OVERVIEW:
I own the Contour GPS (C-GPS = 1080p) and Contour HD (C-HD = 720p). Primary use capturing HD snowboarding footage in conditions varying from blue bird sunny days to snowy flat light days.
VIDEO QUALITY: (5 out of 5)
The Contour GPS (C-GPS) features some much needed improvements over its predecessor, especially when capturing footage in low light conditions. Where the C-HD's video quality suffered on overcast/snowy days, the C-GPS excels. Subtle details in terrain (fresh vs tracked snow, etc.) are now clearly visible. 1080p HD video quality is excellent, and looks great on my 52" LCD TV.
PORTABILITY / EASE OF USE: (5 out of 5)
The C-GPS is the same size and shape as the original C-HD helmet cam, with the exception of the record toggle switch which now sits a few millimeters higher for easier operation. A welcomed improvement especially when wearing gloves/mitts. Turn the camera on, and two red laser sights light up to aid in lens alignment. Three lights on the unit a battery light, memory card light, and GPS light help identify if your battery is dead, memory is full, or GPS signal is locked.
Heads up on memory card compatibility. The C-GPS is finicky about what brand, class, and size of micro sdhc cards used; and how you format your cards. For example, I bought a 32gb Class 4 Kingston card off newegg that works like a charm; however neither my 8gb Class 6 Transcend or my 8gb Class 2 Sandisk work. Also, my Kingston card only works if formatted by the camera (not my computer).
DESIGN QUALITY: (4 out of 5)
As with previous Contour helmet cams, the design remains virtually unchanged. The body is made of aluminum and plastic. The camera attaches to various plastic mounts (two flat mounts and one goggle mount included inside the package) using Contour's "T-rail system".
My biggest gripe is the T-rails are made of plastic, rather than aluminum. The plastic T-rails are a weak link and could be susceptible to breaking. I wish Contour would have upgraded the T-rail material to aluminum on the C-GPS, but hopefully they will get it right on the next one.
BATTERY LIFE: (3 out of 5)
C-GPS battery life is significantly less than the C-HD. When recording on a fully-charged battery, the C-HD lasts about twice as long as the C-GPS. This is likely attributed to the more demanding 1080p bitrate as well as the GPS function. In my application I typically record approximately 60 minutes worth of footage before the battery runs out on my C-GPS; while the C-HD records approximately 110 minutes worth of footage on a full charge. Note these figures are based on extreme operating conditions where freezing temperatures greatly affect battery life. In any event, buy extra batteries... you'll be glad you did.
Another battery-related gripe is the mechanism which keeps the battery in place. The previous Contour models used a locking latch to keep the battery from accidentally popping out; however the new model uses a new 'hook' mechanism which can be cumbersome. This is discussed in greater detail on Contour's support forums.
GPS: (4 out of 5)
GPS accuracy may be questionable, but it's a nice feature and a step in the right direction for helmet cams. I typically get a GPS lock within 3-minutes of power up, even on overcast or snowy days. The light on the front of the camera blinks green as a satellite lock is being acquired, and turns solid green within a few minutes once GPS signal has been acquired.
STORYTELLER SOFTWARE: (3 out of 5)
Prior to the latest software update, I would've rated Contour's Storyteller Software a 1/5. Their software is buggy and unstable, particularly on mac machines. However, the latest update addresses stability issues; and tackles one of the biggest gripes in the Contour community accessibility of the GPS information without having to upload to their servers. Suffice to say, their software team has some major catching up to do with their hardware team.
Contour also scores an extra point for support; and they continually push out firmware and software updates which can potentially add some pretty cool features in the near future (C-GPS bluetooth connection to iOS or android smartphone which will allow the phone to act as a viewfinder displaying what your C-GPS sees in real-time. Another added benefit: on-the-fly camera adjustments via your smartphone bluetooth connection).
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Overall, I recommend seriously considering this product if you're in the market for a helmet cam to capture HD footage while snowboarding. This model raises the bar for future helmet cams and I am glad that I upgraded from my old C-HD. I may have a few minor gripes, but IMHO, it is currently the best HD Helmet Cam offering in terms of video quality, portability, and features at its price point.
