Hi,
I'm looking to get a POV camera, i was trying to figure out all disadvantages and advantages of the following cameras: Gopro Hero 2 (Surf or Outdoor edition) and the Contour camera range.
i will be using the camera for kiteboarding, surfing, kayaking, riding and snowboarding.
Does anyone have any experience with both of these cameras? Which one takes better video/photos? And which edition is better for all round performance? (ei. Gopro hero 2 outdoor or surf edition) and any good cheap and reliable purchase places?
Thank you
Jeremy

i had a play with the new go pro wireless set up last week. awsome. no junk footage and much longer battery life. You can control up to 50 cameras You cant get one here yet but it wont be long so id wait.

GoPro is definitely the Go.
Wireless back pack is an optional extra and as pgc says they sound like a must have.
You will be able to get them as soon as they land. They are not far away I believe.
But nothing stopping you buying the 'Surf' model now & pick up the wireless later.
Same cameras in all packs - just different mounts to suit different sports.

+1 on the GoPro Hero2. I have one and very happy with the quality of the footage.

There is no diff in camera between surf and outdoor. Just different mounts.

I have the outdoor one and it came with waterproof casing, head mount, helmet straps (which you can use to mount the camera to the struts under the kite) and a variety of different handle bar mounts etc. On top of that I got the wrist mount and kitehero board mount (screws over the top of the fin on your TT).

Quick question - what software do you guys use to edit the vids? I have 100s of GBs of mostly boring footage. Need to edit it but so far havent been able to find any decent free software. I'd be happy to even pay for something if its good quality and wont crash every 10 seconds like some free software I tried.

Cheers

Hero 2 for sure.
We have knocked ours around a lot and they last. Also the quality seems better than the other options. Unless you get the top of the range Contour but it costs a few hundred more.

I have a hang gliding business and use "go pro" cams quite a lot. I have 20,000 still photos in stock over the past 2/3 years since we changed over. I am not happy with the Hero2 version and I suggest to source other POV cams. I have Hero2 issues with low light. I am not happy as I don't like delivering crap photos (light the problem) for our customers.

i use i movie on mac or arc on pc they are the best i found but photo shop is the ducks nuts if you want to pay heaps

Contour cameras are def the go for underwater filming had a gopro implode on me at approx 20m but still think gopro are the best when referring to above sea level activities

This presents you a pretty good (and unbiased) comparison of whats out there interms of action cameras, Contur, Drift, GoPro and Ion;

www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/06/battlemodo-the-best-action-camera/

I've gone down the GoPro route. I'd love to say im happy but unfortunately i think i've got a lemon. Seemingly at random the pictures start to get purple lines across them...but i'm hopeing GoPro will sort it out, they're pretty keen to keep up their quality image.

My mate took his GoPro diving (with the new dive housing) and we got some absolutely amazing footage from our dives in Exmouth and whale shark swims. Its rated for 30 or so meters so they should be fine underwater. The basic unit i think is rate for something like 60m...Overall I'm looking forward to taking the replaced camera on my holiday to Malaysia and Thailand in two weeks!

As for aftereffects...

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pgc said...

i use i movie on mac or arc on pc they are the best i found but photo shop is the ducks nuts if you want to pay heaps

I don't think you're using the internet properly...too easy to get a 'free version' of last years edition photoshop or sony vegas

from my experience, stay away from the olympus water/shock/crush/dinosaur proof cameras. what they gain in durability they lose in picture quality.

yer Gopro's are sick cameras, super versatile and have got all the mounts and after markt products you would need.

Just got hold of this new camera called 'ION'

tested it out the other day and works really well and you don't need a casing for it underwater. its 10m waterproof as is. It has inbuilt Wi-Fi so you can stream it to your phone etc. Its still got the Fisheye lense and full HD 1080p. its a sick little cam you should check it out, might be the next big thing, might test it a bit more before i make a decision whether to sell my gopro or not first.

here is the website have a look ion360.com

Hey Ewan,
Have you made a movie with this ion camera? is the footage similar with the gopro(in terms of quality of video and sound)?
thanks
jeremy

I have a contour gps you can have cheep!! Batt life is poor on gps mode so i have the gps off most of the time.

