# Contour Roam, not great so far



## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

OK, it's probably a little early to be hurling it out the window, but my first day using the thing was less than wonderful.

First, the left side of my goggles is in every shot. OK, that's just placement, but I didn't realize it until I got home and looked at the footage.

Second, I used the goggle-strap mount and unfortunately if I have my goggles over my eyes, the mount sits too low on the helmet and is actually partly on the ear-pads which are of course no support at all. Plus I think the "elastic" nature of the mount contributes to a little bit of bounce in the vids.

I'm going to try the adhesive hard-mount next time around, but I'll make sure it gives a clear field first


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## Justman1020 (Nov 21, 2011)

I just got mine friday in the mail, i am going to be playing with it a little tomorrow to see what i can figure out with angles, and let everyone know what i think.


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## zk0ot (Nov 9, 2009)

Donutz said:


> OK, it's probably a little early to be hurling it out the window, but my first day using the thing was less than wonderful.
> 
> First, the left side of my goggles is in every shot. OK, that's just placement, but I didn't realize it until I got home and looked at the footage.
> 
> ...


so far i hear nothing to do with the camera just User error and using the wrong mount. how was the footy portion? or the slide and record feature? or the laser level?


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## jojotherider (Mar 17, 2011)

Ditch the goggle mount. I never got it to work well without mad vibration. I have the rotating mount and you get some helmet/goggles in the video. its all about how you position the camera. On my mountain bike helmet, I have the profile mount which I like a lot better.

Here's with the rotating mount
LastDayCentral - YouTube


here's with the profile mount (mountain bike and yes, it was a bit of an off day)
Rough Day at Duthie Hill - YouTube

(sorry, not very active on this forum and not really sure how to embed a video...)


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

zk0ot said:


> so far i hear nothing to do with the camera just User error and using the wrong mount. how was the footy portion? or the slide and record feature? or the laser level?


Bingo

Bitch less and figure you stuff out the right way 

I thought I was stepping into a thread about how the footage sucked.

I still havn't gotten a chance to use mine in the field, but I've dinked around with it at home. It's badass


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

The goggle being in frame is also a consequence of the fact that these are meant to be used as PoV cams and thus, have a wide lens angle. I actually don't find the fact that my Drift tends to capture my goggles in frame to be bad since it is intended to be used as a PoV camera. When I mount it on my dash, it captures part of my driver's side a-pillar and again, I don't think it's necessarily bad. Maybe you can crop the field of view down during editing?

If you wear a helmet, I highly suggest you mount to the helmet and not use the goggle strap.


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## zk0ot (Nov 9, 2009)

i ordered my contour + the other day. and ill be using the Bluetooth view finder to set it all in. also need to remember it shoots almost 180 degrees. So having the camera as close to the front of your helmet is probably key to keeping goggs out of the picture.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Milo303 said:


> Bingo
> 
> Bitch less and figure you stuff out the right way


Which is made easier by writing my experience on the forum and getting feedback. I've read over my post 3 times and still can't see how I was "blaming the equipment". Maybe you should just go back to lurking until you have something useful to say, ok? byebye.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

CheeseForSteeze said:


> If you wear a helmet, I highly suggest you mount to the helmet and not use the goggle strap.


Yeah, looking that way. Too bad, the goggle mount is a great idea in principle. This may be a bit of an odd idea, but what about mounting it on top of the helmet? You can rotate the lens, so that's not a problem, and it might "clear" the helmet and goggles better. Anyone tried this?


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

Thread title did sound a bit negatory. Clicked thru because a buddy is thinking of grabbing one and thought I could 'warn' him if people are finding they are crap :dunno:

Easy either way. Hope to hear how it goes atherwise


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

Donutz said:


> Which is made easier by writing my experience on the forum and getting feedback. I've read over my post 3 times and still can't see how I was "blaming the equipment". Maybe you should just go back to lurking until you have something useful to say, ok? byebye.


The thread title didn't suggest you were looking for suggestions or feedback, you were bitching.... And got called out by several people for user error so now you're saying you were looking for help. 

