rest of the cameras have many more scratches than the glass. wim Thanks, Wim. You're a brave man. The screen protector should take a couple of weeks to get here, so I'll have some time to bone-up on my surgical procedures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Only 10-15 minutes, wim? I took me that long to open the peanut butter jar in the morning -- that why I switched to oatmeal. I have a different approach. I'm trying to convince myself that all those scratches look sexy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Scratchy could indeed become the new sexy for me too, Edo. I'm a bit squeamish when it comes to scalpels. It's interesting how the online tutorials don't mention how tricky it can be to get the original plastic cover off. They give the impression that it isn't that much more difficult than peeling an unripe banana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 With the Nex3 the scratches were so bad, I could see only them in bright light. (It was my bicycle camera.) So when I found David K's post, I did not hesitate. When one of the RX100-s was scratched too much as well, recently, I did that one. Somehow the glue got better and the camera is a lot less solid, so I was a lot more careful. The scalpel is because I happen to have them. A razor will probably work well enough. Try to keep the blade pressed to the glass and cut through the glue. A scalpel is just a slimmer/sharper razor. The sharper the knife, the better cuts heal, btw. If you have no thin razor blades, a single scalpel blade is the cheapest solution, sometimes free at your local pharmacy, dentist, gp, or vet. wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 Thanks again, Wim. I probably have some old-fashioned razor blades sitting around somewhere. The NEX-3 is a great little camera. I bought mine used, and it has paid for itself many times over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Do any of your neighbors have a Rottweiler? They can tear anything lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mitchell Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 Do any of your neighbors have a Rottweiler? They can tear anything lose. No Rottweilers, but a neighbour does have a very yappy and aggressive chihuahua that I occasionally have to pry loose from my pant leg. Perhaps they will let me borrow him [evil cackle]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 I'll send my hubby's African Gray, Bogie, over. He can bite to the bone. I spent last New Year's Eve in the ER thanks to a nifty bite to the web (and below) of my thumb. A cover should be a piece of cake for him. Do you know they'll only put one stitch in when an animal bites? To drain any infection that might happen. Oh, did I say I now bring him out of his cage on a broom handle? Kind of like having an 8" Rotweiler with feathers. That from a bird that says I love you and sings, "You Are My Sunshine" to me. I'd cut his you know whats off if I knew where to find them. Get rid of that testosterone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiskerke Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 An angle grinder will of course also work. wim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Let's stop fooling around here -- 2.5 oz of C-4. Seriously though, I feel some sympathy for Sony. They introduced some ground-breaking tech and hardware with their mirrorless line . . . at the same time they were being attacked by killer weather in Thailand and then that super-hack attack from North Korea. It took a while, with some bumps in the road, but I'm pretty happy with my set of Sony gear. Edo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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