The New cam I got for my busa:
It had good reviews by hotrod magazine Action Camera Comparisons - Action! - Hot Rod Magazine
..and it had a higher star rating than Go-Pro, Drift HD or Contour and costs about the same as Go-Pro:
Drift HD170
The Drift has a very handy screen that allows you to see exactly where you've pointed the camera (most others don't), and the menus are easily understood to change settings. It's the only one we tested with a remote control, which is cool. The menu on the camera has a low/medium/high setting for the microphone, which we set to low. It picked up details of the engine and turbo on videographer Clint's turbo Talon really well, but it was a bit overpowered by the wind once up to speed. Overall, the volume was much lower than the other cameras, regardless of the setting.
File type: .mov file (Quicktime); H.264 video compression at 12Mbit/second, AAC audio compression at 48k.
Pros:
LCD display on camera, very handy.
Large, easy to use buttons with straightforward settings menu.
Swiveling lens to orient which way is up.
Comes with remote control.
4X zoom.
Cons:
Long charge time.
Weak sound.
It's physically larger than the other three.
Amazon's Price: $264.00
Picture: 4
Sound: 1
Ease of Use: 4
Features: 3
Overall Rating: 3
Replay XD1080
The Replay was the smallest of the four cameras, and seemed to have the best picture and sound quality. We were unanimous in picking it as our favorite among the four cams tested. The manufacturer supplies little stickers to put over the microphone hole, which worked really well at blocking wind noise, but you lose details in other sounds. The Replay also had, by far, the best nighttime (low light) footage.
File type: .mov file (Quicktime), H.264 video compression at 7.5Mbit/second, AAC audio compression at 48k.
Pros:
Great image quality, though reds get pixelated.
Best low light/nighttime picture.
Very small, easy to mount just about anywhere.
Easy to use configuration menu based on two buttons and multicolored LEDs.
HDMI-out port.
Cons:
It's too easy to accidentally turn on, which can prematurely run down the battery.
Really bad wind noise without the sticker over the mic.
No LCD screen.
Amazon's Price: $299.00
Picture: 5
Sound: 5
Ease of Use: 3
Features: 2
Overall Rating: 4.5
Contour
The Contour's greatest features are an easy on and off switch and an easy-aiming feature. It had a picture and sound quality that ranked it between the GoPro and the Drift. The bummer with it is that you need to break open a computer to adjust its settings, as there is no menu screen on the cam itself. It also didn't do well with wind noise.
File type: .mov file (Quicktime), H.264 video compression at 8.5Mbit/second, AAC audio compression at 48k.
Pros:
Straightforward start/stop switch.
Swiveling lens so you can orient which way is up.
Laser pointers to aid in aiming the camera.
Decent low-light/nighttime image quality.
Cons:
Takes too long to turn on.
No LCD screen.
Need to use computer to change settings.
Lowest number of shooting modes selectable without a laptop.
Amazon's Price: $249.00
Picture: 3
Sound: 3
Ease of Use: 4
Features: 2
Overall Rating: 3
GoPro
GoPro may have started this whole game, and while the basic mounts and lack of a viewing screen are a pain, they can both be rectified. The biggest boon to the GoPro's success, in our opinion, is the add-on (for $79.00) BacPac screen that allows you to see where you're aiming it. The camera comes with two casesùone has openings to let sound in, the other is sealed and is to be used in noisy environments and underwater. We used the sealed case for our exterior wind noise tests. It picked up engine noise pretty well (not as well as the Replay), and you could hear some detail (though not as much as with the Drift), but it was overcome by wind once you got up to speed. Wind noise was not nearly as bad as with the Contour, though.
File type: .mp4 file (mpeg 4), H.264 video compression at 15 Mbit/second, AAC audio compression at 48k.
Pros:
Decent audio, extra case back to block wind during high-speed exterior vehicle filming.
LCD add-on screen makes it so you can aim camera easily and view recorded footage.
Least expensive of the four.
Optional add-on LCD screen.
Cons:
720p 60-fps files won't drag directly into Final Cut Pro (need to be converted).
The included camera mount lacks a lot of adjustments you'll want.
Clunky shape, hard to mount it anywhere you want.
Doesn't have an LCD screen built in.
Really bad low-light/nighttime image quality.