My post count hardly classifies me as a lurker, thanks


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

zk0ot said:


> so far i hear nothing to do with the camera just User error and using the wrong mount. how was the footy portion? or the slide and record feature? or the laser level?


Footage is pretty good. I'm not sure how much of the shakiness was the goggle mount, so I'll try again once I've got it mounted properly. Haven't figured out sound levels yet.

One thing I'm surprised by (and this isn't specifically Contour-related) is how much people compensate for lean by tilting their head. I was all over the place with my turns, but the footage is mostly pretty level.

The on-off slider is great, even with gloves. Didn't really use the laser level (nb it's pretty weak - you can barely see it unless you're in shade).


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## oneshot (Oct 8, 2010)

perk to living in Seattle.. i got asked by Contour to do a focus group this Thursday night and in return i get a free ROAM.. 

I'll have some feedback to report.. i'm still a GoPro fan and that probably wont change..
I have worked with footage from both but i am looking forward to taking some exact same light/angles/conditions video and comparing.. :thumbsup:


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## Milo303 (Apr 6, 2009)

oneshot said:


> perk to living in Seattle.. i got asked by Contour to do a focus group this Thursday night and in return i get a free ROAM..
> 
> I'll have some feedback to report.. i'm still a GoPro fan and that probably wont change..
> I have worked with footage from both but i am looking forward to taking some exact same light/angles/conditions video and comparing.. :thumbsup:


That's pretty awesome.... I'd love to hear some suggestions on how to peak the performance on the Roam if you ever feel like doing a writeup


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Milo303 said:


> The thread title didn't suggest you were looking for suggestions or feedback, you were bitching.... And got called out by several people for user error so now you're saying you were looking for help.


I was reporting on my experience. I did not at any time say "the camera sucks". Do I REALLY have to spell things out for you? Or are you just THAT determined to pick fights? Get a grip Milo. Even Zk0ot, who "called me out" as you put it, came back with some constructive comments. You just seem to want to troll.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

grafta said:


> Thread title did sound a bit negatory. Clicked thru because a buddy is thinking of grabbing one and thought I could 'warn' him if people are finding they are crap :dunno:


Definitely not crap, even the bottom-of-the-line Roam. But there's definitely turning out to be a learning curve not related to tech details if you know what I mean.


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

Donutz said:


> Yeah, looking that way. Too bad, the goggle mount is a great idea in principle. This may be a bit of an odd idea, but what about mounting it on top of the helmet? You can rotate the lens, so that's not a problem, and it might "clear" the helmet and goggles better. Anyone tried this?


Yea, it clears it better but then you have to contend with the angle depending on what you are trying to capture. You may want it pointed downward. I just use it as a hand camp or on the end of the monopod.

You're right about the goggle mount, though. The weight of most cameras is enough that in order to stabilize on the band, you have to tighten it to the point where you start to cut off circulation. Not cool.


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## zk0ot (Nov 9, 2009)

hey Donutz... ive been talking to my contour rep which is also my Dragon rep. but He was saying that there is going to be a pretty big re-vamp on mounts and cameras thats supposed to be pretty innovative in the next 4 to 6 months. So dont be too discouraged yet.

Also... Did you feel the camera to be weighing your head to the side while riding? was it noticable or nothing to major?


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

zk0ot said:


> hey Donutz... ive been talking to my contour rep which is also my Dragon rep. but He was saying that there is going to be a pretty big re-vamp on mounts and cameras thats supposed to be pretty innovative in the next 4 to 6 months. So dont be too discouraged yet.
> 
> Also... Did you feel the camera to be weighing your head to the side while riding? was it noticable or nothing to major?


Absolutely not noticeable. Anyway, I'm just mildly disappointed that it turned out to be not as plug-and-play as I'd hoped. Once I set up the gluon mount (that's a physics joke), I'm sure things will be much improved.

I'm going to post one of my test vids, just as soon as it's uploaded to youtube. 3%.... 4%..... 5%....


