ContourHD - Câmera HD Helmet

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

Whereas the camera housing looks to be solid, everything else on this unit is just so-so. The glass lens covering was scratched after the very first use. As far as I can tell, this took place when the thumb on my glove brushed across the lens while adjusting the laser beams. This camera is all but useless in low light conditions. For everyday lighting, it produces a nice image. Sound is OK. The software for the camera can exhibit strange behaviors on some XP systems.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

Looking for something to use as a self contained lipstick cam to use when videoing soldiers training I found this product. Others had wider field of view or came with water housing but this had the ease and form factor for many of the missions. I have used this on HALO and Static line jumps, attached to motorcycles, the body and RC cars. As an added test to feel safe with sending this camera in the field with soldiers, I allowed my 13 year old son and his friends from 8-15 test it on trampolines, bikes and the dog days of summer. The camera is still working great and giving me amazing shots in all types of lighting conditions and environments. WELL WORTH the price especially once a 4 GB card is added. I use the 2 GB as a back up. I have yet to need the back up battery. The ease of use and laser leveling lens makes mounting VERY versatile and pretty easy.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

I bought this camera to use with my bicycle and motorcycle while riding. It seems well suited for the purpose; small, lightweight, and easy to use.
I do not want to glue the camera mount to any of my helmets, so I have had to come up with various improvised mounts, such as taping it to my bicycle headlight or fastening it to the windshield bracket on my motorcycle using a strap from tailbag. All have functioned surprisingly well. The alignment lasers makes it easy to make sure the camera is reasonably level.
The image quality is very good, though not quite up to Blueray standard. The exposure is good, but a bit uneven when riding through patches of mixed sun and shade.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

Poor video quality when it worked and hard to operate with flimsy record switch at the top of the unit. But then it became flaky, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Upgraded the firmware and it worked for 1 day and now I can't get it to be recognized. In fairness, I've not called tech support yet but will this week. But Overall impression is I wish I had tried another product.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

FIRST - I have not actually used the camera as yet - my 5 star rating is only due to size and weight. I have mounted everything to a ski helmet (30 yrs of doing this) from a Super 8 camera to a pencil-lense with recorder unit in a back back. From a physical prospective - this is GREAT.Also - to the person needing waterproof - Contour now has a $40 fully waterproof (not really deep, but 27') container - I am going to mount it on my ski helmet w/this case as we ski in trees and crud, and abuse can occur. The added protection is a a WELCOME sight to my pile of destroyed cameras.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

It was placed on my ski helmet and used in Crested Butte on the slopes. In HD mode the left side was a bit out of focus and the picture a bit fish-eyed. In SD the picture is razor sharp and the motion is crisp. This appears to be a SD cam pushed to include a HD mode. Its on/off switch is easy for a gloved hand and the mount is really good. Downloading to my Apple is no problem without the software which is on the included memory card. A bit pricy but not a bad deal. I was hoping it would really blow me away but it did not. However it is adequate.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

outdoor biking, but shooting from the tripod - still cannot read car plates form 150 ft distance

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

This camera is perfect for sports and extreme sports videos. Now with the new software, it is a camera that I cannot work without. I have two of these cameras and I get shots that I couldn't have without the small profile and wide angle lens. It doesn't work great in low light, but not many cameras do.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

Purchased ContourHD 1080P from Adventure designs. Seemed like it might be a good camera, but turns out for me the packaging was the best part of it. Without installing the software there is no way to change the settings for the camera which has to be connected via USA cable. The software will not run on my system as I keep getting the dreaded "outdated version" message from Easy Edit, even though I downloaded the latest version from this site.Called tech support, yes as usual anything that involves tech support is never good. I got a recording stating they would respond within 24 hours. Isn't gonna do me much good since I have a shoot I wanted to use this on in 2 hours. Had I looked at these forums and others I've seen regarding this camera I would have never purchased it.Now, less than 72 hours after delivery Adventure Designs is giving me a hard time about returning it and refusing to give me any return information.[...] Anyway, just wanted to post this for people who are considering buying the ContourHD camera. I think I'm going to go with the HD Hero by GoPro. Camera also has serious fish-eye effect problem.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

If you plan on using this for action sports like snowboarding, the goggle strap mount is not recommended. You will get a wobbly picture the whole time as the camera is a bit heavy and shakes around. Use the solid helmet mount for best results. Also the back battery compartment can pop open when you slide the record switch off.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

This thing is small and the quality is huge. I've been a Boston news photog for years and this little camera rivals some of my Hi-end gear. [...]

