Contour's GPS is a hands-free action camera that can capture video at 1,920x1,080 at 30fps and has a built-in GPS receiver so can overlay video with a map of your route, plus speed and elevation. There's also built-in Bluetooth, which means you can use your iOS or Android smartphone's screen as a wireless viewfinder. Unfortunately, you'll need to buy the optional ConnectView card (around £25) to use an iOS device such as an iPhone 4, and the Android app isn’t finished yet. (dell pa-1900-04 ac adapter)
Without using an app, you can orient the camera using the pair of lasers which shines briefly when you turn the camera on to help you work out if it's pointing in the right direction. However, these are all but invisible in broad daylight so take some test footage before heading out.
The smartphone app is useful as it lets you adjust the camera's exposure and microphone sensitivity. The only other way to do this is by installing the free Storyteller application on your PC (dell inspiron 1501 ac adapter). You can choose from image presets, but there's also manual control over contrast, sharpness and exposure. A switch at the back of the camera lets you change between two recording modes, which are configurable in the software. One could be set to Contour's recommended 'action' setting, which is 720p at 60fps, while the other could be configured to shoot 5-megapixel still images every few seconds or every minute.
A 2GB card is included in the box (enough for a little over 20 minutes' footage at the highest quality), but up to 32GB cards are supported. The sony vaio pcg-505 dc adapter battery lasts around two to two and a half hours, but you can buy additional batteries for under £10; Nokia's BL-5C is compatible, but not officially supported. You also get two adhesive flat-surface mounts and a goggle mount - a helmet mount is optional and costs £17.
Plastic rails on either side of the camera allow it to be connected securely and removed from any mount, and the lens rotates 270 degrees so you can mount it on a variety of surfaces. The aluminium body is tough and rain-proof. An optional waterproof housing costs £30. Build quality is mixed: it feels sturdy overall, but the power button didn't work on occasion. (hp elitebook 8530w ac adapter)
Video quality is fairly good considering the size of the lens, but it's more on a par with a Flip Ultra HD than a handheld camcorder such as Canon's similarly-priced Legria HF R206[http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/camcorders/1283713/canon-legria-hf-r206]. Colours are accurate, and exposure changes quickly to changing light conditions. However, there's significant purple fringing on high-contrast lines and a fair amount of video wobble and shake when the camera is moving around - as it will for most of its journeys. It's disappointing there's no apparent image stabilisation.(dell latitude d630 battery)
Once you've shot your footage, you upload it to Storyteller, which lets you mark the best part and upload it to Contour's website. This keeps the GPS information, which is lost if you upload to YouTube. There are no other editing functions.(dell inspiron 1521 battery)
The Contour GPS isn't perfect, but it will give you a decent enough record of your day's events. The shaky video is our biggest gripe, but if you have some decent video editing software, much of that can be eliminated. If you need a hands-free video camera, the Contour is a decent choice.
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