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Well, let's see if this works...






if not, FILE0008.MOV - YouTube

Some notes:

1) No editing or post-processing of any kind. This is just how it came off the camera.
2) Pretty boring, unless you know Seymour. Even then...
3) At about 17 seconds in, I'm snapping into my Flows. Just making a point -- you don't have to stop. In a week or so, once I get my riding legs back, I won't even have to slow down.

Anyway, kind of bouncy, and I think that's at least partly the goggle mount.


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## jegnorge (Feb 15, 2010)

this is the reason why im glad i got gopro. it's not perfect though, while videos are more stable due to helmet top sticky mount, the adhesive comes off.


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## cmendo2005 (Nov 29, 2011)

Looks pretty sick to me to be honest, alot better than I was expecting...Any word on the durability at all though? Or the mounts capabilities? Jumps/falling?


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## Sick-Pow (May 5, 2008)

crap thread title, and crap thread.


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## Random Hero (Sep 30, 2008)

Sick-Pow said:


> crap thread title, and crap thread.


Sick post bro!


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

cmendo2005 said:


> Looks pretty sick to me to be honest, alot better than I was expecting...Any word on the durability at all though? Or the mounts capabilities? Jumps/falling?


Can't comment on jumps or the adhesive mount -- yet. I give the goggle mount a thumbs down unless you're just doing middle-of-the-groomer riding. As cheeze said, you'd have to tighten the strap until your head starts to deform to get rid of all the shake.

The camera itself feels solid. You know how some things just _look_ cheap -- badly put together, cases that flex, poorly molded parts... this has none of that.


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## Snownad (Oct 17, 2011)

Here's the solution to all he problems you listed. 

CLICK HERE


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

I'm scared to click it. Is it a goatsee?


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## zk0ot (Nov 9, 2009)

Snownad said:


> Here's the solution to all he problems you listed.
> 
> CLICK HERE


How does this solve anything? Another hundred dollars and no goggle mount. Is rather have the goggle mount than the head harness. 
Plus you can can probably find a helmet mount for contour for less thab 20$


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## Snownad (Oct 17, 2011)

Donutz said:


> I'm scared to click it. Is it a goatsee?


It is not. Totally SFW.


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## Ttam (Jan 20, 2010)

It took me forever to find the right angles and stuff. Trail and error I guess. Nothing wrong with the video. Exactly what I thought it would look like.:thumbsup:


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## howeh (Jun 2, 2011)

This might work for you, but I guess it depends how willing you are to go along with it...

Anyway, I, too, have the goggle mount (in addition to an extendable monopod) to mix the footage up a bit. However, like you guys, I've noticed an unreasonable amount of shake.

I grabbed a pair of cheap 2nd-hand Oakley Splice goggles on eBay (with a ridiculously scratched lens... had a spare, so replaced it with that and it's good as new) and have glued the mount onto the goggles. Basically, if you slide the mount as close to the goggle frame as possible, you can "wedge" the front of the mount between the frame body and the outrigger that the strap connects to. There's not a great amount of surface contact, but I glued it last night and checked this morning and it's definitely stuck.

From here, I'm going to apply a 2nd amount of glue, dry it overnight again, and add some tape to support it. I tried a very basic test this morning and most of the shake is gone. Granted, I won't be able to see results until I go to Switzerland next week, but so far so good.

Depends if you have a spare pair of goggles I guess! If it works well I'll post the process up.

Edit: If you want a less permanent solution, grab some rubber bands. Tie one end to the bottom of the goggle mount, thread it through the outrigger, and then tie it round the top end of the mount. Use a couple and shake is greatly reduced.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

zk0ot said:


> How does this solve anything? Another hundred dollars and no goggle mount. Is rather have the goggle mount than the head harness.
> Plus you can can probably find a helmet mount for contour for less thab 20$


It _came_ with a helmet mount. I had to go out and _buy_ the goggle mount. Injury += Insult; :laugh:


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## zk0ot (Nov 9, 2009)

oh. I had a contour HD this summer and it came with goggle mount and helmet mount. for some reason i thought the roam only came with the goggle mount.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

New_World_Order said:


> Contour is far from crap.......... You own one?


