It’s time to show off all the awesome stuff you see and do while on your various adventures. The Contour+ lets you do just that, and it does it exceptionally well. Out of the box, it’s not waterproof, but the optional submersible housing allows you to shoot video nearly 200 feet underwater. There are also a wide variety of other accessories that allow you to attach the Contour+ to nearly any surface you can think of, such as helmets, kayaks, surfboards, tripods, bicycles, and snowboards.
The lens of the Contour+ has a viewing angle of 170°, and the entire front section of the lens/camera can rotate independently from the rest of the Contour+. It is able to rotate 180° in one direction and 90° in the other. There are markings around the lens to assist in setting up your next shot. This allows users to control the angle at which their videos will be recorded without the need to change how the camera is mounted. This feature is only found on a very limited number of action cameras.
The Contour+ has built-in GPS that records your position several times a second while you shoot video. Users can then play back each video clip on their Mac/PC computer using the Contour Storyteller program while simultaneously viewing, on a map exactly where the video was shot second-to-second as they watch the video. A feature that the Storyteller Mac/PC app definitely needs is the ability to embed an overlay of a small map, speed, altitude, and compass heading in one of the corners of selected video clips.
If you are looking for a camera that has a wide variety of options and input/output capabilities, then the Contour+ is definitely a camera you will want to consider when shopping for an action camera. It has the ability to have an external microphone plugged directly into the camera as well as a mini HDMI output port. This allows professionals to hook up both highly directional microphones, if they so choose, as well as offering the ability to plug a video transmitter into the HDMI output port and stream video wirelessly anywhere they choose. Unlike many other action cameras, the Contour+ has a replaceable rechargeable battery. This really comes in handy for those who don’t like to stop shooting for an hour just to recharge their non-removable camera battery. With the Contour+, you can just pop in a spare battery and keep right on shooting. For those that wish to shoot for extended periods of time without swapping batteries, there is a mini USB wall plug and a 12v car power supply accessories available as well.
The Contour+ is capable of recording video at 1080P/30FPS, 960P/30FPS, 720P/30FPS, & 720P/60FPS. It is also capable of shooting time-lapse still photos at 3, 5, 10, 30, & 60-second intervals. Two presets can be saved and quickly selected by a small switch on the back of the camera. These settings can be changed when the Contour+ is connected to either a Mac/PC computer via USB, iOS/Android smartphone via Bluetooth, and even has the ability to connect to a set of Recon Instrument GPS HUD (heads up display) goggles. When connected to your smartphone or heads up display goggles via Bluetooth, you can see a live stream of exactly what your Contour+ is seeing and even remotely start recording video. This really comes in handy since there is no built-in screen on the Contour+. Unfortunately, once you start a recording, you can no longer see the live video stream. Another problem is that there is no way to play back any video clips on your smartphone via Bluetooth. Luckily, however, the Contour+ records its video onto micro SD cards up to 32GB’s in size. This allows those with smartphones or tablets that have a built-in SD, micro SD card slot, or memory card reader for their mobile device to play back their recently shot videos and still photos in the field without the need of a full desktop/laptop computer.
During my testing of the Contour+, I came to find that this camera is very well made and creates very high quality and sharp video footage. This camera is rugged, reliable, and ready for nearly any action you can throw its way. I used it underwater, on bicycles, motorcycles, helmets, strapped to hats, and on the end of poles. On many occasions, I even threw the camera way up in the air and off of high objects to get some cool footage. Of course, I did all of this over water and with the Contour+ inside the very rugged waterproof housing. One improvement with the waterproof case that I would like to see would be involving the locking mechanism. The way the mechanism is now might accidentally open up underwater if it were to catch on something. I came up with a simple solution; I wrapped a large/thick rubber band (the kind that come on a head of broccoli) around the case to remedy the issue.
The ease with which the Contour+ action camera can be used is one of the things I like most about it. It must have the largest video recording activation switches of any action camera on the market today. This really comes in handy when you don’t have time to fiddle around to find that tiny record button on competing action cameras. The record switch on the top of the Contour+ takes up nearly half the length and the majority of the width of the top of the camera. This allows users to easily and quickly use the camera without having to even think about locating the switch. It’s especially nice if you are enjoying any sports where thick gloves are necessary.
In my humble opinion, I feel that the Contour+ is one of the best action cameras on the market today. The design is well thought out and excellently executed. The performance and quality of the Contour+ will impress the most demanding of users. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to preserve the memories from their adventures.
Made in China
Price: $399.99
For more information, please visit the following web-link: contour.com
Update: The Contour+ has been replaced with the Contour+2. Based on what I have read so far and seen on YouTube, the new camera seems very similar to its predecessor in design, technical specifications and performance. However, I cannot vouch for its quality or performance as I have not yet personally tested it.
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