Product Review
This
is not a lengthy review – This review contains highlights from my experience
with the Contour HD camera. Feel free to
leave comments with your experience.
I enjoy editing video and making movies as a
hobby since I was very young. In the early 70’s I taped a 8mm movie
camera (not Super 8) to the top bar of my bike for a POV shot of going off a
jump in a local church parking lot. When I landed, the tape broke and the
camera fell off my bike and tumbled to the ground to be slowed before impact by
the last length of tape, inches above the asphalt. It was all recorded on
film. That was 40 years ago. The recent invention of the new
smaller “helmet cams” makes action videos is much more practical.
About three years ago (Spring 2010) I started
hearing about, and seeing video from new small high definition (HD) video
cameras. I imagined making some amazing HD video shots if I could get my hands
on one of these small, rugged, lightweight, mount anywhere, video
cameras. At that time, two main brands were becoming popular GoPro and
Contour. In May of 2010 I purchased a Contour HD and in this review I
will tell you why.
As of this posting, the Contour HD camera is
still available for purchase even though newer models, with updated features,
have been introduced over the last few years. Why did I choose a Contour HD
camera over the GoPro? I chose the Contour over the GoPro for a few
different reasons – the main reason being the shape of the camera. The
2010 model GoPro was big and boxy (the newer versions are slightly
smaller). The Contour HD was smaller and was more streamlined. Both
cameras had plenty of mounting options and these options have even increased
further over the last few years. The Contour HD had an optional Picatinny
rail mount. At the time I could not find
one for the GoPro. Picatinny mounts are commonly found on firearms (used
for lights, lasers, grips, etc.) but Picatinny rails can be mounted firmly on
almost any solid object making it a good universal mounting system. Buy a rail for a few dollars, screw or bolt
it on to something, then slide the camera with the Picatinny mount onto the
rail. It is a solid strong mount. The
Contour camera also had an option of a rubber strap mount that can be wrapped
around poles, sticks, or anything tubular 1 to 8 inches in diameter opening up
even more possibilities for mounting. These
are the two main reasons why I went with the Contour HD.
The Contour HD is capable of both 720 and 1080
high definition. Most small cameras
available prior to the Contour HD were standard definition and fairly
affordable ($270.00 USD) at the time. With my Contour HD camera I
have mounted it to dogsleds, motorcycle forks, rifle, pistol, wagon wheels,
helmets,
The
Good
- HD video
- Plenty of mounting options
- Streamlined shape
- Battery and video can last for many hours of continuous shooting (4 hours at 720p with 16GB memory card).
- Laser lens alignment
- Water resistant – waterproof case available. Camera can be mounted at almost any angle (on its view axis) and compensated by rotating the lens in the camera. Two lasers help to make sure lens is aligned with horizon.
The
So-So
- No viewfinder – has lasers for alignment.
- No video monitor. Need to connect to computer to preview any video footage.
The Not-Good
- No on camera adjustments for sound levels or exposure. You can adjust exposure and audio recording levels while connected to a computer, using Contour’s software (comes with camera).
- Uses MicroSD memory cards. Small, but not as common.
- No plug for external microphone.
- Rolling shutter “jelly” effect when camera is experience heavy vibration (e.g. biking rough trail or mounted on motorcycle frame).
Links
Tundra Bob
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