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

Works very well. I've used for it day and night skiing with great results. The only issue I've had with it is it "freezing" up in really cold temps. The lights are on but none of the buttons work. Seems to be a fairly common issue and may be related to going from warm air inside to cold air outside.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

I am Middle Tennessee State University graduate with a Degree in Video Production. I bought this camera to take on a snowboarding trip hoping to capture so video while having fun.PROS:PICTURE QUALITY~EXPOSUREThe camera is great. However they engineered it the auto exposure is above standard, it's not jumpy like most consumer cameras are (however the snow on a bright day did blow out but, that wasn't the camera's fault). Even in low light (I shot a time-lapse of a sunrise), the camera maintained a great overall exposure. Worlds above automatic exposure on any consumer hand held camcorder on the market. COLORThe picture quality is fantastic. Vibrant colors look wonderful. Especially if you are planning to use it in conjunction with a SD camera. 60 fps looks great overcranked and the HD video looks even better down res to SD. OPTIONS:SD and HD and ability to shot 60fps. How many prosumer camcorders can claim that? Great for action and overcranking (real slow motion).CONS:~MOUNTSThis is my biggest complaint. The mounts are great ideas but don't work in the field. I shot an entire day with the goggle mount and all my footage is shot. EXTREMELY shaky, practically unusable even with some post-production image stabilization. I ran into another guy on the mountain who had stuck the helmet mount on his and said it was just as bad. I ended up building my own rig that worked nicely (a 5/16's bolt through the top of an old skate helmet and ghetto-rigged a piece of wood to the goggle mount.) ~FOCUSIt is what it is, an automatic camera. ~LOW LIGHTAs soon as sunlight was cut mid tones ran together and image quality was significantly lowered. (still very good overall though, once again an auto setting will produce auto results)~NO LCDBecause it didn't have any screen the size and weight was brought down but it's just to hard to frame the camera. The lasers held A LOT but couldn't there be a way to connect to video software and see it live? AUDIO PROBLEMS[...] audio was in and out. For the most part I don't need it but i was concerned that it would drop it at all. The Vholdr Forums say only to use recommended cards but the card I got was what BHphoto suggested to buy. Why would that have issues?OVERALL. Great camera! Worth the money, you just need to be creative with the mounts and TEST TEST TEST stuff before you take it out. Understand what you buy before you buy it and you won't be disappointed.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

I purchased this camera a couple weeks ago and it is impressive. the quality is excellent and is easy to use. Highly recommend it.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

I got this as a gift for my brother, who is a huge snowboarder and motorcyclist. He absolutely loves it. He hasn't stopped playing with it since he got it. It is a great price for what you get, and because he doesn't have a lot of experience making and editing video it is very user-friendly.

The only negative is that the battery doesn't last very long, so he is going to have to get a back-up battery.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

Just what I've always wanted for my mountain bike.I use five different mounts for various types of riding. We are also using our ContourHD to make a permanent record of the renovations to our house. It has already proved usefull in locating pipes and wires that have been buried. It runs permenantly when plugged in to the power. The retaining rubbers for the back cover could be stronger for this type of application. thanks Peter V

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

I use the camera mounted under the nose of a Honda ST1300. The camera worked as expected. It provided the images expected and, based on previous reviews met my expectations.

The only thing I do not like about it is that it has no remote control for starting and stopping recordings. However, I was aware of that before I received the camera. So, it was not unexpected.

The files are name *.MOV which causes some problems when used in some software and the time and date stamp on the camera's images is not changable, at least I have not found a way to change it yet.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

I purchased the ContourHD for my production company as an interesting POV add-on. Definitely a great tool for those shots that you add a personal touch to.

Yes, this camera was meant for extreme sports but it has a variety of uses as well. The only downside I can find with it is the poor low-light capabilities. You really have to ramp up lighting in late afternoon-evening shooting.

On a side note; I was also pleasantly surprised at the quality of the built in microphone!

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

I purchased this little beauty for the sole purpose of spearfishing and surfing....and I haven't been disappointed. Once I sourced a manufacturer of a waterproof housing to suit the Contour HD I was in business. The picture is amazing and the light-weight aspect really make it a joy to use.
The 135' wide angle is perfect for what I am doing, and it still maintains a really good picture under low light.
The only downsides I have found with this product is the fact that the 2Gb cards really are a waste of time and the sale of this product with a larger card at a little extra cost would make a lot more sense. For what I am particularly interested in, it is also a shame that the item is water resistant and not waterproof.

Comments about VholdR ContourHD - HD Helmet Camera:

Great no frills helmet-cam for capturing Skydiving action.
Sharp image. Nice wide angle for tight formations.
Simple controls, you can even turn it on in free fall when you forget to do so prior to exit. :)
Light weight, durable.
Simple set up and operation.
Mount needs a little improvement for skydiving, no big deal.
Great value, very satisfied.