Testing out the Contour Roam2 HD - Reviewed

[The Tot]

Ok, didn't know where to put this so don't flame me. I didn't want to stick it in show and tell, and since this is maybe more video specific, I'd bung it here to give my recommendation.

A load of you would vouch for GoPro or Drift, and rightly so, they're great cameras, multi-functional and what not. But what if you DON'T need WIFI, or you DON'T need a viewfinder? I needed something that was sturdy and rather compact.

So, £130 from Amazon + £25 for the fitting strap and I got myself a Contour Roam 2 HD.

Specs are as follows:

720p 30/60fps - 170° field of view
1080p 30fps - 130° field of view
burst mode photography
Up to 32gb micro SD - Comes with 4gb packed

Low frontal cross sectional area
Rotatable lens - 180°
Has a threaded standard tripod mount (I already have existing attachments for my RAM mount)
Waterproof (not tested)
Simple one touch record slider - you KNOW when the slider is in the up position, the camera is running! No need to double check or faff about with remotes. Simplicity at its best which won against the gopro and drift hd
Laser alignment sends out a horizontal bar for you to get your lens rotated at the correct angle - Don't need or want a LCD viewfinder that drains battery!

Camera lacks attachment accessories - £25 for a strap is a bit excessive, but it's the ONLY attachment you need if you're a biker - £16 for the suction cup mount.
You can't edit your settings on the fly. You have to programme your camera with the contour story teller (easy to use) to define the resolution, colour balance. But, I've found that 720p 30fps offers the best compromise of battery life and quality. 60fps you lose detail in low exposure.
No external mic input - So if you want to vlog, this isn't the camera for you... but I then again, I don't think too highly of vloggers.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/969678_10151802010380712_437876786_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1069366_10151802031690712_140573338_n.jpg

Proper definition of HELMET cam!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1004469_10151802032280712_2057857726_n.jpg

Anyway here's the footage - as always, view in HD

Early Sunday Morning Ride with Marco - Multiple mounting positions tested - 720p 30fps - white balance set to shade environment

Sunset mountain bike ride on local trails to test the response to changes in lighting and exposure - 720p 60fps - white balance set to shade environment

For all you mountain bikers - Descending down Forest Of Dean, Verderer's Trail - Dragon's Tail section - Again rapid changes between shade and sunlight + lots of rocky bumps to see how the image stability checks out - 720p 30fps

The standard mic is pretty good for capturing ambient noise, but I always run my videos over music, so it's not much of an issue for me. But main aim of the camera is to capture my exploits on the twisties or the trails to share it with friends and get them out and about to enjoy the outdoors more.

Videos are bike related, expect maybe the last two are of the pedal variety!
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[wots]

I've just bought my second one of these. Brilliant cameras. FOV and quality is excellent, sound is a major issue, other than that it's great.

As you've said, who needs wi-fi and a battery sucking LCD display.
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Currently: Yamaha DT 125 LC2,Repsol Fireblade, and Bumblebee MSX 125

[The Tot]

Back then, it was a case of original standard def gopro (which I had) Vs the VholdR - The precursor to the Contour.

The thing I hate is how youtube subsequently compresses the footage for encoding. It doesn't do the camera any justice!

Drift failed on bulk! I needed something that I could lash onto my R&G crash bung, or fit firmly on my downtube or seatpost of my MTB WITHOUT using permanent stick-on attachments.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[Ghost]

I was going to say, the quality doesn't look that great on the videos I'm hoping that is your editing software or youtube raping the quality.

I'm seriously hankering after an action camera of some description but can't afford a new Drift or GoPro. Been checking out a few options such as a second hand Drift 720, or a new Eagle Eye Extreme 1080 which is a copy of the Drift, but I might have to keep an eye out for the Contour if they're that good.

In your opinion would you say that 30 fps is enough for general mucking about and youtube/facebook videos? The thing that puts me off the older Drifts and chinese copies in my budget is although they've all got great reviews, the Go Pros I've seen footage from have all been shot in 1080p and 60 fps and I don't want to be seriously disappointed!

[wots]

I wasn't 100% satisfied with 720p even if you can have 60fps mode, however 1080p is pretty good. Colours look quite natural and detail is great, reading number plates is fine which was difficult in 720P.

It just made it that much better.

