GoPro HD vs. ContourHD

The camarush Recommendation Guide

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

We answer about 5-10 emails a day here at camarush.com that sound something like this:

“I can’t decide which is the best camera to buy, what is the best one?”

The answer, unfortunately, is completely subjective. The prices are very close for all of the cameras that we sell (GoPro, Contour, and Drift). In terms of record quality, all of these cameras are very similar. If you don’t believe us, take a look at this comparison video:

Comparison: Drift HD170 – ContourHD1080p – GoPro HD HERO from camarush on Vimeo.

It really comes down to HOW you are going to use your camera. Are you going to use it for photography or timelapses? Do you shoot a lot of slow motion video? How do you intend to mount the camera? Are you shooting underwater? Are you shooting at night? What sport are you using it for?

Literally, there are tons of different scenarios that may make you pick one brand of camera over the other. Because of that, we here at camarush have decided to post this recommendation guide to our blog. Firstly, we need to point out some of the pros and cons of each camera:

Pros and Cons of POV Camera Brands

	ContourHD1080p	ContourGPS	Drift HD170	GoPro HD HERO
Picture
Pros	• Sleek • Best Underwater Case (add-on) • Easiest Controls • Rotating Lens • Records 60p in 720 mode	• Sleek • Integrated GPS • Easiest Controls • Rotating Lens • Still Photos • Timelapse Photos • Best microphone • Records 60p in 720 mode	• LCD for lining up shots and reviewing footage on the fly. •Ability to change settings on the fly • Comes with many accessories • Remote that can control multiple cameras • Rotating Lens • Still Photos • Timelapse Photos • Lavalier Mic accessory (sold separately)	•Largest Accessory selection • Only camera with Chest mount • Includes Underwater case •Ability to change settings on the fly • Still Photos • Timelapse Photos • Records 60p in 720 mode
Cons	• Most settings need to be changed via software, rather than on the fly • No still Photos or TImelapse	• Most settings need to be changed via software, rather than on the fly • No Underwater Case Yet	• No Underwater Case Yet • No 60p options	• Underwater lens does not have great focus. • Water drips easily accumulate on lens. • Confusing settings menu

Here is a list of recommendations by sport and reasons why:

