FCE Review: ContourROAM Hands-Free HD Camera

I've had my helmet camera for a year now and somehow never gave you all a formal review. Hillary's recent review jogged my memory tho and inspired me to put the proverbial pen to paper and expound on my thoughts.

After reaching out to Carly for recommendations, I purchased the following from Amazon:

• ContourROAM Hands-free HD Camcorder
• SanDisk 32GB Class 4 Micro SDHC Memory Card
• A failed Elastic Holder Head Mount - Pro Tip: Don't buy this part. It doesn't work and was returned.

i'll take any excuse to use this photo

Specs: 

Operation

• Fool-proof On / Off slider switch, complete with a beep and red light when recording.
• Lens spins 180* and has degree markers to true the horizon. This is particularly useful if you want to lay the camera on a surface to record without getting a tilted horizon.
• Easy to use memory disc formatting button.
• Water-resistant means it's safe to operate in rainy conditions.

HD Fish Eye Lens & Orientation

The camera's fish eye lens flattens the picture a bit. This reduces the appearance of hills and slopes (both uphill and downhill) and can make jumps look smaller than they are.

It also means, tho, that the lens captures a wider picture and is less sensitive to placement (ie, you don't have to be too precise in where, exactly, the lens points bc it's probably gonna catch the whole picture regardless).

I point mine down farther than one might think, to ensure it catches a lot of Izzy's head and neck. There's a laser test function so you can press a button once the camera is on to see where the laser is oriented with respect to the horizon and your sight line. 

big enough to know it's there (and remember to turn it ON), not so big that it's distracting 

Slide Mount & Safety Tether

• The camera locks in to an adhesive-patch slide mount for shake-free recording. 
• The adhesive mount affixes to the helmet, while the camera is removable. 
• Pro tip: The folks at Contour will send extra patches and mounts gratis if you ask. 
• For skull caps especially, the helmet cover hides the slide mount (about 2sq inches) completely when no camera is attached.
•  A detachable rope tether connects the camera to the helmet mount in the event that the camera is knocked loose in a fall (the mount design allows for the camera to pop off with minimal crash force)
• Since that has, in fact, happened to me - I can attest that the tether did its job and I didn't lose the camera (which dangled harmlessly and undamaged from the helmet until I could pull myself together).
• Benefits of a removable camera are many - including using the camera as more than just a helmet mounted camera. Examples: I've set it in jump cups or laid it on fence lines / arena walls to film schooling sessions, lessons, and dressage clinics. 

Video / Battery Length 

• Camera automatically shuts off after 45 min. 
• However I usually turn it on and off as needed while riding (makes for easier video file management and editing anyway). 
• The battery lasts longer than 45 min tho - I've used it to record multiple 45 minute sessions (dressage lessons, actually) without recharging and it's been fine.

adhesive slide mount and safety tether both visible here

Let's get to the real reason behind this review, tho. It's no secret: I LOVE media. Especially videos. And ESPECIALLY helmet cam videos. LOVE.

It's also no secret by now that I'm not riding Isabel seriously at present. And while we had some really awesome jumping experiences this year (like some fan-fucking-tastic lessons over the winter after my leg healed), we had some really bad times too.

It's been, honestly, a bit more than mildly depressing. I do not know when, or if, we will try to put the pieces back together.

But in the meantime, I've been revisiting my favorite memories often. Especially, unsurprisingly, those captured on video. And the videos that make me feel the most like maybe we could do it again, that bring me closest to wanting to keep trying, are the helmet cam videos.

So they're included here for two reasons. 1: these are some of my all-time favorites. I love watching them and hope you do too. And 2: they are all excellent examples of the ContourROAM's performance as a helmet camera.

The crisp, high-def picture is readily apparent in the video from running BN at Fair Hill earlier this year (it was actually at rainy Fair Hill last year when I decided I needed a helmet cam. and as a side note, this thing works equally well in the rain too):

video here

Loch Moy is a great example bc we go into and out of the woods, from strong sun to shade - something that can be problematic for lower quality cameras as they adjust to different light settings. You can see in this video from earlier this year that the light poses no issues.

video here

Same story running N at the same venue, Loch Moy, last year too. You can see that the camera does not have problems adjusting to the light, and that fences in shady spots are still equally crisp and visible even when the camera is still in direct sun. It works pretty darn well in the dark too.

video here

Another important detail in helmet cam videos is the sound quality. I love listening to hoof beats and whipping wind and whatever random things I say to the horse. And ya know what else I like hearing? The actual instruction from my trainers haha (this especially proves useful in instances where the camera is resting on the rail rather than being worn on my helmet).

This following one from a lesson with Dan at AOPF last fall is a fantastic example bc you can pretty clearly hear much of what he has to say - especially when he's yelling at me about my loopy reins and shitty ditch jumps (oops) lol.

video here - xc lesson where you can hear much of the instruction pretty clearly 

(esp the part when i get yelled at lol)

But basically, my favorite thing about this helmet cam is that it immediately takes me back to that happy place of running cross country with the horse. That feeling like it's just the two of us - we're completely alone. Nobody can reach us, everything is just us as a unit, for better or worse. 

And when it involves galloping through wide open fields and over giant fences? What a feeling!

video here

So long story short, I love this helmet camera for a lot of reasons. It's not as streamlined in appearances as the Cambox Isis, tho less visually imposing than the Go Pro by nature of being side-mounted on the helmet.

However in performance, it can't be beat. If your end objective is a crisp, clear video in any conditions that can be enjoyed again and again - this camera gets the job done.

It couldn't be easier to operate with a fool-proof slide on/off button and a lens that doesn't require much effort to get the right frame of horse ears + horizon.

The battery lasts forever, I haven't come anywhere close to filling up that memory card, and the camera casing is sturdy and weather-proof.

Most importantly tho? The HD audio / visual quality rivals or beats anything else on the market at a price that is highly affordable.