I leave mine on 1080p, Everday Outdoor lighting and average metering. Seems to do the job.
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Currently: Yamaha DT 125 LC2,Repsol Fireblade, and Bumblebee MSX 125

[The Tot]

Yeah, i had to set my expectations low to be honest for the price. I much prefer the field of view that 720 offers.

If I had to pay top buck, it would have been Drift HD ghost... But that's more than double the price. For my budget, it was competing against the gopro hero HD2/hero 3 white edition.

I just went for simplicity.

And editing with pinnacle 14 HD didn't do the quality any good either. Footage is natively recorded in MP4 rathet than .avi of old, so i may need to rip off a more modern vid editing software. Youtube further kills the quality with compression.

But for facebook and youtube shenanigans, it's more than up to the job. But, for more pro stuff, drift hd ghost and gopro3 black is where it's at. Pay double though.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[Ghost]

[wots]

I thought the FOV was the same on 720/1080, in fact all modes. It's not like the Go-Pro in that respect.
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Currently: Yamaha DT 125 LC2,Repsol Fireblade, and Bumblebee MSX 125

[The Tot]

Pinnacle isn't that great when encoding my completed videos to MPEG-4. It comes out blotchy in places.

Most reviewers always state how poor youtube is, even in HD, for reproducing their productions. Vimeo might be a good shout.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[KLR600]

The camera is only half the quality story. If you're transcoding the footage a few times before uploading it you're losing quality each time so it's bound to suffer.

(I haven't watched the videos (yet) as I'm rendering video at the moment and if I try to watch a video on youtube it will melt my computer )

Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 natively supports .MP4/H.264 formats and even has a youtube preset for exporting so there's as little transcoding and quality loss as possible. Obviously videos vary in size depending on how much you do to them in the edit suite but I'm just exporting an 8 minute 1080p video for youtube now that will be about 450MB so not too bad on the upload time (unless you're on an ancient connection - could just upload overnight if you are so doesn't matter how big the file is).

Youtube does make video quality suffer but you can minimise it using the steps above. Vimeo is good but will also compress if you're uploading in an odd format (or even a more accepted format with too high a bitrate). Youtube is the one for hits though and that's where most people will probably end up looking for your videos anyway.

Ghost - Please speak to me before you go and buy something unsuitable
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Now: '00 Kawasaki ZRX1100R - Past: '84 Yamaha DT125, '89 Kawasaki KLR600, '97 Yamaha XJ600N
<My Bikepics Page> <My Yootoobes> <My Websites> <My Photos>
<Take Cool Photos!>

[wots]

I usually use Final Cut Pro X, that gets amazing results.
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Currently: Yamaha DT 125 LC2,Repsol Fireblade, and Bumblebee MSX 125

[Ghost]

[The Tot]

I just recorded a vid in 1080p... I'm sorry to say that the encoding with pinnacle made it no better than the 720p! I didn't bother uploading to youtube!

So, can somebody suggested something recent (and torrentable). Need something with a decent MP4 encoder.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[KLR600]

Is Premiere Pro CS6 not torrentable? I'm pretty sure Adobe would be angry if they checked my computer...
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Now: '00 Kawasaki ZRX1100R - Past: '84 Yamaha DT125, '89 Kawasaki KLR600, '97 Yamaha XJ600N
<My Bikepics Page> <My Yootoobes> <My Websites> <My Photos>
<Take Cool Photos!>

[The Tot]

Went for cyberlink power director. I used magnet link for CS6 (not that it makes a difference), but AVAST kept picking up false positives and deleting the file... or quarantining it...TWICE! Couldn't bother turning off avast to restart the download.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[wots]

I bought and paid for Pinnacle and extras, and a couple of upgrades over the years. Waste of money.

Then bought a Macbook Pro, there is a reason they use Apple in media, it just works. Recorded my journey into work, but I don't have my MBP here, I'll see what happens when I upload something.

Adobe Premiere is brilliant if you've got the skills, unlike me.
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Currently: Yamaha DT 125 LC2,Repsol Fireblade, and Bumblebee MSX 125

[fatjames]

I like the sound of the contour except the sound..
What's the best way to go get a half decent picture, with sound and doesn't look stupid on the side of my lid?

And all for under £150

[The Tot]

Not sure if somebody on here commented or not, but

Here's what it's like as a chase cam

On the whole, quality is about as good as a Hero HD2, albeit at a much reduced price.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism