Sinecure
June 10th, 2009, 03:43 PM
I got to test out the new VholdR ContourHD helmet cam recently. It is a great helmet cam, but not quite ready for snow use yet. They promise to have some solution to the snow overexposure issue in time for next season, so stay tuned. I submitted a review to Gizmodo that may or may not show up online sometime soon. In the meantime, here are the high/lowlights:
+ Sturdy & Durable
+ Water Resistant
- Not Waterproof
+ Good on/off/record switches that can be operated with gloves on and have audio confirmation
+ Great color and images, except when on snow
- Images overexposed on snow - at least if there are no trees, shadows or clouds around. Company has said they plan some sort of filter or other solution before next ski season.
+ Awesome rotating lens with laser leveling - Yep, you get Frickin Lasers on your head
+ Size and Mounting system work well
- Not enough mounts included in the standard package (needs an additional sticky or two)
+ 2GB MicroSD included, you'll want to have a bigger one for long sessions
+ 3 Hour rechargeable battery
+ 135 degree field of view in HD (90 in SD)
+ Shoots in h.264 (.mov)
+ MicroUSB connection - no proprietary cables needed
- Audio - not a great built-in mic. Compromise between minimizing wind noise and picking up real sounds
- Shake - Above a certain speed, or if mounted to handlebars, there's noticeable shake. Speed when helmet mounted and skiing/snowboarding seems to be somewhere in the 25mph range.
Oh, and there's some hardboot footage in the sample I put together (naturally).
<object width="699" height="402"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5101314&server=vimeo.com&sho w_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00AD EF&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5101314&server=vimeo.com&sho w_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00AD EF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="699" height="402"></embed></object>
+ Sturdy & Durable
+ Water Resistant
- Not Waterproof
+ Good on/off/record switches that can be operated with gloves on and have audio confirmation
+ Great color and images, except when on snow
- Images overexposed on snow - at least if there are no trees, shadows or clouds around. Company has said they plan some sort of filter or other solution before next ski season.
+ Awesome rotating lens with laser leveling - Yep, you get Frickin Lasers on your head
+ Size and Mounting system work well
- Not enough mounts included in the standard package (needs an additional sticky or two)
+ 2GB MicroSD included, you'll want to have a bigger one for long sessions
+ 3 Hour rechargeable battery
+ 135 degree field of view in HD (90 in SD)
+ Shoots in h.264 (.mov)
+ MicroUSB connection - no proprietary cables needed
- Audio - not a great built-in mic. Compromise between minimizing wind noise and picking up real sounds
- Shake - Above a certain speed, or if mounted to handlebars, there's noticeable shake. Speed when helmet mounted and skiing/snowboarding seems to be somewhere in the 25mph range.
Oh, and there's some hardboot footage in the sample I put together (naturally).
<object width="699" height="402"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5101314&server=vimeo.com&sho w_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00AD EF&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5101314&server=vimeo.com&sho w_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00AD EF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="699" height="402"></embed></object>