Anyone knows when Optura10 and 20 be discontinued? Brazil´s mail service lost my Optura10 and I think that, by the time they will pay it for me, the cam will be already discontinued.

The Optura 20 / 10 models have indeed been recently replaced by the Optura 40 / 30. Perhaps they will provide you with one of these newer cams instead ?

I think the xl mic is pretty good .Will this be compatible on the Optura 20?

Thanks

RB

It is not compatible. You would have to fabricate an adapter for the mic connection, as well as some sort of bracket as a mic holder. For all of the time and effort you'd spend on doing those two things, why not just get the DM-50 mic, plug it into the Advanced Accessory Shoe on the Optura 20 and be done with it.

Chris
OK. DM 50 it is.

Thanks

RB

i just received an optura 20 today and i am already starting to think i made a good decison with what money i had.

i will be making a documenrty about me and my friends senior year in highschool. will this be a good cam for the job?

i was thinking of picking up the dm-50 mic and possibly a wide angle or fisheye. (there will be lots of skating in it)

what lense would be good for the job around $100? i dont really know alot about lenses yet so any adice would be appreciated.

<<<-- ... i was thinking of picking up the dm-50 mic and possibly a wide angle or fisheye. (there will be lots of skating in it)

what lense would be good for the job around $100? i dont really know alot about lenses yet so any adice would be appreciated. -->>>

Kevin,
I just bought the Canon WD-H46 wide angle converter for my Opura Xi. It is a great lens and widens the view very nicely. I'm very satisfied. I think that's the one that will fir the Optura 20 (but check the specs in your manual).

In Canada, where I live, it retails for $279.00 CDN. I got it at my local pro dealer for $229.00 CDN.

If you buy the dm-50 mic can you post a review here, because a mic is my next purchase.

Hope this helps,
Earon

1. Fish-eye lenses are great for street skating, they just catch a lot of stuff. Think about getting an inexpensive fish-eye just in case you get in a skateboarding accident!

2. Wide angle lenses are used for indoor shots and wide landscape/panoramic shots. Many people never take off their wide angle lenses, myself included.

You can use your wide angle lense for street skating, and they're also great for vert. For an all-around lense, the wide angle is the way to go. Get the best you can afford.

FYI: I also have the Canon WD-H46. It's a good lens.

thanks for your advice.

i was checking lenses on B&H and i saw lots of inexpensive kenko lenses that seem to be alright.

do you recomend these lenses? or should i buy a canon lense because i have a canon camera?

<<<-- Originally posted by Michael Wisniewski : 1. Fish-eye lenses are great for street skating, they just catch a lot of stuff. Think about getting an inexpensive fish-eye just in case you get in a skateboarding accident!

2. Wide angle lenses are used for indoor shots and wide landscape/panoramic shots. Many people never take off their wide angle lenses, myself included.

Hi Michael:
Can you recommend a decent (but inexpensive) fish-eye for the Xi?

Also, just as you mentioned, as soon as I put the Wd-H46 wide angle on the Xi I thought "this is how it should be" and plan to leave it on.
Earon

Kevin,

The filter/lens thread on the Optura 20 is 37mm.
The recommended Canon wide angle lens for the Optura 20 is the Canon WD-H37 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=279212&is=REG).

But the Kenko's are fine to use. Do a search on B&H's site for "37mm wide angle (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=SearchBar&A=search&Q=*&shs=37mm+wide+angle&image.x=12&image.y=11)", then sort low to high. There are a lot of lenses to select from.

I have a Kenko SGW-05 Pro 37mm 0.5x Pro Wide Angle Converter Lens that I purchased from B&H for $80. I am happy with it's quality, and like that it has zoom thru. I use it with both my Optura 10, and my Panasonic 901 as they both have 37mm threads on the lens.

Can you recommend a decent (but inexpensive) fish-eye for the Xi? I've never used a fish-eye on my Xi ... :-) but there are two 46mm Kenko's at B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home;jsessionid=BAXERRyfxM!1149696638?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=SearchBar&A=search&Q=*&shs=46mm+fish&image.x=10&image.y=7) that look interesting. I've used the Century Optics fisheye on a GL-2 but it's expensive.

Hello all! I've got a mini shoot this weekend that I need to use my Optura 20 cam with an external mic setup (two condensers running through a pro-audio mic preamp). I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for setting the levels so that I don't drive the camera nuts by either being too loud or too quiet. Is headphone monitoring pretty much the only option? Sorry, I've gotten spoiled with the VU meters on my GL2.

I'm planning to use two ADK condenser mics with an ART TPS tube preamp in case anyone was interested. I'll be taping a band on stage. I'd use my GL2 instead, but it's already assigned to a different task (actually, it'll have a backup audio track in case the stereo Optura audio doesn't work out).

I realize that the 20 is now discontinued, but if anyone has any ideas or suggestions for other techniques I'd certainly be interested in hearing about them.

I'm trying to pick out a wide angle adapter for my camera and almost bought a Raynox 5005pro, but then I saw the distortion results...

http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/A620A610wide.html

Now I'm trying to find one that has less distortion. The Raynox 6600pro looks good but I would have to adapt up to 52mm. Can that even be done w/o vignetting?

Its a little smaller, but does that make enough difference?

I think I'm going for the Raynox 6600Pro
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=227155&is=REG

I'll need a stepup ring to go from 37mm to 43mm
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=221459&is=REG

Final question:
Should I get my filter set (UV, POL, 81A) to fit the 72mm of the front of the lens or 37mm or 43mm?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=408019&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Should I get my filter set (UV, POL, 81A) to fit the 72mm of the front of the lens or 37mm or 43mm?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=408019&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigationGet the 72mm filters with step up rings for the 37mm lens. That way you can use the same filters with or without the wide angle lens.

I'm trying to connect an Optura 20 to my PC and use Vegas 6 to capture, however, when I connect it, the camera via firewire, Windows make the *bing* recognize noise, but when the window asking what I want to do with the device comes up, there are no options in the window. Also, when I go to Vegas to capture, it says there is no device connected. I don't know what the issue is. I do not believe that it is the cable, since it connects to Windows. I need some help QUICKLY, time is short. Thanks.

Is the camera in VCR/Playback mode?

I am running Winddows XP Pro, Home, and Media Cennter on 3 different PC's and my Optura 10 works fine for capturing. I have captured directly to Windows Media Encoder 9, Movie Maker 2, and Adobe Premier. Here is my suggestion:

1. Make sure the camera is unplugged from the computer.
2. Install the drivers for the camera 1st
3. Connect the camera (make sure it is ON and in PLAYBACK mode)
4. Hopefully Windows will recognize it, associate the just-installed drivers with it, and work perfectly.

I lost my original CD so I downloaed the drive from Canon and it worked fine on all 3 PC's.

Tony