[pipefuser]

Contour or Go Pro?
What do you use and why?

[TomGalvin]

Drift HD because it's a good balance of features, quality, and flexibility for a reasonable price.

http://driftinnovation.com/

[CAL]

i have never tried anything else but Gopro, it's light, takes awesome videos for the money, very rugged, user friendly,

i was introduced to it by an instuctor to help teach me what i was doing wrong,
i wasn't going to get one until he showed me the videos and found that indeed it helps you learn,

now i have the HD model and just love the videos it puts out, i still learn from it, i love watching my launches and landings and critique myself on how i could have made it better.

i also use it for the beautiful scenery we all fly in ,

i am not saying other Cameras may not work well, i just have no problems with the Gopro and love what it does and have no reason to change.

it would be interesting for someone to post videos with each camera and see which one works the best

[jimrooney]

For HG... the Drift HD

I personally use a GoPro, but if I was getting something strictly for HG, the drift is the way to go... because above all else, it's got a remote.

I know, it seems like a small issue... till you start actually using one.
Don't get me wrong... I love my GoPro... but for HG filming, I like the drift just a touch better.

Jim

[HangDiver]

Contour HD. Less distortion than the gopro. Records in both low def and hi def. 3 hours plus record time.

The GoPro HD, Contour HD or Drift HD are all great cameras. Can't go wrong with any of them.

[bisleybob]

it would also be handy to know what is needed to convert / edit the film from these cameras

[axo]

I have one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/HD-720P-Waterproof-Sport-Helmet-Action-Camera-Cam-DVR-/130468701482?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e608a652a

Its got everything except h.264 out of the box.
Good quality video

[Cav_Man_77]

I am a Contour Fan.

I have the Contour GPS and shortly they will bring out the Contour Plus.

I like the ease of use, one Slide switch and a loud beep and you know are recording. Internal GPS for tracking, altitude and speed. Lots of mounts like the go pro but smaller profile so less likley to get caught.

The twin lasers ensure you can rotate the lens to the correct angle so mounitng on a glider is easy.

The GPS model has 135degrees FOV and the new Plus model will have the same FOV as the GoPro if you really want the fisheye effect as well.

I have the blue tooth adapter so I can put my camera on my glider and then connect my iphone to adjust the framing of the camera and adjust camera settings to ensure correct exposure etc. All the camera settings can be quickly changed via the iPhone app.

The Contur has a great forum for sharing ideas, issues and other topics. They also have a website where your videos are shared and stored for free.

http://contour.com/stories/hand_picked

Here is a quick video of me filmed with the ContourGPS.
http://contour.com/stories/first-flight-at-lake-george

[therms]

i use a cannon hd camera mounted to my keel ,as cal said i use it to watch all my take offs and landings i think its a great learning tool

[Hangskier]

I asked the same question on a previous thread. Look under Polls.

I was thinking of the Drift because of the remote but decided to get the Gopro due to the slow motion play back due to the film rate speed.

[st1lgar]

[Whitty]

[st1lgar]

Another thing that would make me choose the drift (if it wasn't THAT pricey) would be the lens rotation capability.

Mount is as you wish and then level it to the horizon by rotating the lens mount.

Seeeeet!

[Whitty]

[Hangskier]

[AIRTHUG]

I'm a big fan of the GoPro.... they were the first to start this revolution, and now with the HD model and LCD BacPack, I feel they are again on the top. Just my .02

I also haven't used any of the other cams personally, only compared video quality through other's posts...

I'm about to release a short promotional film that was shot mostly with GoPros... these little cams don't replace larger, more expensive cams... but if you're on a budget they do a danged good job

[dievhart]

I think the Contour has a step up on the GoPro....
they have a remote LCD now (iphone app) (not a remote like the Drift)
They have a rotating lens (180deg mind you)
(I think) They have better raw video quality.
They do not distort as much if at all (but not as wide either)
You can add Lens to it (37mm) fisheye if I wanted to get the GoPro effect...
Just as many mounts as GoPro....(bit no waterproof case for my GPS model yet)
GPS, (Alt, Speed, Location) built into camera.
Bluetooth built into camera.
MicroSD card (not sure if you call this a plus though)
Weight

But here is what I think the GoPro has over the Contour....(but I don't own one)
Better firmware...(more options when in the field (Contour only has 2 programmable options))
Add on Battery pack....
Wide angle (but distorted)
(bigger userbase (if that matters))
On camera LCD (but now heavier)
????

I looked at the Drift and almost got one just because of that remote, but again I don't want to be forced into that distorted look and I didn't like the raw video quality....

Here are a couple samples...
http://contour.com/stories/speedgliding-practice-ed-levin
(or my latest youtube videos)

here is Aaron S.
http://contour.com/stories/frostbite-festival-2011--2

It was a hard choice...lots of options though :-)...good luck
Diev

[mvent2009]

GoPro HD for Hang Gliding , my first and only camera so far, I like a lot, has good image quality, is light and Rugged, easy to use but I've also heard good things about the contour. When I have the chance I'll get one those contour

[axo]

[Zack]

The Drift only does 16:9, correct? I'm guessing the 170 degree FOV the Drift and GoPro advertise is horizontal, which means a lower 4:3 aspect ratio like the GoPro supports will give a wider vertical FOV (allowing you to see more top-to-bottom). This alone would make me choose the GoPro over the Drift despite the latter's excellent feature set.

Zack