Recommended Cameras for Sports

Sport	Camera	Best Mount Option	Why We Chose
Archery	ContourGPS	Various Custom	The most sleek of the cameras. Can mount to bow or target (Just don't shoot it!)
Auto Racing	Drift	Windshield Mount	Activate multiple angles with a single remote! Easily adjust angles on the fly with LCD.
Badminton	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Baseball	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action (aside from batting where headstrap is preferred).
Basketball	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Biking, Motorized	ContourGPS or Drift	Sticky Helmet Mount	Contour for GPS functionality and sleekness. Drift for easily adjusting shot with LCD.
Biking, Mountain	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Biking, Road	ContourGPS	Vented Helmet Mount	Low profile and head is best steadying device.
Boating	ALL	Any	Preferably you will want one of the waterproof cases if there is a chance of flipping, but with so many angles and accessories to choose from, this one is up in the air!
Bowling	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Boxing	Drift	Tripod Mount	POV style is not recommended for boxing. We recommend mounting camera in other areas toward the subject.
Canoeing/Kayaking	ContourHD1080p	Wake/Surf Mount	Contour makes best underwater case. Pair up an XShot to make a cool angle!
Climbing	ContourGPS	Helmet Mount	Low profile and head is best steadying device.
Cricket	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Disc Golf	Drift	Headstrap Mount	Headstrap mount allows you to follow the disc path. Drift tripod mount gives other alternatives.
Fencing	Drift	Tripod Mount	POV style is not recommended for fencing. We recommend mounting camera in other areas toward the subject.
Fishing	ContourHD1080p or GoPro	Handlebar Mount	Attach the handlebar mount to the rod for a cool angle, or put on the underwater case and attach to an X-shot or long pole for underwater views of the fish.
Football	GoPro	Sticky Helmet Mount	We can't recommend using any POV angle except for practice situations as the camera (or your body) would be destroyed in any wearable position.
Golf	Drift	Magnetic Gorillapod	Easily preview shots with the LCD. Very hard to swing with any cam on head or chest, so just use a tripod for everything, even attaching to golf cart.
Gymnastics	Drift	Tripod mount	POV style is not recommended for gymnastics. We recommend mounting camera in other areas toward the subject.
Handball	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Hockey	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Horse Riding	ContourGPS or Drift	Sticky Mount	Attach to a an English-style riding helmet for best angle. Track long journeys with GPS!
Hunting	ContourGPS	Various Custom	Custom mount this to your gun barrel or scope. Or attach to a helmet. Use GPS to figure out where you made the big kill!
Lawn Bowling/Bocce	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Martial Arts	Drift	Tripod Mount	POV style is not recommended for martial arts. We recommend mounting camera in other areas toward the subject.
Motorcycle Driving/Racing	ContourGPS	Sticky Mount	On the helmet is best angle. Use the GPS to analyze your speeds.
Paintball	ContourHD1080p	Various Custom	Sleek and able to mount onto gun barrel multiple ways.
Polo	ContourGPS or Drift	Sticky Mount	While Contour is most sleek option, both have many mounting options.
Racquetball	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Rogaining/Geotagging	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Rugby	Drift	Gorillapod Video	Best not to use a POV style cam for Rugby, rather having the camera on the sidelines or ref.
Running	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Scuba Diving	ContourHD1080p	Pocket XShot	The Contour is our favorite underwater cam due to flat lens on the underwater case.
Skateboarding	Any	Sticky Mount	Any of our cameras work great for skateboarding. GPS is cool on Contour, LCD on Drift.
Skeet Shooting	ContourHD1080p	Various Custom	Sleek and able to mount onto gun barrel multiple ways.
Skiing	Any	Chest Mount or Sticky	Any of our cameras work great for skiing. Chest mount is cool on GoPro, GPS is cool on Contour, LCD on Drift.
Snorkeling	ContourHD1080p	Goggle Mount	The Contour is our favorite underwater cam due to flat lens on the underwater case.
Snowboarding	Any	Sticky Mount	Any of our cameras work great for snowboarding. GPS is cool on Contour, LCD on Drift.
Snowmobiling	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Soccer	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action. Don't want a headstrap mount here because of headers!
Softball	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action (aside from batting where headstrap is preferred).
Squash	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Surfing	GoPro	Surf Mount	A bit wider angle than the Contour, which is an impressive surf camera too. Plus, you can use the chesty mount for alternate angle.
Swimming	GoPro	Chest Mount	We honestly can't recommend using a POV cam on your body while swimming due to friction, but this may be best idea.
Ultimate Frisbee	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Wakeboarding	ContourHD1080p	Wake/Surf Mount	The Contour is our favorite underwater cam due to flat lens on the underwater case.
Walking	GoPro	Chest Mount	Chest Mount is secure and not in the way, while able to capture most of the action.
Waterskiing	ContourHD1080p	Wake/Surf Mount	The Contour is our favorite underwater cam due to flat lens on the underwater case.

So there you have it, our official recommendations, take them for what they are worth as these are only opinions. At camarush.com, we like to use multiple accessories for multiple angles. There are so many options for each camera, that we find ourselves using a different brand every week, with different mounting accessories.

Still unsure on which you should get? How about renting them from us for a week to test them out? Check out our rental program here.

Have any other sports that you think should be added to the list? What other factors do you think should be considered in our recommendations? Post a comment and let us know…

Tags: camera, choose, compare, contour, drift, gopro, recommendation, referral, rent, rental
Posted in Comparisons, Contour, Drift, Education, GoPro, GoPro HD vs. ContourHD | No Comments »

The camarush.com Drift HD170 Camera Review

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

We recently had an opportunity to test a pre-sales model of the Drift Innovation HD170. We had seen some example footage, and while we were impressed with the video quality, we didn’t have high expectations. We only had the camera for a few days but we tried to run it through a variety of tests so that we could give an informative review. If you don’t already know, camarush only sells and rents the highest quality action sport cameras and at the end of the review you will see if the Drift HD170 made the cut.

