Tag : 3 battery, olympus hld, grip
 |  Company : Olympus List Price : $119.95 Amazon Price : $87.88 Used Price : Average customer review :  |
SimilarProduct
- Olympus RM-CB1 Remote Cable Release for E-10
- Olympus BLM-01 Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery for C7070, C8080, E1, E300 & E500 Digital Cameras
- Olympus FL-36 Electronic Flash for SP series, C7070, E1, E300 & E500 Cameras
- Olympus AS-ME-1 Eyecup Magnifier for the EVOLT E-300 & EVOLT E-500
Accessoies
- Olympus BLM-01 Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery for C7070, C8080, E1, E300 & E500 Digital Cameras
- Olympus RM-CB1 Remote Cable Release for E-10
Product Description
Feel the power of the EVOLT with your choice of one or two batteries using the HLD-3. Capture an extensive number of images using one battery or almost double the number able to be shot with two batteries. Featuring a shutter release button at its base for easy vertical shooting, a remote socket for use with the RM-CB1 Cable Release, and a standard tripod socket.Customer reviews
Really should come with the camera! 
There are a few key features I'll highlight to illustrate why this is a 5 star item.
1 - you can use 1 or 2 battery packs. Canon has done this a long time ago. The camera gets bigger but the runtime does too
2 - There is a convenient storage hook inside it to hold the trapdoor that you used to use to remove and charge the battery
3 - This is the LAST camera to use an electronic (READ: NOT USB) shutter release. All future E series cameras are going to a USB based remote shutter release, which means random delays in timing and difficulty shooting lightning or timing more than one camera to shoot simultaneously. The RM-CB1 remote shutter release & lock NEEDS this accessory to be used on the E300 - without it there is no jack to plug in the RM-CB1 (a simple two position copy of the camera's shutter button on a 3 foot cable)
This sungs up good with the camera on the tripod screw and provides another nut for you to mount a tripod to the camera. It feels like it was part of the camera, but despite its light weight, the second battery will make you notice a heavier camera.
The number of shots between charging pretty much doubles with this making it a very helpful tool. Also, flash charging time (internal) is faster, and autofocus motors run better with 2 parallel batteries than just one. The E300 system runs better with this hooked up. You'll also have more time when the battery turns "red" to shoot due to the 2 battery packs.
NOTE: a second battery doesn't come with this - order the battery if you don't have a second already.
For doing electronic shutter release, you need to get the focus and exposure already set (i.e. the half press of the button) - to do this I cut open a RM-CB1 and installed a small switch to short the BROWN wire to ground so the camera would think I had the 1/2 press already done - then I focus and get ready for the final shot. Shorting the red wire to ground fires the shutter right away with no appreciable lag.
All future cameras in the E series use USB remote shutter releases. If you are focused on infinity with a 1/4 sec exposure and f 5.6 for lightning, you'll get random results on the usb release system even though it does the same thing the electronic one does.
That's all!
Necessity
Worth every penny. It allows you to shoot longer, enables you to grip the camera better, and it just looks cool.
Shoot forever
I bought this thinking I would need it when I shoot big events. Well the battery for my Olympus is so long lasting that I have not had a need for the extra battery boost yet. If I do though, I know I will be able to shoot forever. Great product just like the cameras.
Improves balance, flash recycle time and speeds up AF
Were it set at a bit lower price I would have to give this 5 stars. This accessory allows provides the following benefits:
-Portrait grip with shutter release- for shooting vertically
-Speeds up the Autofocus
-On-board flash recycles faster
-Shoot more shots without having to change the battery
-Allows one to use the remote cable shutter release.
I, along with others, feel that while this adds some bulk to the camera, it is in the right places and feels quite nice especially if using longer/brighter lenses.
Poor Design 
This is a heads up to Amazon customers interested in purchasing an Olympus E Volt 300. It could be a great camera but it has a serious design flaw that should make you pause and consider the competition before buying. The remote release (RM-CB 1) will not plug into the camera body. You have to buy this HLD-3 "adapter" for almost $100 just to "adapt" the remote release to the camera body. Couple that "surpise" with the $75 or so for the RM-CB 1 remote release and one is faced with $175+ just for a remote shutter release. What adds insult to injury is that the "adapter" is really "clunky" on top of that. Check out what the competition has to offer before you purchase the Olympus E Volt 300.
