The Contour Roam 2 is one of the best designed action cameras on the market. It boasts an attractive mix of simplicity and functionality. It’s easy to use, well made and looks the part, and with its ultra-wide rotating lens it can capture high quality video of up to 60 frames per second in 720p.
Contents
The Good
- It’s waterproof up to 1 metre, so it doesn’t need additional waterproof casing unless you’re filming deep water activity
- It features an ultra-wide lens with a field view of up to 170 degrees, that can also rotate up to an angle of 270 degrees
- Compact & lightweight, the Contour Roam 2 is also compatible with a wide selection of mounts
- Extra-long battery life of up to 3.5 hours worth of shooting time
The Bad
- Has to be plugged into a computer in order to change the settings
- Video footage can be shaky when the device is used without a mount of some kind
- Isn’t as feature-rich as some of its competitors
- No viewfinder or LCD screen to line up your shot
The Consensus
The Contour Roam 2 is a solid, reliable outdoor & action camera that does the job. It isn’t as feature-rich as some of its competitors, and the video capabilities aren’t quite as good either, but for the price you’re getting a sturdy, decent camera that looks great.
Contour ROAM2 Reviews on Amazon!!
Hardware and Design
The Contour Roam2 is an upgrade from the original Roam camera, and is visually very similar to its predecessor. With a chassis fashioned from ABC plastic and a brushed aluminium casing, the Roam2 measures 3.9 inches in length and weighs 5.1 ounces.
It comes in a selection of colours, including black, red, blue and green, which is a nice touch that most other action & adventure cameras don’t offer.
When it comes to functionality the Roam2 is incredibly simple to use. There’s no power button on the device, instead it has one switch on top of it that you push forward to start recording, and back to stop recording. It’s always in sleep mode, ready to start recording as soon as you push the switch forward. The switch itself comes with a locking feature, meaning you won’t accidentally set it recording.
On the back of the camera you’ll find one large sliding door which covers a reset button, a mini-USB port, a button to format a memory card, and a slot for a memory card (micro-SD cards up to 32gb can be used). When the sliding door is closed you will find one button which operates a laser line, which is used in the absence of a viewfinder or screen and aligns with the lens to ensure that you’re set up to shoot straight.
The front of the camera houses the ultra-wide lens which boasts a field view of up to 170 degrees, that can also rotate up to an angle of 270 degrees.
Waterproof up to 1 metre, the Roam2 does not need any additional waterproof casing unless you plan on using it for deep water activity.
One major issue with this camera is the lack of a menu screen. This means that it’s impossible to change the recording settings on the camera when you’re away from your computer.
Contour ROAM2 Reviews on Amazon!!
Video and Image Modes
There are a number of options available when shooting video on the Contour Roam2, including three video modes and one still mode.
The highest quality recording comes from the 1080p mode, which comes with the option of either 25fps or 30fps. In this mode the Roam2 captures footage with a 125 degree field of view. Video is sharp, detailed and if using 30fps is smooth.
Another option is the “tall HD” mode, shooting in 1280 x 960, also with the option of 25fps or 30fps.
Where the Roam2 really shines though, is the ability to record in 720p at 50fps-60fps as well as the lower frame rate of 25-30fps. Footage shot at 720p and 60fps is twice as smooth. This also offers a 170 degree field of view, and footage shot at 60fps in 720p can be slowed down to really show off a particular jump or highlight reel moment.
The still mode can be programmed to record an image at 1,3,5,10,30 or 60 second intervals.
There is also a wealth of image controls available, which include manual contract, sharpness and exposure, a dusk preset and an “everyday outdoor” preset.
It’s a real shame that these extra options can only be accessed when using the on-computer software and not when you’re out and about with the camera. It’s understandable that the lack of a screen limits what can be done “on camera” as far as adjusting settings goes, but even a few extra buttons to allow for changing between 720p & 1080p, and for changing the frames per second option would have been a worthwhile addition.
Contour ROAM2 Reviews on Amazon!!
Performance
The Roam2 is one of the better action cameras out there design-wise. It is light, waterproof, sturdy and extremely easy to use. When it comes to the selection of mounts available it really does shine, offering various attachments for virtually every activity, and all of them are easily attached to the base of the camera.
In addition to the profile mount and rotating surface mount which come packaged with the camera, you can purchase headband mounts, surfboard mounts, pole mounts, snow mounts, moto mounts among others. There isn’t an activity you can film that doesn’t have a mount available for it.
The Roam2 also really shines when it comes to battery life. Compared to a lot of similarly priced cameras you’re getting a lot of juice per charge from the Roam2. On the other hand the battery isn’t removable, so when it dies you can’t replace it with a new one when you’re outside filming.
Battery Life, Wi-fi, and Other Features
As mentioned previously the battery life in the Roam2 is exceptional. You’re getting up to 3.5 hours of power from a single charging, which is unmatched by a lot of similarly priced cameras. The battery is non-removable though, so when it dies you need to find a power source to recharge it. Carrying fully charged replacements simply isn’t an option.
There is no wifi option built in to the Roam2.
Contour ROAM2 Reviews on Amazon!!
Accessories
The Contour Roam2 comes complete with 4GB micro-SD card, profile & rotating surface mount, quickstart guide and a USB 2.0 cable.
Available separately are a whole host of mounts and a waterproof case to allow depths of more than 1 metre.
Conclusion
The Contour Roam2 is a nice piece of kit. It does what it’s supposed to, and it does it well.
There are some issues of course, which I detailed in the review, but most sports cameras have their own issues due to the fact that they are essentially stripped down portable camcorders. The things that they do, they usually do well though, and the Roam2 falls into that category. It offers good video quality with a selection of filming options, an ultra-wide lens with a field view of up to 170 degrees, that can also rotate up to an angle of 270 degrees in a lightweight, well built body.
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