Christmas Dilemma: Keep the Hero 3 Silver or the Contour +2?

[1911fan]

As the headline says, I got a Hero 3 Silver and a Contour +2 for Christmas. They've both got replaceable batteries, a variety of mounts, and are usually first and second in any review of action cams. I like the LaserLevel option on the Contour +2, which means you can mount it any position, vs, the Hero's 180 degree rightside up/upside down options.
So: keep the Hero, keep the Contour, or trade them in and get a Hero 3 Black?

Main use will be moto adventuring, some shooting matches (think helo stages), stuff like that.


1911fan

[fierostetz]

Gopro wins just about every shootout, so there's that. The black edition is worth it if you're actually going youse the extra resolution/frame rates. The silver is basically a smaller hero2... Tough to advise without knowing if you intend to do a lot of editing, or just shoot and upload. If you intend to do a lot of post production editing, the black would be a good idea. The only time I use my contour instead of my gopros is for mounting to the side of my helmet- the gopro video quality wins hands down. Better in-camera metering too.

[RVDan]

GoPro is like an iPhone, you're not cool unless you upgrade every six months. Keep the contour

[ktm360mx]

Sell both and get a black edition.

Contour's seem to have a cult following- people love them but I can't understand why and I own one. the mounts are overpriced, the microphones are sorry and only produce wind noise. GoPro's are the standard and do most things well. Contour is always 2nd and does a few things well.

Either way, you are a lucky man!

[Brtp4]

For me, it's all about the big switch.

BP

[Albie]

Originally Posted by ktm360mx

Sell both and get a black edition.

Contour's seem to have a cult following- people love them but I can't understand why and I own one. the mounts are overpriced, the microphones are sorry and only produce wind noise. GoPro's are the standard and do most things well. Contour is always 2nd and does a few things well.

Either way, you are a lucky man!

Simple really, I know when the Contour is on and off. While the Hero has better IQ, doesn't do me much good when the thing didn't end up recording.

[rgb2cmyk]

Can't speak of the other two, but Santa brought me a hero 3 black and it's fantastic.

Friend of mine has the contour 2+ and I have lots of footage from him and this black is great. I also like that I can frame and control settings via the iPhone app which always mounted in my handle bars

[1911fan]

Obvious pros & cons so far:

The Contour: Took about five minutes to download the app that lets you see through the camera and pair it to my iPhone4, works fine.

GoPro: After you open the box, you have to update the firmware, which was a pain in the ass. I did it twice according to the directions ("Transfer the file to the root directory of the SD card." WTF does that mean? How do you do it?) After being annoyed with that for a while, I googled the right way to do it. Got the app downloaded, but get "Preview Not Supported" which pops up all over the web as a known issue. After a couple more hours of fiddlefarting and bad words, I shut the camera off, pulled the battery, waited a minute, then reinstalled it and turnd the camera on. Still no preview supported. Deleted/reinstalled the app, still no preview.
Wandered the web some more, and found that the preview will work in WiFi but not BlueTooth. Preview/Playback is a bit jerky and has about a three-second delay, and loops- you hear what you are saying two or three times.
I'm sick, and it's 23 degrees outside and the bikes are put away for the winter, so I'll wait a bit to go play with both of them.

But if you're not a computer guy/gal, be prepared to say bad words and be frustrated before you can even use the GoPro. It's beyond me why they would ship a camera packed with a slip that says "Firmware update required before using camera." If I'm getting a beta version, it oughta be cheaper.


191f1an

[Brtp4]

One additional thought on this....for many, myself included, much research and agonizing goes into researching and choosing the camera. But, the editing software is at least as important, maybe more. The best videos are the ones with correct lighting and a good final cut.

FWIW it does look like GoPro will eventually leave the others behind.

BP

[Albie]

Originally Posted by Brtp4

One additional thought on this....for many, myself included, much research and agonizing goes into researching and choosing the camera. But, the editing software is at least as important, maybe more. The best videos are the ones with correct lighting and a good final cut.

FWIW it does look like GoPro will eventually leave the others behind.

BP

I've used iMovie and Windows LMM. I've got a copy of Final Cut Pro bit haven't even attempted to try it yet.

What do you like for an editor?

[Pampero]

There's little doubt in my mind that the GP has better IQ, but I can't use it with the regularity I employ the Contour (a Plus in my case). The form factor of the Contour is so far superior to GoPros package that it is what I use attached to my helmet. I wish the native color was warmer, but other than that, it is much less intrusive as a "riding companion." Also much easier to switch on and off. So for me, it came down to form and user interface, and the Contour is simply a better package for the way I use it. I avoid all the mounting issues (yeah, Contour's accessories are over-priced) by just using the supplied flat mounts on my helmet....so no extra money spent on those to this point.

When GoPro addresses their ungainly form and user interface issues, they will be the leader. Until then, I had to chose between image quality and ease of use, and ease of use won out. I should add that the Contour is not at all bad; just that the color is too cold. I keep it simple, and that's where the Contour has advantages. Blue tooth pairing with I-phone works fine, I could give a rip about the GPS feature, but maybe some people like that, which is another Contour Plus (or +2) benefit. The cold color can be addressed in post, I guess, but it's my biggest gripe.

[Brtp4]

Originally Posted by Albie

I've used iMovie and Windows LMM. I've got a copy of Final Cut Pro bit haven't even attempted to try it yet.

What do you like for an editor?

I am using Premier Elements. Not that intuitive or easy to use. I work well with Illustrator and Photoshop, but struggle with Premier. Adobe does their best to make each different, and a PITA.

Have not tried iMovie but by all accounts it is great.

BP