Intro:

The ContourHD 1080p is the upgraded version of the ContourHD which films in 720p high def video. These are designed by American based company Contour which have brought us many helmet cameras in the past and have established themselves as one of the top helmet camera brands.

The Good:

The ContourHD was the very first HD helmet camera to plant its flag in the world of helmet cameras, soon after its big brother the ContourHD 1080p was released providing Full HD video in 1080p high def resolution. The footage that this little camera produces is really fantastic and is sure to impress any enthusiast bar the professional videographers, but I'm sure they would agree that this video quality from a camera this size and this price is really something.

ContourHD 1080p Helmet Camera ContourHD 1080p Helmet Camera ContourHD 1080p Helmet Camera ContourHD 1080p Helmet Camera

When looking at the ContourHD 1080p side by side with the other leading helmet cameras available then it is clear that this is a good looking camera; if there's anything that a helmet camera should look like, this is it. The good looks of this little camera converts a lot of people as they generally have spent a fair amount on the rest of their kit and don't want to choose one of the less attractive cousins.

Something that only becomes apparent when you first get your hands on the ContourHD is that it has a really good feel to it; solid and strong. The finish of the body feels high quality and this gives you confidence in its ability to withstand the extreme circumstances which you plan to use it for.

Without a screen at hand the obvious question that pops to mind is how would you know what you are actually filming? The last thing you want is to be out filming the whole day just to return to your computer to find that you've just been filming the sky the whole time and missed all the actions! In an attempt to address this issue VholdR build lazers into teh front of the camera so you can use "lazer-alignment" to get the right angle. The reason why the word attempt has been used is because we've used this lazer alignment loads and still manage to miss some of the desired frame occasionally. But it does work and deserves to be under the "Good" part of the review.

In order to align your shot perfectly the lens can also be rotated through 180degrees. This frees you up to mount the camera flat on its side and simply twist the lens into position to maintain an upright image.

Although you only get two mounts in the box with the camera, VholdR has created an impressive range of mounting accessories for mounting the camera pretty much anywhere. You'll receive a flat surface mount and a goggle mount as standard, while these do give you the ability to mount the camera in many places, you may want to look at all the accessories available as you may want a few extras.

The Contour HD 1080p has a range of resolution settings providing the user with a bunch of options for filming the way that they want to. It's not always just about filming in the highest resolution setting, you can range it all the way down through the settings to WVGA which is not the greatest looking video but it will preserve space on your memory card and allow the card to last a lot longer because smaller videos (lower res settings) takes up less space per Gb. The frame size of the shot and the frame rate of the video can also be adjusted by moving through the menu settings. You can even select a setting which is perfect for slow motion video which looks fantastic.

A big positive for the ContourHD 1080p is how easy it is to use. There's simply one switch along the top of the camera which slides forward to start your video and is pushed back to stop. It's almost too simple. The slide mechanism does click into place so it wont be moved by vibration and it beeps once to tell you that it is recording and twice to tell you when it stops. One of the things which we like about this feature is that you cannot confuse yourself as to whether or not you have turned it on.

The Not so Good:

Some of the cheaper helmet cameras available which offer similar video quality also come jam packed with extra features which the ContourHD is lacking. Some of these include being able to take still photos, having a wireless remote to control it, having a screen on the camera, and being waterproof.

This brings us to the next point, it's not waterproof. The way it is described is weatherproof; it can handle heavy rain, snow, and mud but it just can't be submersed. There is however a waterproof housing available as an extra which will protect the camera down to 10meters.

Filming in 1080p HD is fantastic but not all computers (like the one this review is being written on) cannot handle the size video, when you watch it back it looks very jerky. What you need is to have 512Mb of dedicated space available of ram just to be able to watch your videos smoothly and to be able to edit them.

The Action Cameras Bottom Line:

A good looking cam that delivers top notch video quality, that is definitely a good package. There are a few downsides but the numbers don't lie and when looking at sales history the ContourHD 1080p has proven itself to be one of the favourites amoung the top helmet cameras.

To view the ContourHD 1080p, click this link.

To have your review or comments added to this post, please send them through to reviews@actioncameras.co.uk. Here is a fantastic YouTube video unboxing and review video for you to enjoy.

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