The amount of memory that you need can be very different for each person and depends upon many things. If you happen to be recording short bursts of video and have the opportunity throughout the day to download files to a computer, you may be just fine with a 4GB to 8GB card. However, if you record long sessions or multiple sessions without a chance to review the files and recharge your battery, you’ll likely need a 16GB to 32GB card and multiple batteries.
In most cases larger 32GB cards only make sense if you are going to be carrying extra batteries or recharging (without the ability to download files). Another thing to consider is that other things can effect recording time, such as temperature, actual images(s) being recorded, etc. We have put together a general spreadsheet that compares the GoPro HD HERO and the ContourHD1080p where you can see the different recording times relative to the format you record in and the size of the card you plan on using.
This spreadsheet contains a wealth of other useful data, such as viewing angle of each lens in specific modes, and video bit rates.
Click on the spreadsheet to expand:
… or download the GoPro vs Contour PDF!
Tags: contour, gopro, hard drive, memory, question, sd card, sdhc, space, video