Go Pro VS Contour HD

[SkidMarks]

I got a go pro hd and i like it a lot, my friend has a contour HD and he said the sound sucks

 

[crick]

i have to admit i was on the fence between the two. I picked up the GoPro eventually because i liked the fisheye look and that it came in a waterproof housing.

now KNOWING that there is a waterproof housing for the contourHD has got me thinking about it... because much like others have stated, the countour has a more streamlined look to it.

It's not too bad when i have the goPro on my bike, but it definitely looks awkward on my helmet

ALSO to the matter with GoPro was when i purchased a lexmar 8 gb SDcard that was said to be AWETHOMELY fast... paid the 40 bux and found out it wasnt compatable with GoPro? WTF? ended up with a 15 dollar Kingston that worked JUST fine? lame-O!

not having an easy slider switch meant i had to make sure the light's flashing for record. It has other functions like taking a photo every oddball minute and timer'ed fotos. I feel it's a good all around camera, and my initial reasons for picking up was a camera that can handle a variety of situations (rain water etc) and er i liked the fishEye.

I also found a chest strap for it, so that is a new interesting adventure.

All in all, i am hoping to eventually pick up a contour so that i have a better helmet cam... and... add a second angle to my video collecting.

Does the contour have a mic insert so that i can record myself chitter chatting?

ps: here's a goPro test movie strapped to my chest using GoPros' chestStrap. It is unedited, just cut short, in GoProHD's lowest setting @ 60FPS. http://www.alberttruong.com/dump/GoProTest.mov
A VERY short and uninteresting clip, but it's to just show the visual quality. U can be the judge to if it's good or bad quality.

 

[picuplouie]

webBikeWorld article on:
the GoPro HD
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/gopro-hd/
and
the Drift X170
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/drift-x170/

 

[myblunt]

Does the contour have a mic insert so that i can record myself chitter chatting?

no mic insert.. i know one guy who likes to narrate while he's riding and he has a standalone audio recorder that he talks to while he rides and then he just drops the audio in over the video in the editing software.

 

[ACA]

no mic insert.. i know one guy who likes to narrate while he's riding and he has a standalone audio recorder that he talks to while he rides and then he just drops the audio in over the video in the editing software.

Or, if you're feeling crafty, you can open it up, pull out the mic and add an external jack. Then you can make an extension for the mic. This more than likely voids the warranty though... Let me know if you want some pics.

 

[Z3n]

Or, if you're feeling crafty, you can open it up, pull out the mic and add an external jack. Then you can make an extension for the mic. This more than likely voids the warranty though... Let me know if you want some pics.

Of course we want pics. Post up.

 

[crick]

i've seen some folks velcor their cell phone on the inside of their chinbar and record movies that way haha that doesnt sound safe

 

[mikev]

Some folks like the MotoGP-style tail shot, and with GoPro's wider angle lens, the result is better than the ContourHD. Here, compare:

GoPro
View attachment 338098

ContourHD
View attachment 338099

Dennis, are you telling me that your ass needs a wide angle lens?

I KID!

 

[llenta]

For sportbikes you can put it under the windscreen

this is exactly where i mount my contourHD

no wind noise at all! just the sound of my little engine as it screams. the only downfall of putting it behind the windscreen is that when the light hits the windscreen just right, you get a reflection, darn

i am a huge fan of the contourHD for all the reasons already discussed here. I love being able to turn it on and off with my gloves on. i can shoot a few hours of footage, quickly and easily swap out the battery, and continue shooting. like i already said, i use the windshield mount to mount it behind my windscreen. i keep the camera on its side and rotate the lens (which is awesome). i put a little piece of foam between the dash and the camera, then tape the camera tight to the foam. between the tape and the mount, the camera doesn't vibrate at all and it give a great picture.

i personally chose the contourHD over the goPro because i personally feel that the goPro was too fisheye for me. the contourHD still has a wide angle lens, but it feels more natural to me. so i went with the contourHD and i'm happy i did.

i also have the waterproof case for the contourHD, and its great. i use it when i go airsofting. it protects the camera and it keeps it watertight when it rains (no more pulling a sandwich bag tight over the lens and camera body ). the only downfall with the waterproof case is when you use it, the mic doesn't work as well. go figure right, since the mic is now inside the case, which is sealed off).

