Saw a similar thread on the Panasonic DV953 board, so I thought it could be useful here too.

Post any tip/trick you can recommend for the Canon Optura 300 camcorder. No questions, only tips.

Oded S.

The first thing I did when I got my 300, was to add a lens filter to protect the actual lens from scratches. It's far cheaper to replace a $20 filter than the original built-in lens.

After my purchase of the Canon Optura 300 I bought from e-bay: 2 – BP412 batteries, 1 – 256 mb SD card, clear UV filter, battery charger and a firewire cable. I also purchased a small camera case from Fry's Electronics. These were all 3rd party products and they all seem to work fine with the Optura 300. The extended life batteries really increase the usefulness of the camera. The 256 SD card allows for 290 snapshots in the in the hi-resolution fine mode. I really love this camera!

I got from BH Photo a VB-50 accessory adapter that screws to the tripod connector. What's really great about this add-on, beside the fact that it accomodates TWO cold shoes - one for light, one for microphone - is the fact that it also doubles as a stabilizer. The adapter is vertical to the camcorder, and has a well placed area for your hand. So basically you can hold the small camcorder firmly using BOTH hands - an important thing with such small camcorders.

Oded S.