Nope, don't have one. More researching for a friend and saw this thread...


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## cmendo2005 (Nov 29, 2011)

Whoa, all he said was that he saw the thread and it made it seem like the contour was crap and he wanted your opinions on it, his friend was thinking about getting it and if it was crap he wanted to warn his friend stop taking things so personal this got vicious


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

New_World_Order said:


> ok d-bag.......guess your a troll then judging something you know anything about


WTF? How does this:



grafta said:


> Thread title did sound a bit negatory. Clicked thru because a buddy is thinking of grabbing one and thought I could 'warn' him if people are finding they are crap :dunno:
> 
> Easy either way. Hope to hear how it goes atherwise


qualify as trolling?

Looks like you got some 'splaining to do, Willis!


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

New_World_Order said:


> ok d-bag.......guess your a troll then judging something you know anything about


:laugh: Try learning to read asswipe :laugh:


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## Random Hero (Sep 30, 2008)

New_World_Order said:


> Skinny Canadian panzy acting tough over a keyboard...zzzzzzzzzzz


Epic failure of a forum account!


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Bring this thread back from the dead. Seriously thinking about the roam and wonder what your thoughts are now that you've had it a few months. To be honest the first vid you posted looked much better than I expected. Most youtube helmet cam vids look like the blair witch project and make me want to puke. Yours was pretty good...


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

No issue at all with the quality, size, durability, or lightness of the camera. The only complaint I have about the camera itself is that there's no way to review what you've recorded without downloading it to a pc. The more expensive contour will bluetooth with a phone, but even that is pretty limited, i.e. I think you can only look at snapshots of what the camera is seeing. I'm intending to get a small notepad or tablet to keep in my car to review things while I eat my lunch.

The goggle mount is ok. I thought it was a bit shaky, but I'm now thinking that was my helmet being too loose. However, I do have a problem with my helmet where the goggle mount doesn't sit on hard helmet surface when my goggles are on my face. So to use the goggle mount I have to keep the goggles up out of the way. May be better with a different brand of helmet.

The camera is awesome on the end of a pole, though. Very light, very easy to aim and control. Check out here http://www.snowboardingforum.com/tips-tricks-instructors/46709-my-edging-sucks-2.html#post482978 for a vid on a polemount.

I just today bought a proper pole mount and the more expensive stick-on helmet mount with the universal swivel mount. Figure that'll up the game even more.

summary, I use the thing every weekend, and especially with the pole mount I find the results useful as well as entertaining.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Donutz said:


> No issue at all with the quality, size, durability, or lightness of the camera. The only complaint I have about the camera itself is that there's no way to review what you've recorded without downloading it to a pc. The more expensive contour will bluetooth with a phone, but even that is pretty limited, i.e. I think you can only look at snapshots of what the camera is seeing. I'm intending to get a small notepad or tablet to keep in my car to review things while I eat my lunch.


Thanks man, doesn't it record to micro-SD? My phone will allow me to plug a USB card reader into it so I could review it that way. What format does it record in?

Thanks again,
Aaron


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

poutanen said:


> Thanks man, doesn't it record to micro-SD? My phone will allow me to plug a USB card reader into it so I could review it that way. What format does it record in?
> 
> Thanks again,
> Aaron


.MOV (Quicktime). It looks like a removable drive when plugged into the pc, so I'd expect the sd card is a standard FS.

One thing to watch for -- the Roams have a known problem where the microphone doesn't work properly on some units. Make sure you can test it before buying or that the vendor will guarantee to swap it if you get a bad one.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Thanks man, I kinda wish it had an external mic jack. I wanted to put a mic inside my helmet to capture comments, breathing, etc.

The deals don't seem great on eBay for the Roam. Looks like about $150-$200 is the going price when you can get one from amazon for $180 or so (with full warranty). I saw a used one go for almost that price lol... :laugh:


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