 

[Spec-ECU]

Dennis, are you telling me that your ass needs a wide angle lens?

I KID!

YES! What else do you think pulls all the girls to my yard?!

 

[ACA]

pics of contour mic extension

Of course we want pics. Post up.

Here are some pics. The camera is a little beat up due to its last fall at Laguna, but you get the point. By the way, here's a tip: use the little rope loops that come with the camera, the velcro won't hold up in a crash.

The plug and socket you can get from radio shack or a better supplier. Used some heat shrink tubing to clean up the mic attachment. Used some epoxy to attach the socket to the camera. I tucked the mic into the helmet, not to narrate but to minimize wind noise. The bonus is hearing me curse when I miss a shift or blow a turn.

I couldn't get the camera to work behind the windscreen, though I think that's ideal. It shuts itself off, presumably due to vibration. YMMV

 

[Z3n]

Here are some pics. The camera is a little beat up due to its last fall at Laguna, but you get the point. By the way, here's a tip: use the little rope loops that come with the camera, the velcro won't hold up in a crash.

The plug and socket you can get from radio shack or a better supplier. Used some heat shrink tubing to clean up the mic attachment. Used some epoxy to attach the socket to the camera. I tucked the mic into the helmet, not to narrate but to minimize wind noise. The bonus is hearing me curse when I miss a shift or blow a turn.

I couldn't get the camera to work behind the windscreen, though I think that's ideal. It shuts itself off, presumably due to vibration. YMMV

Try shimming the battery, that should handle the vibration shutdown issues. How difficult was disassembly of the camera?

 

[ACA]

Try shimming the battery, that should handle the vibration shutdown issues. How difficult was disassembly of the camera?

I should have mentioned that I have tried shimming, a new battery from contour and damping foam all to no avail. The only thing that worked for me was helmet mount. I'm not convinced that the device shuts down due to battery motion. The battery is pretty well jammed in there.

Disassembly was no problem. small screwdrivers IIRC.

 

[Z3n]

Hrm, I wonder what's causing it then. I'll have to rip into mine at some point, thanks for posting that

 

[Spec-ECU]

Hrm, I wonder what's causing it then.

Been working with Vholdr directly to find out myself.

 

[Z3n]

Been working with Vholdr directly to find out myself.

Mine tends to cut out when I crash (on the dirt), even on the helmet cam mount. Not sure what's up with that, maybe i should fill it with epoxy and see if that fixes it.

 

[HoL]

Here are some pics. The camera is a little beat up due to its last fall at Laguna, but you get the point. By the way, here's a tip: use the little rope loops that come with the camera, the velcro won't hold up in a crash.

The plug and socket you can get from radio shack or a better supplier. Used some heat shrink tubing to clean up the mic attachment. Used some epoxy to attach the socket to the camera. I tucked the mic into the helmet, not to narrate but to minimize wind noise. The bonus is hearing me curse when I miss a shift or blow a turn.

I couldn't get the camera to work behind the windscreen, though I think that's ideal. It shuts itself off, presumably due to vibration. YMMV

I've been meaning to do this, but the wind noise hasn't really bothered me that much. I mount my ContourHD in the same location except I put the velcro mount on my visor, so it can be removed/replaced.

Below is a video [not very exciting except when the blue zx6r passes me like I wasn't moving] when I was testing a mounting position. I didn't have too many vibration problems.

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[myblunt]

I've been meaning to do this, but the wind noise hasn't really bothered me that much. I mount my ContourHD in the same location except I put the velcro mount on my visor, so it can be removed/replaced.

Below is a video [not very exciting except when the blue zx6r passes me like I wasn't moving] when I was testing a mounting position. I didn't have too many vibration problems.

[youtube]<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wWVeaj485C0&hl=en_US&fs=1&fmt=22"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wWVeaj485C0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>[/youtube]

nice mounting location, I take it you did that with the flat mount sticky?

 

[HoL]

I used the suction mount.

looks like this

 

[myblunt]

I used the suction mount.

looks like this

!! wow that really sucks, doesn't it ... thats good to know that mount will hold up, i might have to get one of those... i was just gonna stick the flat mount to my fairing and just get over it but that suction mount looks pretty good...