Avoid Damage from Camera Grip (PD-95G)

[John20212]

I just got the Camera Grip today and was kind of annoyed how easy it is to scratch your phone putting it in and out of the plastic grip, so here is how I managed to sort it out using some pieces of fabric band-aid.

I am a bit annoyed at Nokia for the poor design, they should have designed the mechanism a bit better, perhaps by using hinges or something so that you don't scratch you phone by taking it in and out of the Camera Grip.

If the grip was not so useful I would consider returning it, but aside from the photography benefits I found it very useful as a phone stand so I can use my phone as a desk clock with the glance screen on.

The band-aid fix is not the prettiest solution, but still better than scraching you phone. Black color band-aid would work much better, but only had this one at home.

Pics:

 

[Laura Knotek]

That was a clever idea!

 

[rmichael75]

I think you can just use transparent scotch tape and that will do the same? All you want is to protect the paint at the points where the camera grip touches.. Just thinking.. as this makes your phone with the camera grip as bandaged.

 

[lostaggie]

Great concept but band aids will wear quickly I am thinking. How about finding a clearance Invisible shield and cutting small pieces to put into place?

 

[John20212]

Great concept but band aids will wear quickly I am thinking. How about finding a clearance Invisible shield and cutting small pieces to put into place?

The invisible shield or the scotch tape (as mentioned by rmichael75) are posible other solutions, I just grabed the first thing I could think of, I will leave it on and see how it works and how fast it wears out. But since I am still waiting for a normal cover (hoping for the Nokia leather one) I might keep the grip on for a while, it isn't that big especially when comparing it with the otterbox case I saw some people use.
I am also curious how much extra life the battery adds to the phone.

One reason why I opted for the fabric band-aid and not a normal tape is because the camera grip edges that the phone slides along as you insert it are quite sharp so I wanted something that would cusion them. I am not sure a thin tape would do it.

Has anyone else tested another solution?

 

[tgr42]

I am also curious how much extra life the battery adds to the phone.

The following graph and explanation may help give some idea. In this case, I first attached the camera grip but set it to not charge the phone battery. Then, when the phone got down to around 73% I turned on the camera grip battery and let it charge the phone battery until it ran out. I shot 117 full-res pics with Pro Cam between 12PM and 5:45PM, most of them happening after 2:30PM. I also recorded 4 short videos and made a quick panorama during this time.



This graph is from an app called Battery Sense by Vasan. I highly recommend it, or some similar app, for understanding your battery life.

A few notes about this graph though. It takes some time for the battery rate to return to a normal level even after stopping battery draining activities altogether. I'm not sure why this is. I also have my battery level reported as 100% for about 4-5 hours after I take the phone off the charger in the morning, which is why it shows 100% until just after noon here when I started actually using the phone intensively.

I was pretty impressed by the overall experience, by the way. I brought an extra Anker USB battery just in case but never came close to needing it. My group and I wore out before the phone+camera grip batteries did, after touring 4 museums/galleries for a total of 7 miles walked. The grip was comfortable to use, the phone didn't seem too bulky/heavy with it, and the lanyard was surprisingly nice. Aside from the difficulty of removing it, I think it's a great accessory.

 

[dfaris]

Why don't you put the protective material (band aid) on the camera grip instead of the phone?

 

[John20212]

Why don't you put the protective material (band aid) on the camera grip instead of the phone?

I put it on the camera grip. More specificaly on the sharp edges of the grip where the phone makes contact with the grip during insertion and removal.

 

[bawboh86]

I think I'd prefer the band aid trick over scotch tape. The point is to soften the corners, and band aids have more of a cloth feel to them. I think this would make it softer than scotch tape that's still a bit prickly. Maybe moleskin or something would work, too?

 

[dfaris]

Oh I see now. Maybe black duct tape on the grip. it should blend in and provide soft protection to the grip.

 

[bawboh86]

Oh I see now. Maybe black duct tape on the grip. it should blend in and provide soft protection to the grip.

I am of the mindset that duct tape can fix ANYTHING. If it can't, then WD-40. If neither fix it, you're doing it wrong.

 

[husslord]

Damn that sucks! I have the black model, how bad does it scratch?? Was searching youtube a few days ago, but had no luck finding a video showing scratches.....is there any bump at all for the camera while in the case?? I know its stands up, but still, I am on the fence with this! I want it, but don't want it scratching the hell out of my phone, nor do I want to modify it, well I could use old screen protectors, and cut em out and put them inside the case! Anyone try that yet? I am just ocd with my phones and especially this one with the camera! Thanks guys!

 

[tgr42]

I have the black model and have attached+removed the camera grip about 5 times so far. The scratches are BARELY visible. You have to get the light glinting off the phone just right, and even then it's not that easy to see when you're specifically looking for it. If you're not looking for it, you're probably not going to notice it, even if you're really OCD. This has been my experience, anyway. I do kind of wonder how it will end up looking later on after I've attached+removed the camera grip more times. It does seem to be a little easier to remove it now than it did at first - maybe the camera grip got broken in (stretched) a little? Having to stretch hard plastic still feels like kind of a lame design though.

 

[antiochian2010]

A) Sorry but the cures here seem to create more problems than the disease. I'm not even convinced there is a problem. I think the best solution is care, patience and slow removal are the key; I have not been experiencing any scratching and certainly don't want to have bandaid or tape junk on my phone or accessories..

B) TGR42 - Great post with the battery sense data!!!

 

[videian]

My plan(whenever the damn tho ships, come on amazon!). Is to use moleskin on the inside connection points of he camera grip. Should be a cleaner install than bandaid...

 

[photobriangray]

I have a white 1020 which may help to conceal any scratches, but best advice I can give is to make sure everything is clean before slotting the phone into the grip.

 

[Bkr11]

FWIW I used the camera grip on mine for our Hawaii trip and don't notice a single scratch. I've probably taken it off & on a couple dozen times, between using in phone-only mode and showing people how it works...

 

[JaimitoFrog]

I have a white 1020 which may help to conceal any scratches, but best advice I can give is to make sure everything is clean before slotting the phone into the grip.

same here, zero issues with white 1020.

 

[bawboh86]

So, I've been with the grip on and off a bit lately, and I haven't noticed a single problem with my yellow 1020...

 

[Michael Spencer]

To be honest - you shouldn't worry about the grip itself; it's suppose to take a bit bump and bruise - so 1020 doesn't get damaged.