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Contour +2 vs GoPro Hero3 ...Insight Appreciated :)

post #1 of 19
11/7/12 at 11:41am
Thread Starter 
So, I am ready to buy an "action-cam" but am having difficulties in choosing. I have never owned a video camera of my own, and have zero experience with editing, but hope to make it a hobby as it does interest me. Here is some info:

I am going to be using this new cam for snowboarding mostly. Other uses may include swimming, paintball, and road-trips. When snowboarding I need something small, and versatile. I like how you can strap the Contour+2 around your head - low profile compared to the GoPro where it would have to mount onto a helmet creating a (teletubby look). As you can tell I am leaning, (barely) towards the Contour.

Features/Specs:
I have done some hw on the cameras, and spec wise - GoPro Hero3 Black is a better camera than the Contour. Here are some video specs:
GoPro Black: 1080, 60fps - 720, 120fps, something about 4k - slow mode?
Contour+2 : 1080, 30fps - 720, 60fps, Slow Motion - 854 x 480 @ 120/100, 60/50, or 30/25fps

GoPro Black: Still Photo - 12MP - Max 64GB card
Contour +2 - 5MP - Max 32GB card

The GoPro has a better picture, but I am not fond of its' size. Both have the Bluetooth/smartphone app so it lets you view camera settings/video on your phone. The GoPro comes with a WiFi remote, but the Contour has a slick slider on top for ease of record on/off.

Last Points:
I can mount the GoPro 3 to the side of the helmet while snowboarding which does not look awful, and it is 25% smaller than GoPro 1 & 2. The Contour is "water-resistant" meaning I do not have to put the waterproof case on it while snowboarding. I feel as if I am settling with picture quality with Contour, but am getting a better low profile cam. As far as editing goes - I have briefly looked over editing software - Sony Vegas seems to be a decent one. During editing can I brighten up the video, as the Contour seems to look more dark than the GoPro. I can get both on a mad discount as I work at Best Buy.

Info? Advice?


http://postimage.org/image/pustkoip7/

(This is a GoPro Hero2, which is bigger than the 3)


http://postimage.org/image/pqvxbijmb/
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post #2 of 19
11/7/12 at 12:44pm
Thread Starter 
bump.
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post #3 of 19
11/7/12 at 12:55pm
I am in the same boat..not sure what camera to get. I was hoping to get some real testimonials.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
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post #4 of 19
11/7/12 at 1:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonspicoli View Post

I am in the same boat..not sure what camera to get. I was hoping to get some real testimonials.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

It is tough to get solid input because most of society is "mass-market" and the GoPro caters to them perfectly. Need some real insight.
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post #5 of 19
11/7/12 at 1:54pm
I haven't used ether but the specs of the Hero 3 does seam very impressive. 4K shooting is only good for 15 and 12 frames per second in NTSC models but the 2.7 mode can shoot in 30p. As a lot of people know, this allows you to either crop the image or to use a stabilizer in your editor in which the end results doesn't seam like the resolution is lost. I was trying the Warp Stabilizer of Premiere Pro CS6 on a GH2 clip I had which had a lot of shakes and I was extremely impressed on the results but I have noticed that it did take a noticible hit on resolution because of how badly the shake was. If the GH2 had a 2.7K mode, that would have been awesome when the exported resolution is slightly under 2K (1920). As for slow motion, 720 at 120 frames per second can come in handy for slow motion.

Yes its hard to give the best opinion when I like the specs so much so you can clearly see my bias. Because of that, I wouldn't mind putting on the water proof housing. I do want to see more 2.7k samples though.
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post #6 of 19
11/7/12 at 2:00pm
You should also consider the Sony Action cam, which also can be worn around the head and has better quality video than either of teh others, some say. It is the only one with a built-in stabilizer, you can work it remotely via wifi and see what it sees on your phone or tablet (Android and Apple apps).

