Go-Pro Vs. Contour..

[dxh24]

Well i think i've narrowed it down to the Drift stealth:

Or the GoPro HD

Contour might still be in it for the price, but idk....
TBH i'd be using this not only on the Bike, but likely the 4-wheeler, and MX bike as well, both of which tend to get dirty. so something low-profile or protected, would be ideal. Still working on it, will update

Also like the External mic idea for the drift. So i could say, place it in a spot where wind noise was less-existent and engine/exhaust was more prevalent

 

[cormu]

I just purchased a GoPro HD 1080 and love it. I kept a look out for @ a year and kept watching the prices go down, finally couldnt resist when I saw $199 shipped on ebay. That of course is a rare price as it looked like a bike shop in Maryland purchased over 800 units and went for a volume sale.
I have never used the Contour but I did look at their options. Both cameras offer almost identical recording options for video and still photo.
Things I like about the GoPro.....
LCD screen, simple codes with one buttom to flip through the options, once you read the "how to" pamphlet operating the camera is easy.
It comes with extra mounts, clamps, clips, swivel bar, suction cup etc,(I think it came with 2 or 3 of everything) mutiple cable options and it uses SDHC cards which fit my other recording devices.
The the camera is in a protective case, if you damage the case you can simply buy another, where the Contour looks more exposed.
GoPro has huge retail distribution in my area, if I needed something and didnt want to wait for eBay delivery, I can run down to any local shop and find the mount I might need.

One thing that I do like about the Contours design is the shape. Its sleek design makes it less obvious your filming. The GoPro stands out no matter how its mounted.

I Have to say when cagers can see a camera mounted they seem to be a lot more carefull

 

[bd43]

I have the GoPro HD and my buddy has the Drift, so here are my thoughts.

The Drift Stealth is a nice camera because of the remote control capability. There are times on long rides that you just don't need the camera on so being able to turn it on and off is a plus, especially when it's mounted somewhere that you cannot reach the unit while riding. Having said that, we still had to pull over a few times to see if the Drift was on or off. There is no feedback to the remote what mode it is in, so pressing it a few times could leave you thinking whether it's on or off. The other nice feature of the Drift is the built-in LCD. It helps to point the camera in the intended direction. It can also play-back, but we only did that once when we were sitting down for lunch in the middle of a ride otherwise it was a passing fancy. It is water-resistance for those rainy rides, but not submersible. Drift does offer a water-proof case but it looks ghetto and only good to 3m . Depending on the package you buy, you have to purchase some mounts. Overall performance is it does everything the GoPro does, everything from resolution to HD except it does not do stills in selectable time delay consecutive shots that I could find and its overall profile is streamlined.

The GoPro HD is a versatile camera in every way. It has a wide use of application and in my mind is the utility camera version of the FZ6. It is water-proof to 180 feet if snorkeling or scuba diving is your thing. The case is separate from the camera. If you should break it or scratch the lens, these are replaceable at a reasonable cost. The full meal deal is not cheap. I bought the Motorsports package so I could have the myriad of mounting options. I fully intend to mount this camera anywhere from the FZ6, my RC toys, my cagers, on my mountain bike, under my dog’s collar, zip lining through the rain forest, to snorkeling off the Caribbean coast. There is either specific mount or case configuration for each one of these activities. The downfall of this camera is the lack of an LCD display, but GP has addressed this and came out with the LCD BacPac. You can get it for under $90 but it adds to the overall cost of the camera and the weight. I just bought a LCD BacPac and it’s going back to GP for warranty already but their service has been superb to date and I have confidence that this will be resolved. The frontal surface area of the GP is larger than the Drift but not overly huge and the wieght is comparable without the LCD BacPac. The file format is MP4 while the Drift is MOV, both can be played on Window Media Player with the most recent codecs. I did have to upgrade my video editing software to support these two formats in HD.

All in all, it depends on what you want to do with the camera and that will decide which camera will trickle to the top.

 

[Jblk9695]

I agree abut the Drift lack of feedback as to its status, I did send an email to them(Drift) and suggested that as a possible upgrade. It does do time delay photography and the time between shots is selectable. I think the new Drift may have some nicer features, I know the new model has replaceable lenses which is one of the draw backs to the model I have, break the lens and you will need a new camera

Jerry

 

[MarkG813]

Definately go with the GoPro. I just bought one about a month ago and it has barely left my hands since then I'd suggest buying it from Amazon.com. I was expecting to spend $300 at cycle gear for the motorsports edition (comes with suction cup mount) but found it for $253 on amazon. You will also need to buy a Class 4 memory card. I spent just over $270 for everything... and shipping was free!

