I need a new action camera

[Deleted member 20519]

This is my second time writing this thread as I closed my browser before I hit 'Create Thread' by accident.

Sadly, after just eight months of use, my Contour Roam 2 has passed away.



I've sent it back to Wiggle and I'm hoping that they'll refund me but with Contour recently shutting down and the fact that I couldn't include everything in the box, they might flat out refuse to.

Anyway, I'm now in the market for a new action camera. I've had a look at a few and the ones that stand out are: The GoPro Hero 3 White Edition, the GoPro Hero 2, the Drift HD and the Sony AS10.

I like the Hero 3 White Edition because it has WiFi and a removable battery but the sub-par image quality combined with the lack of 170 degree wide angle lens puts me off.

The Drift HD seems to tick all of the boxes, 170 degree wide angle lens, removable battery, remote and an LCD screen but the horrible internal microphone is making me avoid this camera.

The GoPro Hero 2 is also quite nice but unlike any of the other cameras, it's rather bulky. Apart from that, it seems okay. The quality appears to be similar to the Hero 3 Silver Edition.

The Sony AS10 is my favourite that I've found so far. The colours on the video seem great, it has a removable battery, image stabilization, 170 degree wide angle lens, great low light performance and some other cool stuff but the lack of a rotatable lens means that i'm not sure that I could get it mounted straight on my helmet. The AS10 is also the cheapert of the three at only £130 from Amazon US or eBay compared to the £150 of the Drift HD, GoPro Hero 3 White and the £160 of the Hero 2.

Has anyone used any of these cameras (specifically the AS10) and what are your thoughts of them? Do you know any better alternatives? Any help would be great, thanks!

 

[Tcr4x4]

If you do some savvy shopping, you can get the gopro hero 3 silver for under £200.
The image quality is far superior to the white and go pro 2 m

I've owned the white, silver, go pro 2 and the contour roam, the silver beats them all in image quality terms.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

If you do some savvy shopping, you can get the gopro hero 3 silver for under £200.
The image quality is far superior to the white and go pro 2 m

I've owned the white, silver, go pro 2 and the contour roam, the silver beats them all in image quality terms.

Do you know any good places to get the Hero 3 Silver for £170ish?

 

[Tcr4x4]

I bought mine on eBay from a company called pixel deals. At the time its was around the £170 mark, not sure on current prices though.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

I bought mine on eBay from a company called pixel deals. At the time its was around the £170 mark, not sure on current prices though.

I just had a look through his listings, White Edition for £160, Silver for £206 and Black for £270

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GoPro-3-H...ctronics_Video_Camcorders&hash=item3f283a0aed

 

[Tcr4x4]

Ah, he's put his prices up. Keep an eye out for second hand. I sold mine after about 2 weeks for £150.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

Ah, he's put his prices up. Keep an eye out for second hand. I sold mine after about 2 weeks for £150.

I'll keep checking eBay. What made you sell it?

 

[Tcr4x4]

I had a £2500 bill after the gearbox on my car blew up. I sold pretty much everything else I owned too!

 

[HLaB]

You'll need to check them out but if I'm looking to get something cheaper I start at google shopping. But tbh if I had a spare £200, I'd be looking at new wheels etc.

 

[Ben M]

Drift HD. The GoPros stand out too much for my tastes.

 

[BSRU]

Contour has closed down, didn't know that, my first HD camera was a Contour, I own three, two 1080p's and a Plus.
Unfortunately they were overpriced for what they were but the rotating lens was it's main selling point.

At this time of year with the darkness drawing in closer everyday I would recommend the Sony as it is currently by far the best in low light conditions.
The main drawback for me is the helmet mounting, I do not like having it on the side of my helmet but there is no other alternative position due to the fixed lens.
Another advantage of the Sony is the battery, standard Sony battery with lots of cheaper versions with cheap chargers, means I have three for each camera, that gives me over six hours of recording without the need to recharge and a 32gb card gives over 4 hours of storage at 1080p 30fps.
I would like a GoPro Black but overpriced and not too good in low light conditions.
No real idea about the Drift but from watching comparison videos it has the usual problem of being poor in low light conditions.

 

[Tyke]

This is my second time writing this thread as I closed my browser before I hit 'Create Thread' by accident.

The Sony AS10 is my favourite that I've found so far. The colours on the video seem great, it has a removable battery, image stabilization, 170 degree wide angle lens, great low light performance and some other cool stuff but the lack of a rotatable lens means that i'm not sure that I could get it mounted straight on my helmet.

I have the AS15 same as 10 but with WiFi. If you have an android phone there is an app to control the camera from the phone so you can see what its pointing at and get everything inline. I mounted it in the waterproof case to the side of my helmet with heavy duty velcro with a little padding to make things straight it`s been on a few months without problems but Sony do some mounts now also.

The image quality is good plenty on you tube to compare to the other cams you mention but the wider angle setting shows the edge of the helmet so I don`t use that when riding.

Sound is a bit muffled when in waterproof case but I don`t need that, but Sony also do a headband mount that just holds the camera so sound should be better but maybe more wind noise I don`t know.

Battery lasts about 2hr and a 32gig card takes about 4hr. Cheap spare battery`s on Amazon

It is my first action cam so I have only compared it to videos on net but I`m happy so far and think for UK use the results look more natural than the GoPro.

 

[JoeyB]

We just bought a GoPro Hero3 Black Edition for 'work' use. Cracking piece of kit. Just on the lookout for some more mounts now.

 

[Deleted member 20519]

Contour has closed down, didn't know that, my first HD camera was a Contour, I own three, two 1080p's and a Plus.
Unfortunately they were overpriced for what they were but the rotating lens was it's main selling point.

At this time of year with the darkness drawing in closer everyday I would recommend the Sony as it is currently by far the best in low light conditions.
The main drawback for me is the helmet mounting, I do not like having it on the side of my helmet but there is no other alternative position due to the fixed lens.
Another advantage of the Sony is the battery, standard Sony battery with lots of cheaper versions with cheap chargers, means I have three for each camera, that gives me over six hours of recording without the need to recharge and a 32gb card gives over 4 hours of storage at 1080p 30fps.
I would like a GoPro Black but overpriced and not too good in low light conditions.
No real idea about the Drift but from watching comparison videos it has the usual problem of being poor in low light conditions.

That's what I was thinking, since it's getting darker earlier more of my riding will be in low light conditions/night time and it's quite clear that the AS10 is much bettery than any other cameras at night.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIIWjVJnuW4


The mounting is the only think that concerns me, I wanted to mount it on my helmet but there's no way to do that without looking ridiculous.

If it had a rotatable lens that it would be absolutely ideal. The Drift also appears to have a terrible mic and I think a big reason why some people use it is for the external mic input.

 

[gaz]

Contour has closed down, didn't know that, my first HD camera was a Contour, I own three, two 1080p's and a Plus.
Unfortunately they were overpriced for what they were but the rotating lens was it's main selling point.

Closed it's doors last week. Couldn't take on the big boys GoPro. I suspect that they will get bought out and it will re-open.