See the Engadget review:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/05/sony-action-cam-review/
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post #7 of 19
11/7/12 at 2:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by markr041 View Post

You should also consider the Sony Action cam, which also can be worn around the head and has better quality video than either of teh others, some say. It is the only one with a built-in stabilizer, you can work it remotely via wifi and see what it sees on your phone or tablet (Android and Apple apps).
See the Engadget review:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/05/sony-action-cam-review/

thanks a lot man

I will check out that Sony...
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post #8 of 19
11/12/12 at 1:29pm
Anyone get the Sony yet?

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
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post #9 of 19
11/15/12 at 2:32pm
Not sure if you saw the thread I started to discuss all the pros and cons of these wearable POV action cams: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1429468/sports-action-camcorders-gopro-contour-sony-jvc-etc

I have the ROAM and really like the lower profile bullet form factor.
Doing extensive use and testing with it right now.

Rob
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post #10 of 19
2/6/13 at 2:35am
I am also trying to decide which one to go with. It is hard to find a review by someone who tried both. This chart has the specs comparison between the GoPro and Contour:
http://deviceraters.com/gopro-vs-contour/

Also this video below shows a side by side comparison between the GoPro Hero3 Black and Contour +2
Hopefully this helps you decide which one to get.
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post #11 of 19
3/3/13 at 1:41am
Not related to the Contour+2 - but my first (and last experience) with that company was with their older V-Holder action cam. I got it sent to me while deployed in Iraq - I strapped it on my helmet and took it out on one mission - at the end of the mission a buddy knocked my helmet off of the top of our tank; it fell about 3 feet to the hull of the tank, rolled and fell another 6 feet or so to the ground. Neither hit actually landed on the camera, but just the impact from being shook on the helmet killed it instantly.

Took me over 4 months to get that camera and it lasted about 4 hours.

As much as I would really like to get a Contour because I do think they look better, less conspicuous and has easier controls I question their reliability - that said weather the GoPro is the better cam or not; its undeniable that finding accessories for it is much much easier.
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post #12 of 19
3/31/13 at 5:31am
If I was you guy's I wouldn't be rushing out to get a gopro. I have had many of issues with my camera in fact I'm on my 3rd one. (All have been returned/ Swapped)..
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post #13 of 19
3/31/13 at 11:29am
I also had issues with my my GoPro Hero2. It flat out quit working after 7 months of minimal use. I am waiting on my replacement now. I believe there are a lot of issues with the Gopro right now! problem is I have hundreds of dollars in accessories for the GoPro..otherwise I would be looking at the Sony or contour. I must say that when the GoPro was working the video quality was excellent!
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post #14 of 19
4/1/13 at 5:41pm
I have been using both the Hero2 and a newer Hero3 Black for a year or so now. The Hero2 was flawless and I never had one single issue with it. I have had a few lockups with the Hero3 Black that forces you to pull the battery to get it back. Pretty frustrating.

The image capibility of the new Hero3 Black can be astonishing though. 1080-60p and 2.7k 30p can give about 35mbps data rate. A bit higher with Protune enabled.

Here's a couple of my samples with my new stabilizer setup I've been developing with the Hero3 Black.

http://vimeo.com/58936822 fly fishing
http://vimeo.com/57933039 snowboarding

Can't comment on the Contour as I haven't tried it yet. The main selling point with the Sony is that it has OIS built in and according to many it makes a huge difference for these little shake meisters. It's next on my list to make a stabilizer for.

Cheers,
Pete
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post #15 of 19
4/1/13 at 9:37pm
Hero 3 has good image quality, but some dreadful reviews related to quality control defects: http://www.amazon.com/GoPro-CHDHX-301-HERO3-Black-Edition/product-reviews/B009TCD8V8/ref=pr_all_summary_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
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post #16 of 19
4/4/13 at 8:44pm
Hey the
Quote:
Originally Posted by FilmLife View Post

So, I am ready to buy an "action-cam" but am having difficulties in choosing. I have never owned a video camera of my own, and have zero experience with editing, but hope to make it a hobby as it does interest me. Here is some info:

I am going to be using this new cam for snowboarding mostly. Other uses may include swimming, paintball, and road-trips. When snowboarding I need something small, and versatile. I like how you can strap the Contour+2 around your head - low profile compared to the GoPro where it would have to mount onto a helmet creating a (teletubby look). As you can tell I am leaning, (barely) towards the Contour.

