Tarzanman

Well, on a whim I bought a ContourHD POV cam last night. I already own:
Canon 7D
Olympus Stylus Tough 3000
Canon SD630

All of which can shoot video, but I wanted a way to record video that would leave my hands free.

I still plan to bring the 7D with me out on the slopes at least one of the days.

Tested the ContourHD indoors at home last night... there seems to be a bug in the computer software when trying to configure it for 60fps. I'll have to try the older software for it when I get home. The quality isn't as nice as my 7D, but then again the 7D cost 5x more.

pontiuspylate

Should of just gotten a GoPro HD...

Puggy

+1 just got my GoPro and I love it... plus they're starting to sell components for them in Future Shop which is always a plus instead of waiting for shipments.

MunkySpunk

I was looking at the contour and the gopro today online. Haven't made up my mind which yet.

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Extremo

Same here...I'd like to see more videos from each run through color and stablization filters

NYCboarder

took my gopro out Tuesday.. the video looks so sweet.. I cant really edit it yet bc my comp sux and cant handle the HD.. i don't wear it as a helmet cam rather i mount it to a handle so i hold it in my hand and use it as a follow cam. me and my buddies take turns holding it and following each other... i like it better than on top of my head watching whats in front of me

*just make sure you ride close to who your filming.. It is meant to capture what is close in high quality.

Tarzanman

It turns out that the software bugs are with Windows 7. Software works fine in Windows XP on my laptop.

In the end, I decided to go with the ContourHD because of the form factor for the camera. I don't need a POV camera that takes still pictures... I have 3 other digital cameras that take better stills than the GoPro or Contour ever will.

Basically this (http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/i...2010/feb/4.jpg ) looks a lot less cumbersome and dorky than this ( http://store.mpgear.com/images/produ...lmetHeroHD.jpg ). The ContourHD rotates in its housing out of the box, which is one less piece needed if I have to mount it on an angled surface.

The lasers you can activate at will which tell you:
1. What you're aiming at
2. Whether the camera is leveled properly
are *very* handy and useful. I expect other POV camera manufacturers to implement similar systems after the terms (of what I assume is a) patent run out.

Deviant

It's my understanding that the GoPro has wider-angle lens (170 degrees or so) in the 960 and 720p which is wider than the Contour, but the Contour is more compact and lighter.

Tarzanman

I am a big of a photography buff (can you tell from the 4 cameras I own? ). The FOV (field of view) of a lens is directly related to its focal length. Anything over 90º is fine with me, I usually shoot photos/video at a lower angle (longer focal length) than that. I am not a fan of extreme wide angles because of the distortion that gets introduced.

170º on the Gopro is available with the wide angle kit. 170º is an extremely fish-eyed perspective, and I would personally probably not take any videos at that focal length.

Anything not super close to the camera looks tiny, and everything close to the camera gets distorted pretty badly. Just not my thing.