The first thing we noticed about the Drift HD170 before even opening the box is the amount of accessories pictured on the box that come standard with the camera. In addition to having a standard tripod mount (1/4″- 20) built right into the bottom of the camera, the camera also comes with a helmet mount (full shell helmets or vented helmets), handlebar mount, head strap and goggle mount. The standard tripod mount allows you to use whatever type of mount you see fit for your situation (if one of the included ones isn’t appropriate). The camera also comes with a remote control, USB cord, and HD video cable.

The Drift HD170 is noticeably larger than the GoPro HD HERO and the Contour 1080p but the weight is actually lighter than the GoPro. The larger size likely accommodates the number one benefit of the Drift HD170; the full color LCD screen. The LCD screen allows you to configure the camera settings easily at anytime (without need of a manual or software). This is especially useful when out on a shoot and utilizing some of the other features that are unique to this camera like the adjustable exposure, microphone sensitivity and night mode (really what should be called dusk mode). However, most people will find the LCD screen most useful for reviewing footage (video and sound) on the spot and for setting up the proper angle (live preview) before clicking record. No need to lug around a computer to see if you got the right shot and no need to wait until you get home to relive the ride, this came in very handy!

Drift HD170 Unboxing and Overview from camarush on Vimeo.

Real World Testing
When it was time for real world testing we were pleasantly surprised by a few things and perplexed by a few things. One unexpected bonus is the mechanism which connects to the bottom or the camera. The quick connect mount (once attached to the camera) easily transitions from goggle mount to handlebar mount to helmet mount with little effort.

The quick connect mount was even easy to use while wearing mountain biking gloves. The mounts all seem easy to use and feel sturdy. The goggle mount is great for easy set up and swapping between riders, but for the best footage, we recommend creating a more solid connection between the camera and the helmet with the velcro adhesive pads. Attaching the camera with these pads gave a great connection with the least amount of shaky footage among mounts.

The lens on the camera rotates to accommodate different mounting scenarios, but users need to be careful not to force the rotation past 345 degrees, as the mechanism behind the lens may break.

Because of the way we did our testing, we didn’t find a need for the remote control, but agree that it will be very useful for most people. While the camera may be mounted to your helmet, or even a tripod up to 15 feet away, you can hit record or stop right from the remote attached to your wrist. Another bonus (and we didn’t have an opportunity to test this) is that you can actually synchronize one remote for multiple cameras which could come in handy for multiple camera edits. That means having multiple cameras start recording at the same point, making it easier to align multiple video tracks together when editing.

One of the features that we tested repeatedly was the Night Mode and Exposure settings. After our tests, we found that it really should be called “Dusk Mode”. Where other cameras tended to look orange/yellow and grainy in low light situations, the Drift HD170 renders a more accurate view during low light situations (not orange/yellow or grainy) but shouldn’t be mistaken for Night Vision. See the video for examples of “Night Mode” and exposure options. We really found that the Night Mode and Exposure worked much better in photo mode, rather than video mode.

Comparison: Drift HD170 – ContourHD1080p – GoPro HD HERO from camarush on Vimeo.

Water “Proof”

The Drift HD170 is enclosed in a rubberized housing. This does not make it fully waterproof, although the folks at Drift Innovation say that you can submerge the unit underwater up to 15 inches. Technically, the Drift is water resistant, rather than “proof”. While the Drift will easily stay safe in the rain and with a quick splash, we suggest you avoid dunking the camera in water for any period of time.

The manufacturer also maintains not to rotate the lens while underwater. We can only assume that the rotating lens has a waterproof o-ring keeping the internals safe, and turning the o-ring while underwater would introduce air-gaps for water to seep in.

Drift is working on releasing an aftermarket underwater housing accessory that should be out in late 2010.

Microphone
We were able to test the Drift microphone on a few occasions and can say that it performs on par with the GoPro and the Contour. Saying that, none of these cameras have exceptional audio, but that is not typically what we use them for anyway; most of us tend to add music to our videos.

