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Contour Roam 3 or Sony HDRAS20?

TheRobSJ

TheRobSJ

May lose 10mm sockets if distracted
Joined
Oct 23, 2002
Location
Santa Clara
Moto(s)
No bike until I have a bigger garage.
Name
Rob
Getting close to pulling the trigger on one of these helmet mounted cameras. Absolutely do not like the Marvin the Martian look with the GoPro on top of the helmet so I don't want a GoPro. I like the form factor of the Contour and Sony (and yes I know that they bought them).

It looks like the Contour is easier to turn on with a gloved hand. This true? They're both pretty much the same money on Amazon and seem to have similar specs and so on.
 
Yes, I have the Contour, mounted to the right side of my helmet. Easy-on, just slide the switch forward. :thumbup
 
The sony has SteadyShot which helps get a better picture even if it draws more battery. The Roam3 only goes up to 1080p @ 30fps. I dont have the Roam3 but i do have the Sony HDRAS100 and I put that on the bike and use the steadyshot. I use the Replay XD Prime on the helmet. The ReplayXD has similar tube form factor as the Roam3 but doesnt have that bottom piece that the Roam3 has.

Personally i would shy away from the Sony if its going to be helmet mounted because the mounting mechanism for the Sony is a bit bulky and not really intuitive. Even more so if you use the waterproof case. The supplied mounting doesnt allow side mount, only top mount on a helmet. You will need to buy another side mount accessory for about $20-$30.

hope this helps.
 
May want to look into the Sena 10c. You not only get a HD video cam, but you also get bluetooth to talk on your phone, another riders, or listen to music. Also, the intercom and music will overlay on the video you are recording. And it's pretty slim.
 
My contour has been rock solid for the past 2 years. Love it, wouldnt trade it for a gopro. Sony long term reliability has been lacking for some time now. I wouldnt any of their products.
 
The fact that the Sony doesn't even come with any mount at all and the Contour comes with pretty much exactly the one you need to mount on the helmet? That's a big plus. Probably gonna do the Contour.
 
gnstalodz said:
Are you the one I sold it to years ago?? I have a contour 2+ and wouldn't be much happier
Click to expand...


my only gripe with the 2+ is that i cannot find a waterproof case to buy for it.... Mine was damaged after many dirt bike crashes and never was able to find a replacement..
 
TheRobSJ said:
Getting close to pulling the trigger on one of these helmet mounted cameras. Absolutely do not like the Marvin the Martian look with the GoPro on top of the helmet so I don't want a GoPro. I like the form factor of the Contour and Sony (and yes I know that they bought them).

It looks like the Contour is easier to turn on with a gloved hand. This true? They're both pretty much the same money on Amazon and seem to have similar specs and so on.
Click to expand...

Ive found for me at least, if you mount the Contour on the side lf the helmet, theres less buffeting on the freeway compared to having it on the top of the helmet.:thumbup And yes, very easy to turn on with gloves. I would use scotch/masking tape to put the mount where it records best. Then outline the mount with a dry erase marker on the helmet. Stick mount on within your outline with included tape. That tape is rock solid, so you want to be sure you have it mounted for best view coverage
 
I have a Contour Roam 2, there are a lot of mounting options. Helmet, on bike, etc.... easy to flip on, flip off. Durable, waterproof.

Film your dog underwater?

I have used mine on helmet, on fairing, on fork leg, on a pole under water, as a dash cam in my FJ Cruiser. It's really easy to set up, has many mounting options, and so far hasn't bricked up like the GoPro cameras I have seen. ( I worked at a school district and saw a lot of GoPro cameras just become un-usable)
The water proof thing is huge for me. I take mine fishing on my drift boat, and have been able to get some cool clips. No problem on the bike either, good stability, noise suppression is decent.

This clip isn't enhanced at all. On Board my Bonneville on the Panoramic Hwy.

The Contour 3 has smart phone monitoring and other cool features my Contour 2 doesn't have. My next camera will definitley be a Contour Roam 3.

There might be other cameras, too. I am sure people will chime in.
 
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i have a contour roam 2

a liquid ego hd

a gopro2

a drift 720p

innovs pos dashcam bought off barfgroupbuy that wont take firmware updates correctly

out of all, id get a drift 1080p, its basically a contour but with a replacable battery

if the new contour comes with a replaceable battery or ability to charge/record, then i would shoot for the contour

the contour is my helmet cam of choice right now, the drift would be #1 but the camera is only 720p right now and the mic is absolutely useless

i have no experience with the sony
 
Biggest selling point of the Sony to me is the Steadyshot. From all the comparison tests I've seen, it seems to also have much better audio, color saturation, and low light performance. But unless you're willing to do a sketchy Velcro situation, there doesn't seem to be any way to mount it to the side of a helmet all low profile like the Contour. So this is why the Contour is getting the win here. The easy on switch is also nice.

Thanks guys. As much of a Sony whore I am, that mounting setup where it has to be in some kind of case to mount to something is the dealbreaker.
 
I've used my contour roam 2 side mounted on my helmet daily for the last year and a half. It's perfect for commuting imo due to being simple, low profile, easy on/off (with a loud beep I can hear through earplugs/helmet). It's worked great in all aspects. The only thing I don't like about it is not having a feature to loop/rewrite over when the memory card is full.
 
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