I really wanted to like this product, and it definitely has some great features. But in practice, the camera and its accessories unfortunately were disappointing.
I purchased the Contour GPS, along with the newly available connect-view card, for a safari trip in Africa. I also purchased a spare battery.
There are some major design flaws that quickly became apparent.
THE "HIDDEN BUTTON"- I suspect this design flaw is not yet called out because the use of the "hidden button" is quite new. You can now add a "Connect View" card to the Contour GPS which gives it bluetooth capability, and thus the ability to link to an iPhone so that the phone can be used as a viewfinder. This is a very cool feature and it worked just fine. The problem is that to activate the bluetooth, you press on a "hidden button", which is just a button located underneath a plastic top layer. That's the problem. The plastic top layer is very weak, and after I pressed the hidden button only 5 times, the plastic started to crack. This is completely unacceptable and a major problem, as it obviously allows water and moisture to penetrate the camera, not to mention the problem of having an ugly, cracked top of the camera after initial use. The hidden button was only sparingly used before this bluetooth capability was added, so I suspect you will start seeing many reviews highlighting this defect.
THE DEFECTIVE BATTERY DESIGN- This was also a major design flaw that I'm not sure how was overlooked. I purchased a backup battery, which of course means that it has to be swapped out with the main battery. After pulling out the main battery only 2 times, another design flaw emerged. The battery clasp rubs against the side of the battery, and the top cover of the battery is a very flimsy, glued on piece of plastic. The clasp catches on it and peels it off almost immediately. I thus ended up with 2 batteries with detached covers, with each only being inserted and replaced a total of maybe 5 times. If the covers fall off, the battery doesn't seat properly and doesn't work, so you can't just get rid of the covers. If you're not switching out the battery, this defect won't be apparent, but for anyone looking to supplement the very mediocre battery life of this unit, you're in for a disappointing discovery.
PROS:
The angle of view is very good and captures a huge swath. Picture quality is pretty good in bright light, but basically useless in low light conditions.
The "connect view" feature is very cool (albeit a bit buggy at this time).
Overall construction, with the exception of the hidden button and the battery, is good.
The camera is compact, light, and sleek.
CONS:
The battery life is terrible, especially with GPS activated. You might get 90 minutes of standby with GPS on. Maximum of about 2 hours with it turned off.
Design flaws as discussed above.
This WILL be a great product someday, but I can't recommend it until the hidden button, battery cover, and battery life issues are addressed.
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The Contour GPS camera is a fantastic product, in theory. The form factor and feature set exceed the GoPro in many ways.
However: There is a KNOWN problem with the video quality. Contour is baffled and there is no reason to believe they will fix it before you lose your ability to return the device. I would absolutely not buy this camera until they fix this. As Amazon will nto allow us to post links, just go to the Contour customer support area and read the long thread about this camera.
We had to return 3 of these to Amazon.
1) Could not upgrade firmware USB port problem
2) The battery clip broke off (a common issue)
3) Video quality was horrible (a common issue)
Thankfully Amazon's polices are AWESOME about returns. There is a reason why you buy big ticket items from Amazon.
Ken
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I wanted to like this. I really did.
As soon as i got home and saw the Amazon box i couldn't wait to try it out. However i soon found out that while it looks rugged and well built, it is anything but. My unit was DOA.
The first issue while trying to troubleshoot why it wouldn't power up, was the simple procedure of removing the battery. Though i was absolutely sure that i had placed it in the right way round (they have a handy + marking on both the battery and the camera to help) it wouldn't come back out. No matter what i tried the little red clip that holds the battery in place (though not correctly, as you will see) would not let the battery slide past it to get it out. It kept catching on the protective plastic wrapper that is around the battery to stop it from shorting out against the metal body of the camera, and was trying to rip a chunk out of it.
Thinking I'd damaged the camera already, i took to the Internet and looked at their support site. I soon found out that this is apparently the norm and the company even helpfully point out that you can REMOVE SOME OF THE PROTECTIVE WRAPPING to help the battery come free enough that you can then grab it, with the aid of needle nose pliers if needed. Really?? Have they heard of quality control? The site is here, take a look at the thread and decide for yourself.Eventually i managed to get the battery out without too much damage but the plastic was torn. I did put it in correctly though, so i put it back in and pressed the power button. Nothing. Thinking that the battery must be out of charge i plugged the included USB cable into my laptop and plugged the other end into the camera. Hurrah! A red light came on. I decided to let it sit for an hour or two while i went to dinner and when i returned the red light had turned green So, fully charged it should now power up. Right?