One feature of the Drift is that you can adjust microphone sensitivity (to turn it lower if you are on a motorcycle per se). According to the Drift HD170 manual, there will be an aftermarket microphone add-on in the future. We are not sure what this means, or where you would even plug in a mic, but if true, this would be a valuable accessory for those craving natural audio from the recording enthusiast.

60FPS
Unfortunately, the Drift does not have 60FPS (60 Frames Per Second as opposed to the standard 30 FPS) in it’s 720 mode. While some people may frown upon this, Drift came up with a great reason for this: Of those surveyed before developing the camera, only 2% of respondents actually knew how to take advantage of 60 FPS.

This brought up a great point and had us dedicate an entire blog post about 60 FPS here. You should probably read it before even recording your next video in 60FPS!

The Final Verdict
The Drift HD170 delivers on almost all that it promises. The video quality is great, the accessories are great, the LCD is incredibly useful, and we think that the overall value is really high.

All of these factors have influenced us to start carrying the Drift HD170 for resell and rent.

There are only a few things that would prevent us from recommending the Drift HD170 over the Contour HD 1080p and the GoPro HERO HD:

1. The Drift is a little bulkier than the Contour and GoPro (but weighed less than the GoPro).
2. Lack of a fully waterproof enclosure (coming soon).
3. Replaceable lens covers.
4. Lack of 60 FPS in 720 mode

The Great (things that we think set this camera apart from the rest)
- Built in Color LCD / Speaker
- Remote Control
- Built in 1/4 20 Tripod Mount
- Included Quick Connect Camera Mounts
- Visual and simple on-camera configuration

The Good (things that met our expectations but would not compel us to purchase this camera)
- Rotating Lens
- Still Photo and Timelapse
- Night Mode / Exposure
- Time/Date Stamp
- Value
- Zoom (digital)

The Bad (things that makes us nervous)
-Microphone quality
-Lens replacement kits availability (Drift comment – “There is no lens replacement option at this time. We have had almost no issues with respect to this in the last 6 months, but know that we will work with customers in a fair way to address this issue if it is a problem for them.” Apparently a lens shield will also be sold.)

The results of this test is that we decided to carry the Drift HD170! You can buy one here! Want to try it out first? Rent one from us here!

Tags: accessories, compare, comparison, contour, drift, gopro, HD, helmet, package, rent, rental, time-lapse, video, vs
Posted in Comparisons, Contour, Drift, GoPro, GoPro HD vs. ContourHD | 2 Comments »

How much memory do you need?

Friday, June 25th, 2010

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
Posted in Education, GoPro HD vs. ContourHD | 1 Comment »

Side-by-Side (Part 4): Comparing the GoPro HD HERO and ContourHD1080p

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Continuing our comparison tests between the GoPro HD HERO and ContourHD1080p, here is the next real world test (part 4 of 4) for you in our side-by-side comparison series. For this test, we set the cameras on a mountain bike side-by-side on a custom handlebar mount that we created.

This particular example was edited as a split screen of the two cameras placed next to each other in one video, so that you could get an HD-sized frame comparison, without any scaling of the video. However, it allows you to compare the colors and brightness of each camera.

Both videos are captured in 720p (60 frames per second), but as I mention in the video, when you upload videos to a sharing site like YouTube or Vimeo, they will automatically reduce the frame rate to 30 frames per second (sometimes even 24 depending on the service). This element is also dependent on the way you compress the footage out of your editing system of choice (which we will talk about in a future blog post). However, 60p sure looks great on your HD TV set, and you can get much better slo-mo with it (if you know how to edit it- another future blog post)!

Check out our other side-by-side comparison tests!

For the ContourHD1080p, out-of-the-box settings can be modified for contrast levels, light metering, exposure and microphone sensitivity. The GoPro has none of these adjustments, except for a spot metering function (which is only used if you are inside a dark area like a car and filming outside as the main focus).

GoPro vs Contour Split-Screen – Mountain Biking from camarush on Vimeo.

