VholdR ContourHD

I finally have a chance to play around a bit with my new toy the VholdR ContourHD helmet cam. The ContourHD is one of the first HD video adventure cams. It is able to record HD resolution video on a Micro-SD card. The video is 720p at 30 frames per second and the image quality and clarity is simply outstanding on a camera this small. Obviously I cannot wear it as a helmet cam just yet but I do have the bike mount and a few other mounting options. This allows me to mate the camera to various surfaces and still use it without adding any extra pressure as my neck muscles are still healing.

Press photo

The ContourHD is the successor to the original VholdR and TwentyTwenty helmet cams and adds a slew of new features. Some of the new features compared to the original are:

• ContourHD helmet camera has two video settings instead of just one. High Definition records video at 30 frames per second while the High Action SD setting records helmet cam video at 60 frames per second. In HD the new wide angle lens (135 degrees) allows you to capture the entire scene.
• ContourHD is compatible with up to 16GB Micro-SD memory cards. Now you can record up to 8 hours of HD or 16 hours of SD helmet camera video.
• ContourHD includes a new microphone to reduce the wind noise and bring out the rich sounds of the action. Our wearable camcorder is better tuned for sounds of the action.

So how well does it work?

Here is a sample video clip of Richard and I riding Monday. The only editing done was to trim the clip to the last 5 minutes. The video clip is really big so it does take a while to download.

Since this was mounted on the handlebars instead of a helmet there is a lot more vibration transmitted to the camera mount. When it vibrates more than just a mm or two the video appears to bloom (wavy image size). Other than that, the picture quality is very good and the automatic exposure control seems to work very well. Color balance is just a bit on the cool side especially in the shade, when there is an expanse of blue sky the color balance shifts a bit and reds do appear more vibrant. Of course with all of these small helmet cams you need to have good light and plenty of it. But for the size, weight and cost VholdR has a real winner here. If you were looking for HD recording this is a great choice. the form factor and weight make it ideal for cycling, or any other outdoor sport. The interchangeable mounting system is very robust and I have not had any issues with it coming apart, the safety straps add an extra level of security knowing your camera if it were to come loose would not go flying off into the woods or smashed on the pavement.

Another ingenious feature is the rotatable lens. So no matter how you mount it (with the exception of upside-down) the orientation of the video can be adjusted so that it is level and upright. There are detents along the lens mount the allow -90° to 0° to +90° and anywhere in between. This come in very handy as more devices vie for the limited space available on your stem or bars.The two small red laser points of light help in aligning the lens as they project two small dots for a short period of time after turning the camera on. Align the two lights horizontally and you know you are level, no more skewed videos.

The mounting components also allow you to mount the camera anywhere in a 360° plane. With those two adjustments it is easy to get the ContourHD mounted in such a way to actually take video of what you are pointing at rather than just sky or ground. It is very versatile and provides numerous options for mounting and all kinds of surfaces.

In a few days I will add an SD video post. SD gives you 60 frames per second recording for much smoother action, at the cost of a smaller field of view.