Monday, February 28, 2011
Contemplating getting a GoPro HD HERO Wide camera
After watching a friend's recent attempt at recording a drive up the twisty roads of Ulu Yam, I've been intrigued with the idea of making a video myself. And so I've been researching on whats the best equipment available out there on the market for the filming of car events. These are the two contenders which are available for purchase in Malaysia:
Specification Comparison Chart (courtesy of http://www.helmetcamreview.com)
Judging from the reviews and user feedback from numerous sites on the internet, boths products have their strengths and weaknesses. In my case however, I'm looking for a camera that provides high quality footage and ease of editing (the GoPro camera excels in these two areas). Mounting and ease of use are secondary since the camera will mostly be mounted inside the car (the Countour camera is easy to deploy and is less of a hassle to mount). So whats the verdict?
Have a look at this video comparison between the two cameras and I'm sure you'll come to the same conclusion that I arrived at:
Oh and check out this awesome GoPro video of a ProSports car race between Porsches and Jaguars as they battle it out at Laguna Seca.
Specification Comparison Chart (courtesy of http://www.helmetcamreview.com)
ContourGPS HD 1080p | GoPro HD HERO Wide | |
Suggested Retail Price | RM1280 | RM1299 |
Included mounts | Goggle and flat surface, extra stickem pad | Vented helmet, headband, 2 flat surface, 2 curved surface, adjustable pivot arm, WP housing* with add'l open "audio" back, 2 quick release mounts |
Included cables | USB | USB, HDTV and RCA |
Software | Online download available | No |
Lens/Field Of View (FOV) | 110 deg. on 1080p, WVGA 135 deg. on 960p & 720p | 127 deg. on 1080p 170 deg. on 960 & 720p |
Adjustable camera settings | via software: Time, 4 video quality, audio gain, bit rate, contrast, exposure, sharpness, spot/center/avg. metering | via camera menu: video settings exposure metering |
Video settings | 1080p@30fps 960p "full frame"@30fps 720p@30 or 60fps WVGA (848x480 @60fps) | 1080p@30fps 960p "full frame"@30fps 720p@30 or 60fps |
File Type/codec | QuickTime .MOV/H.264 | MP4/H.264 |
Battery / included | rechargeable lithium - yes | rechargeable lithium - yes |
Battery run time | 3 hrs (as per Mfg.) | 2.5 hours (as per Mfg.) |
Internal memory | No | No |
Memory Storage | MicroSD up to 16GB | SD up to 32GB |
Memory included | Yes - 2GB | No |
Still photos? | No | Yes - 5 mp, several modes |
Digital zoom? | No | No |
Remote or LANC | No | No |
weight w/battery | 4.4oz | 6.3oz in wp case*, 3.5oz without |
Size L x W x H | 3.75" x 1.27" x 2.15" | 1.6" x 2.77" x 2.5" (in case) |
Weather resistance | "water resistant" Not WP without WP housing - NOT included | Yes, only with WP housing* (included) |
Other notes: | GPS tracking, Rotatable lens, dual laser sighting system Online video hosting/posting | *housing must be used for mounting of camera |
Judging from the reviews and user feedback from numerous sites on the internet, boths products have their strengths and weaknesses. In my case however, I'm looking for a camera that provides high quality footage and ease of editing (the GoPro camera excels in these two areas). Mounting and ease of use are secondary since the camera will mostly be mounted inside the car (the Countour camera is easy to deploy and is less of a hassle to mount). So whats the verdict?
Have a look at this video comparison between the two cameras and I'm sure you'll come to the same conclusion that I arrived at:
Oh and check out this awesome GoPro video of a ProSports car race between Porsches and Jaguars as they battle it out at Laguna Seca.
Labels:
Car Races,
Comparison,
Contour,
ContourGPS,
Drives,
Editing,
GoPro,
GPS,
HD,
Helmet Camera,
Laguna Seca,
Motorsports,
Mounting,
ProSports Car Racing,
Ulu Yam,
Video,
Wide
Caparo T1



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