I think it’s important to note the angle of view for each lens, as they were mounted side by side on the same x and y axis. It’s clear that the ContourHD1080p is closer to the subject (mountain biker) than the GoPro HD HERO. Will that factor into your decision? Who knows, but it can be important to some serious buffs!

camarush.com is dedicated to getting you the most in-depth research about helmet cams and accessories to make your personal movies above-and-beyond the norm. Check out our rental program to add more angles to your next video!

And again, follow up with the other side-by-side tests here:

Posted in GoPro HD vs. ContourHD | 2 Comments »

Side-by-Side (Part 3): Comparing the GoPro HD HERO and ContourHD1080p

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Continuing our comparison tests between the GoPro HD HERO and ContourHD1080p, here is the next real world test (part 3 of 4) for you in our side-by-side comparison series. For this test, we set the cameras on a mountain bike side-by-side on a custom handlebar mount that we created.

This particular example was edited as two cropped frame shots placed next to each other in one video, so that you could get an HD sized frame comparison, without any scaling of the video.

Check out our other side-by-side comparison tests!

GoPro vs Contour Cropped View from camarush on Vimeo.

And again, follow up with the other side-by-side tests here:

Posted in GoPro HD vs. ContourHD | 2 Comments »

Side-by-Side (Part 2): Comparing the GoPro HD HERO and ContourHD1080p

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Continuing our comparison tests between the GoPro HD HERO and ContourHD1080p, here is the next real world test (part 2 of 4) for you in our side-by-side comparison series. For this test, we set the cameras on a mountain bike side-by-side on a custom handlebar mount that we created.

This particular example was edited as two full frame shots placed next to each other in one video, so that you could get the full scope of what was going on between the two camera captures. Here, you get probably the best comparison of the wide angle lenses (seeing the differences in lenses) as well as the coloring and auto-brightness that the cameras are set to out of the box.

Check out our other side-by-side comparison tests!

GoPro vs Contour Full Video Side-by-Side from camarush on Vimeo.

And again, follow up with the other side-by-side tests here:

Posted in GoPro HD vs. ContourHD | 4 Comments »

Side-by-Side (Part 1): Comparing the GoPro HD HERO and ContourHD1080p

Friday, March 12th, 2010

We absolutely love both the GoPro HD HERO and ContourHD1080p for different reasons, but we really wanted to get a better idea of the differences between the two cameras in a real world scenario. We hope that the following videos help you decide which camera is better for your particular use.

Out of the box, as mentioned in the hockey split-screen side-by-side below, the ContourHD1080p seems to have better color accuracy. It also seems like the ContourHD1080p handles variable lighting better than the GoPro HD HERO, but the GoPro HD HERO looks a little brighter in low light situations (both which may be due to the wider lens angle).

Check out our other side-by-side comparison tests!

GoPro vs Contour Split-Screen – Hockey from camarush on Vimeo.

A loose transcription of the video:

Both of these cameras are shooting in 720 (60 frames per second) and mounted to a mountain biking helmet on each side. This (mounting) is not optimal for hockey, we later used a chest mount for the GoPro HD HERO, which turned out a lot better for hockey purposes.

We were wondering why no one ever did a side-by-side split-screen comparison between these two cameras, and mostly it is because they have a different angle of view. The GoPro HD HERO has a much wider lens, but they were matched up a well as possible for this video so that it looks decent enough. Really what you can tell from this comparison is color quality out-of-the-box, which can be adjusted (on the ContourHD1080p side).

Professional movie makers would say that you want a lower contrast on all of your video, which you can see on the GoPro HD HERO side. This is so that you can apply better color grading in post production. My personal preference on these types of action cameras is not color grading them, I just want to get them out on YouTube so my friends can see the footage. So I do prefer the ContourHD 1080p for the look and color, you can see better colors in the trees and surroundings (which may be more important for some mountain bikers).

You may have seen some weird compression artifacts on the ContourHD side, which may have been from re-compressing the footage (which subsequently introduced the artifacts). Simply re-rendering this out would have fixed this (but I got lazy).

Make any comparison judgments for yourself. Both cameras were very easy to use and have a plethora of mounts. If you would like to rent or buy these, please find us at camarush.com!

And again, follow up with the other side-by-side tests here:

Posted in GoPro HD vs. ContourHD | 3 Comments »