Here are a few photos i've taken with the GoPro....

 

[dxh24]

Definately go with the GoPro. I just bought one about a month ago and it has barely left my hands since then I'd suggest buying it from Amazon.com. I was expecting to spend $300 at cycle gear for the motorsports edition (comes with suction cup mount) but found it for $253 on amazon. You will also need to buy a Class 4 memory card. I spent just over $270 for everything... and shipping was free!

Here are a few photos i've taken with the GoPro....

Dang it, now you've made me want to save all my money for a multitude of years, so i can buy a GTR...Absolutely love that car! :thumbup:

 

[WIyamirider]

Well i think i've narrowed it down to the Drift stealth:

Or the GoPro HD

Contour might still be in it for the price, but idk....
TBH i'd be using this not only on the Bike, but likely the 4-wheeler, and MX bike as well, both of which tend to get dirty. so something low-profile or protected, would be ideal. Still working on it, will update

Also like the External mic idea for the drift. So i could say, place it in a spot where wind noise was less-existent and engine/exhaust was more prevalent

+2 for the Drift HD170 Stealth. I bought one this summer, and it is awesome! The built in LCD is really nice, as is the remote control and the rotating lens. The only downside is the built in mic. It's not that great. Get the external mic if you're looking for good audio with the video.

I've used my Drift on my dirt bike. It handles the dust/dirt just fine. Use 720p/60 fps for MX/ATV. 1080p gets a weird shuddering effect with the rough terrain. You can get some amazing 1080p footage with the street bike though.

 

[lazerfazer]

i just took a quick vid with my contour HD i got yesterday and i am impressed thus far, It will only shoot 1080P @ 30frames per second, does anyone know what the frame rate of the gopro is?

contour HD will shoot 720p @ 60 frames per sec, so im going to try and see if that works better for the high speed stuff and then i'll edit and try to post up a vid soon:BLAA:

 

[AngelFZ]

does anyone know what the frame rate of the gopro is?

GoPro HD
60 or 30 fps:
wvga @ 60fps
720p @ 30fps
720p @ 60fps
960p @ 30fps
1080p @ 30fps

I have one of this, I'm very pleased with it. Like with everything, it mainly depends what do you want to do with it. Each one have things that could be improved.

Overall this thread is very informative :thumbup:

 

[mrphotoman]

i just took a quick vid with my contour HD i got yesterday and i am impressed thus far, It will only shoot 1080P @ 30frames per second, does anyone know what the frame rate of the gopro is?

contour HD will shoot 720p @ 60 frames per sec, so im going to try and see if that works better for the high speed stuff and then i'll edit and try to post up a vid soon:BLAA:

did you post the vid on youtube i would like to see it.

thanks

 

[INRI]

I have a Contour and have used it for a couple of years now. Some of the things I like about the Contour:

1. The Contour is streamlined and is less conspicuous.So if you are mounting it on your helmet or the side of your bike it doesn't stick out and look bulky like the the GoPro. If you are mounting the cam on the bottom of the surfboard looking up, GoPro is good, helmet or side of bike, Contour is the better choice I think.

2. Wide angle with out much distortion, the GoPro is wider angle but you get that barrel look, so if you are going for that and really want super wide the GoPro is right for you, otherwise the Contour is great. (The new contour does 170 degrees but has no GPS)

3. I found the image quality of the Contour higher, it seems to have better contrast and colour *this is an opinion!*, also I believe the bitrate on the Contour is 2x higher, so in theory giving you a much cleaner image
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wHyMFIgRgg&feature=related]GoPro HD Hero vs Contour 1080p HD Split-Screen - Mountain Biking - YouTube[/ame]

4. GPS feature is a very nice touch (if you get that model)

5. the laser alignment is fairly useful to make sure the camera is level

6. the on/off switch is great, it's large and easy to use even with gloves

Last, software configuration is great, you can preset two modes and switch between the two, white balance, etc... Anyways, this is a Canon vs Nikon type of debate, both cams will do what you want it to, so I think the main thing to decide is do you want GPS? and how/where are you mounting it.

Hope this helps, it took me weeks for research to decide on my Contour.

Henry Jakl

edit:

found this

http://bb.nsmb.com/showthread.php?t=123543

 

[lazerfazer]

the cheap arse 138$$ cam

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI5vreOeOBc]Jason's backyard turns... - YouTube[/ame]

skip to about 6minutes in