Wrong. The camera still refused to power up. So, i took to the Internet again. I'm not sure how i missed this the first time, as it appears to be a pretty hot topic, but i don't appear to be alone with my issues. There is another thread chock full of people who took delivery of a new (new? We'll get back to that) ContourGPS and it won't power up. Lots of varied answers to what the issue is, it could be the battery not being set far enough in (the fix for that being a wad of paper, or cutting a chunk out of the top of the battery!!), the hinged cover not latching correctly, or even the power button itself not being installed the correct way around. This thread details all of the issues, with official replies from Contour.The most interesting part of all this for me at least, and the reason i decided to return my unit ASAP to Amazon (at my cost) is not the fact that this camera is clearly badly designed / manufactured. No, it's the fact that Contour claim point blank that all new cameras do not have this issue. The topics i linked to are 6 months old as a write this, but yet they are being updated daily, with people all over the world complaining that their brand new unit has the same problems.
So, Contour are either:
A: Being dishonest, and all units have these problems.
B: Telling the truth, but not selling that many.
C: Telling the truth, but they "stuffed the channel" with so many units that 6 months later they are still in stock at retailers. (which is pretty much B, but crappier for the consumer)
I've no way of knowing either way, but i like to think that Amazon is probably one of the biggest sellers of these devices, in the USA at least. If Amazon still have the "old design" in stock then Contour must have given them thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of units; if they are selling well. Though if that is the case I'm surprised more complaints are not on their support site.
Either way, It's obvious that Contour think it's better to have consumers buy what is essentially a $300 paperweight, then modify it themselves to get it to power up or return it to Contour for one of the rare "fixed" units than it is to actually recall all the defective ones from the channel and replace with new ones.
This is bad for the consumer and ultimately bad for Contour.
Thanks for reading -hopefully before it was too late.
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I got this as a gift only a week ago and it has been hours of fun since. Great for family sports videos and also for my own training in a rowing shell. In addition to GPS, this model has a larger, easier record switch. Don't have to take the gloves off in the cold! It also has a still photo mode, unlike the earlier Contour models. The GPS version has better microphone placement as well, so I was able to hear my commentary even skiing in the wind. Even if you don't need to see your speed and GPS data, several improvements make this model worth it over the less expensive earlier versions. While the photos are a bit fish-eyed, resulting from the 135 degree lens, you can't beat skiing and taking 3 60 shots/second without having to stop and take off gloves, etc. The contour storyteller video editing is not the best, but it does have an easy link to post on the contour website and does show the GPS data. If you use imovie the editing is better, but the GPS data is not available. The techinical issues I have had (mostly "how to" stuff) were answered within just a few hours on the Contour.com website (over the Christmas holiday!). I would buy this product just on the basis of the AMAZING tech support.
Here's a link to a video we made with imovie skiing in Colorado: . We had an incident with a low tree limb in the woods during a minor snow slide. The camera, once found in the avalanche debris field, was still recording! Since then it continues working perfectly.
Neagative aspects include the need to link to a computer to set the HD mode and photo mode. But there are 2 settings inside the camcorder back cover that allow switching between two video/photo modes in the field. Also, I wish that the GPS data did not require use of the simplified and somewhat quirky Contour Storyteller software. Yet, the product is Mac friendly and you can upload and edit videos without Contour's software (e.g. by using iMovie or PC software) If you want to see the GPS data you must use the contour software to post your video e.g.: .
The few negatives seem outweighed by the excellent design and support of the folks at Contour. I also can't help noting that the folks I saw skiing with a competing brand looked like they were wearing a toaster on their heads.
This product has given me major grins and is the best tech gadget present in many a year. ( One caution: Be sure not to buy the waterproof case for the GPS since it only fits the earlier models, not the GPS with its larger record button. oops!)