Amazon's Price: $179.00
Picture: 3
Sound: 3
Ease of Use: 2
Features: 3
Overall Rating: 3
It had good reviews by hotrod magazine Action Camera Comparisons - Action! - Hot Rod Magazine
..and it had a higher star rating than Go-Pro, Drift HD or Contour and costs about the same as Go-Pro:
Drift HD170
The Drift has a very handy screen that allows you to see exactly where you've pointed the camera (most others don't), and the menus are easily understood to change settings. It's the only one we tested with a remote control, which is cool. The menu on the camera has a low/medium/high setting for the microphone, which we set to low. It picked up details of the engine and turbo on videographer Clint's turbo Talon really well, but it was a bit overpowered by the wind once up to speed. Overall, the volume was much lower than the other cameras, regardless of the setting.
File type: .mov file (Quicktime); H.264 video compression at 12Mbit/second, AAC audio compression at 48k.
Pros:
LCD display on camera, very handy.
Large, easy to use buttons with straightforward settings menu.
Swiveling lens to orient which way is up.
Comes with remote control.
4X zoom.
Cons:
Long charge time.
Weak sound.
It's physically larger than the other three.
Amazon's Price: $264.00
Picture: 4
Sound: 1
Ease of Use: 4
Features: 3
Overall Rating: 3
Replay XD1080
The Replay was the smallest of the four cameras, and seemed to have the best picture and sound quality. We were unanimous in picking it as our favorite among the four cams tested. The manufacturer supplies little stickers to put over the microphone hole, which worked really well at blocking wind noise, but you lose details in other sounds. The Replay also had, by far, the best nighttime (low light) footage.
File type: .mov file (Quicktime), H.264 video compression at 7.5Mbit/second, AAC audio compression at 48k.
Pros:
Great image quality, though reds get pixelated.
Best low light/nighttime picture.
Very small, easy to mount just about anywhere.
Easy to use configuration menu based on two buttons and multicolored LEDs.
HDMI-out port.
Cons:
It's too easy to accidentally turn on, which can prematurely run down the battery.
Really bad wind noise without the sticker over the mic.
No LCD screen.
Amazon's Price: $299.00
Picture: 5
Sound: 5
Ease of Use: 3
Features: 2
Overall Rating: 4.5
Contour
The Contour's greatest features are an easy on and off switch and an easy-aiming feature. It had a picture and sound quality that ranked it between the GoPro and the Drift. The bummer with it is that you need to break open a computer to adjust its settings, as there is no menu screen on the cam itself. It also didn't do well with wind noise.
File type: .mov file (Quicktime), H.264 video compression at 8.5Mbit/second, AAC audio compression at 48k.
Pros:
Straightforward start/stop switch.
Swiveling lens so you can orient which way is up.
Laser pointers to aid in aiming the camera.
Decent low-light/nighttime image quality.
Cons:
Takes too long to turn on.
No LCD screen.
Need to use computer to change settings.
Lowest number of shooting modes selectable without a laptop.
Amazon's Price: $249.00
Picture: 3
Sound: 3
Ease of Use: 4
Features: 2
Overall Rating: 3
GoPro
GoPro may have started this whole game, and while the basic mounts and lack of a viewing screen are a pain, they can both be rectified. The biggest boon to the GoPro's success, in our opinion, is the add-on (for $79.00) BacPac screen that allows you to see where you're aiming it. The camera comes with two casesùone has openings to let sound in, the other is sealed and is to be used in noisy environments and underwater. We used the sealed case for our exterior wind noise tests. It picked up engine noise pretty well (not as well as the Replay), and you could hear some detail (though not as much as with the Drift), but it was overcome by wind once you got up to speed. Wind noise was not nearly as bad as with the Contour, though.
File type: .mp4 file (mpeg 4), H.264 video compression at 15 Mbit/second, AAC audio compression at 48k.
Pros:
Decent audio, extra case back to block wind during high-speed exterior vehicle filming.
LCD add-on screen makes it so you can aim camera easily and view recorded footage.
Least expensive of the four.
Optional add-on LCD screen.
Cons:
720p 60-fps files won't drag directly into Final Cut Pro (need to be converted).
The included camera mount lacks a lot of adjustments you'll want.
Clunky shape, hard to mount it anywhere you want.
Doesn't have an LCD screen built in.
Really bad low-light/nighttime image quality.
Amazon's Price: $179.00
Picture: 3
Sound: 3
Ease of Use: 2
Features: 3
Overall Rating: 3