 Poster: A snowHead
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Seems that Contour have been resurrected. They are at CES in Vegas (baby), and have relaunched their website.
http://contour.com/
Hopefully we'll see some more camera innovation again now that they're back in the market.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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feef, has there been a lack of camera innovation with them out of it?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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They were the first to include GPS in the camera
They were the first to include wireless connetivity and a smartphone app to view what the camera sees.
they were the first to include a rotating bezel so the image is always the right way up
they are the only ones to include a twin laser pointer in the camera so you can see exactly which way the camera is pointing.
It's not that there's been no innovation, Drift's remote strap was a first, and their new remote (well, came with the Ghost) has a light to show you if it's recording which is novel. GoPro followed suit with a WiFi remote but it doens't (afaik) show if the camera's recording on the remote.
But other than improving image quality, there's not been much innovation in terms of features.
If nothing else, it's not that they will provide the innovation, but with another player in the market, and one with an already strong following, it might force the others to up their game.
That being said, the Drift Ghost S has some pretty cool features
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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feef, the gopro remote does show if the camera is recording.
I would also agree that the other manufacturers have been doing some interesting stuff while gopro have really been concentrating on iq.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Contour Cameras : back from the dead.
Good - things were getting really tasteless.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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They don't have a strong following though... that's why they went out of business.
Making a better camera and improving battery life is the bread and butter of innovating in this market. IMO the most neglected innovation any manufacturer has made is the Cineform Studio that GoPro gives away. Making it easy for anyone to create a good looking video.
Personally I think trying to compete on bells and whistles that put an extra drain battery life is a bit of a non-starter. I'd like to see some competitors try to make a good camera. Closest so far has been Sony. Mostly because it takes the camera into new markets that really care about image quality. Not just commercial cinematography but other users like the explosion of little remote control drones.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Sun 12-01-14 13:42; edited 2 times in total
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| feef wrote: |
They were the first ...
But other than improving image quality, there's not been much innovation in terms of features. |
I think you're confusing marketing with actual innovation. "Features" would be stuff like ProTune, 4k, bette rlow light performance, and better lenses...
Marketing gimmicks don't really tackle any of those. If you actually ever tried to use the Contour laser sight thing you'd rapidly realize it's pointless.
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| philwig wrote: |
| feef wrote: |
They were the first ...
But other than improving image quality, there's not been much innovation in terms of features. |
I think you're confusing marketing with actual innovation. "Features" would be stuff like ProTune, 4k, bette rlow light performance, and better lenses...
Marketing gimmicks don't really tackle any of those. If you actually ever tried to use the Contour laser sight thing you'd rapidly realize it's pointless. |
The contour was the first helmet cam I used, and I found the laser worked quite well.
In fact, the only camera I've not used is the GoPro.
I have a Drift HD and a Drift Ghost.
I have used a Contour for a week
I had an ION the Action on loan for test for 3 months.
I can see benefits in all of them, and while some of the 'features' are certainly marketing gimmicks, many of them are not and make a big difference to how easy it is to use the camera on the go, especially the remotes.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| philwig wrote: |
| If you actually ever tried to use the Contour laser sight thing you'd rapidly realize it's pointless. |
I'd have to disagree. I use a Contour Roam, with lots of mounting points (two motorbikes, ski goggles, various car mounts) and the laser sight thing is superb for lining up and getting the angle exactly right every time. Am very glad they're back in business.
-simon
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