Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Contour GPS Video Camera

Up to this point most of the photos that have appeared on my blog were taken by Gary Quellet and all of the videos are by Gary using a small point and shoot camera and he has done a fine job. For some reason I have had a desire to dabble in the videos as well. As to how much video I will put up on my blog I am not sure, but it seems like there are plenty of times that we are on a fast downhill section of road or something was going on that I wished I had recorded video for playback or to share with family and friends. I seem to struggle getting my small point and shoot cameras out and handling it as well as Gary and I would really feel uncomfortable trying that at a near 40 mph hill descent so it is probably best if I use a camera that is mounted and easy to use.

It may take me a while to get the hang of recording while riding or training so please don’t expect great videos right away, but maybe the video will also represent attributes on some of our courses or routes that may be helpful to those who might be considering cycling in our area.

I will probably start the first tests with the vented helmet camera mount and only take short segments and I will probably not use the GPS on the first rides. From my understanding the GPS is embedded in the video and is utilized when using the video options through Contour’s website. I believe I will edit the video using Cyberlink Power Director Ultra and then upload to youtube and then embed to my blog. That is what I plan. We will see how it turns out.

Contour GPS Overview

• Has 5 modes Full HD 1080p, Tall HD 960p, Action HD 720p, Contour 720p, Still Photo

• Built in ultra sensitive GPS u-blox module in the on/off switch.

• Built in omni-directional microphone.

• Up to 32 GB storage capacity using a Micro SD card.

• Rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery with a life up to 3 hours.

• Contour StoryBook Application for video editing.

• Dimensions (H x W x D) 2.3” x 1.3” x 3.75”

• Weight 5.3 oz / 150 grams

• Operating Temperature 5 to 104 degrees F (-15 to 40 C)


Consideration to the PointofViewCamera.com

When I first started looking into cameras that were available I knew immediately that the Contour product line was the one that I wanted to use. I was impressed with the videos that I saw on the web and the camera seemed to be a small size compared to some of the other options. Also the video seemed to be a very good quality. The next step was to locate a seller and that is where POINTofVIEWCAMERAS.com came to the top of my list. Since I was interested in a camera that had yet to be released I had a few questions and Mike was very responsive to my initial questions concerning some of the new features on the camera. I ended up pre-ordering one of the Mega Pack package deals that included a few extra items that will no doubt be useful. After placing the pre-order since the camera had not yet been released the staff, specifically Atossa, was once again helpful to answer questions regarding shipping dates and getting a tracking number to me. Overall I am very pleased with the service, responsiveness and the friendliness of Pointofviewcameras.com. If I were giving star ratings I would give them a 5 out of 5 stars. As for the camera I still have some testing and to put it through the rigors and elements while being out on the road.

Video by Pointofviewcamera.com


The biggest part of my review will be the actual road test. Stay tuned to see the embedded test video to this page at a later date.

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