+1 the picture quality is terrible for the those models.

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tgladman said...

from my experience, stay away from the olympus water/shock/crush/dinosaur proof cameras. what they gain in durability they lose in picture quality.

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ewan kite said...

Just got hold of this new camera called 'ION'

It has inbuilt Wi-Fi so you can stream it to your phone etc. here is the website have a look ion360.com

I Think you can only view the footage over the wireless network to phone or what ever device. You can't actually do anything with the stream on your phone like record etc!
And I dont think you can be recording on the camera and stream the footage at the same time, it is one or the other!

I prefer the contour purely because of the shape if you intend using it for things other than kiteboarding. The contour is more streamlined than the go pro. This is the Contour Roam.



The wind noise in this video is slightly higher because I didn't have the waterproof case on (its already waterproof so only needs the case for dunking in water like you would with kiteboarding). The tapping sound you hear at one point is because I forgot to connect the tether and it was blowing in the wind.

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wdric said...

ewan kite said...

Just got hold of this new camera called 'ION'

It has inbuilt Wi-Fi so you can stream it to your phone etc. here is the website have a look ion360.com

I Think you can only view the footage over the wireless network to phone or what ever device. You can't actually do anything with the stream on your phone like record etc!
And I dont think you can be recording on the camera and stream the footage at the same time, it is one or the other!

nah i had streaming and recording going at the same time the other day, didnt think it was but it saved to my card. yer not sure how the stream goes atm

+1 on the GoPro.

Here's a review I found on the Ion air pro.

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SpaceCoyote said...

+1 on the GoPro Hero2. I have one and very happy with the quality of the footage.

Quick question - what software do you guys use to edit the vids? I have 100s of GBs of mostly boring footage. Need to edit it but so far havent been able to find any decent free software. I'd be happy to even pay for something if its good quality and wont crash every 10 seconds like some free software I tried.

Cheers

Try Powerdirector, easy program to use. Some of the new computers come with it installed already.

Just got shot of my gopro - constantly fogged up when used in water either on a kite or canyoning, i tried everything suggested on the forums still fogged after about 10 mins each time. Recently got the contour roam and im loving it, no fogging and its 'low profile' stops it getting in the way when parachuting etc. Had it skiing 3 weeks ago and it was so easy to get a bunch of different shots with the same head strap - had it facing forward, backward, in my hand, on my boot (fwd and back) and on the ski pole. all in all well happy. gopro is the original but it aint the best.

Another vote for the Ion,really good quality shots that will take being super slow motioned down without getting the fuzzy edges.No fogging issues either that the GoPro has.
I love that its a very compact camera that is easy to switch on and off in the surf .When the camera is mounted on the helmet you can hear it vibrate when it goes through its start up process.
The single screw mount needs a bit of work but you can use a hose clamp around the camera just to make sure that it stays in place.
You also get a better light balance, no more black sun spot in the shots

There are two files created per footage,1 hd and 1 suitable for mobile.

The GoPro has an advantage with a add on lcd screen and a floaty if it goes overboard

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frankief said...

Just got shot of my gopro - constantly fogged up when used in water either on a kite or canyoning,

Did you try the anti fog strips from Gopro, They work.
Also turn in on for 5 min before closing the case up, this helps heat it up and dry it out.

I have been using the same anti fog strips for about 10 times now.
Before I walk out the door I stick them in the grill on the oven and turn camera on for 5min, then close it all up and its good to go for the session for a full battery charge.

Tried the inserts - didn't work. Tried silica gel crystals - no good. Tried filling the case with cold air from the cat air con etc etc. Bought a contour and its sweet :-)

Look into the ION cams. They seem cool and with wifi. Don't know how that works but sounds good.

Heres another alternative, comes with built in display and has the same video image quality as GoPro. Sorry about the blatant add, but this camera is worth while looking at
www.sugarqube.com.au/index.php/shop/cameras