Features/Specs:
I have done some hw on the cameras, and spec wise - GoPro Hero3 Black is a better camera than the Contour. Here are some video specs:
GoPro Black: 1080, 60fps - 720, 120fps, something about 4k - slow mode?
Contour+2 : 1080, 30fps - 720, 60fps, Slow Motion - 854 x 480 @ 120/100, 60/50, or 30/25fps

GoPro Black: Still Photo - 12MP - Max 64GB card
Contour +2 - 5MP - Max 32GB card

The GoPro has a better picture, but I am not fond of its' size. Both have the Bluetooth/smartphone app so it lets you view camera settings/video on your phone. The GoPro comes with a WiFi remote, but the Contour has a slick slider on top for ease of record on/off.

Last Points:
I can mount the GoPro 3 to the side of the helmet while snowboarding which does not look awful, and it is 25% smaller than GoPro 1 & 2. The Contour is "water-resistant" meaning I do not have to put the waterproof case on it while snowboarding. I feel as if I am settling with picture quality with Contour, but am getting a better low profile cam. As far as editing goes - I have briefly looked over editing software - Sony Vegas seems to be a decent one. During editing can I brighten up the video, as the Contour seems to look more dark than the GoPro. I can get both on a mad discount as I work at Best Buy.

Info? Advice?


http://postimage.org/image/pustkoip7/

(This is a GoPro Hero2, which is bigger than the 3)


http://postimage.org/image/pqvxbijmb/
Gopro or the contour is definitly the way to go. The sony is a pile of s*** because its very hard to use and you have to take it out of its case to control it. Also the contour roam2 sounds great!!
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post #17 of 19
4/22/13 at 5:11pm
I own a Contour Roam 1600 and I love it. I dont know that much about go pros so I will just say what the contour camera can do. it can get a wide 170 degree angle view with 960p or lower. at 1080p it only allows you to put 120 degrees wide view. It is waterproof to 1 meter and can get up to 8 hours of record time with a 32 GB micro SD and a full battery running on 1080p. At 960p and lower, you can obviously get more record time. It has a laser beam button so you can perfectly align your camera with whatever you want and has very easy and simple mounts(bought separately). You can pretty much attach them to any side of something( not sure about on top of something because the mounting rail is on the side) with a mount that has an adhesive on the back. you can also buy strap mounts(which I have and use) which work very well. You can strap this camera to about anything that you could strap the strap around. It also has a status button that tells you how much battery you have left and how much memory you have left. The switch on top makes very easy to quickly start recording. It is also mud proof and made of aluminum which makes it very strong and able to take a beating. I use it for paintball, and it has gotten hit a few times with a paintball(not on the lens, but on the side) that travels at about 275 feet per second and doesnt even have a dent and still works perfectly. I love it and would recommend this to anyone.
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post #18 of 19
5/11/13 at 10:38am
I have a few contour cameras and love them. I wanted one that was waterproof without the case, this is the reason I bought this new model. I've had a GoPro HD and didn't like the user interface so I bought my first contour, well it was a VHold back then. Next the ND, then the GPS 1400 and now this unit. I love the mounting of the contour and the profile when it is on your helmet. No giant rectangle on the top of your helmet waiting to twist your neck over when you crash like those other box style cameras. One switch, that's it. Gloves on, no worries, slide it forward, hear the beep... You're filming. With the base model like this you have to hook it up to the computer to mod settings. The +2 you can use your phone to make changes when your on the go. Overall, this camera does exactly as it was designed to do. Simple confidence inspiring user interface and it can take a knock or 2. Amazon has some great reviews on the Contour here:

[URL=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009CN8VRK/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009CN8VRK&linkCode=as2&tag=15782302-20[URL]
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post #19 of 19
5/11/13 at 10:52pm

Read the comments too.
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