Contour Closes Its Doors?

Aug 6, 2013
by Mike Kazimer  
According to a recent article on Geekwire, Contour, the Seattle, Washington, based helmet camera manufacturer has closed their HQ in Seattle. No official announcement has been released yet, but sources say that on Friday, August 2, employees were surprised by the notification that their positions had been terminated.

The news comes as a surprise to those outside of the company as well – by all appearances Contour had been continuing the growth that began in 2004, when it was founded by Marc Barros and Jason Green while the two attended the University of Washington (Barros left the company earlier this year to pursue other endeavors). In 2012, Contour made Inc. magazine's list of fastest growing companies, coming in at the 277th spot with a growth of 1,303% and revenue of $27.3 million. Although impressive, Contour's numbers are dwarfed by those of their competitor, GoPro, who grossed $521 million in 2012, selling over 2 million cameras.


Pinkbike's Take:
bigquotesSpeaking personally with former Contour employees confirmed this story, but details are still sparse. More than likely, Contour over-extended their credit, forcing them to shut down. The helmet camera market continues to show incredible growth, and we wouldn't be surprised if another company steps in to resurrect Contour, and hopefully re-hire their former employees. - Mike Kazimer

ContourROAM2 colors


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213 Comments
  • 165 16
 Great, now go pro is basically a monopoly, start expecting $1000 Go-Pro "Emeralds" until they get some competition!
  • 44 3
 No really. Didn't you see the Matt Hunter's article to Afghanistan brought to you by Sony. My friend got rid of his GoPro recently and bought the Sony and he said that he loves it.
  • 92 7
 Go pro had a monopoly before. Contour was barely even a blip on the map.
  • 27 3
 And don't worry the new emerald will work great, after the next software upgrade that will be any day now!
  • 19 31
flag Plover217 (Aug 6, 2013 at 21:00) (Below Threshold)
 Are you serious, most if not all the riders I ride with (Moto and Downhill) have Contour +2's.
  • 15 3
 GoPro is basically the only 'average consumer' known, selling the idea more than the product :L
I use a panasonic hx-a100 that was $175nzd and still does 240fps and 1080 at 60fps...
  • 81 6
 Yeah sweet, 'hey man can you HX-A100 this section for me?' said no one, ever.

Contours were neat but their biggest problem was that they weren't GoPro's.
  • 55 5
 I doubt that GoPro's will be rising anymore in cost. As stated by @bonfire, Countour was never any competition. The number in sales proves this.

Frankly I'm also not very surprised by this either. When GoPro came out with their new Hero 3 line up which featured much better filming resolutions, more options, and a smaller camera and case; what did Contour do? They made their cameras different colors... Yay *sarcasm*

Something else that Contour failed to do was advertise. I've never once seen a Contour ad in a sporting goods store, on TV, and even rarely on the internet would they show up. GoPros are everywhere, along with their advertisements. (Bestbuy, Walmart, Scheels, Sports Authority, Youtube etc)

Lastly, I also feel as though every one of Danny Harts (Along with others) helmet cam runs were burdened by the Contour camera. They are shaky, and don't track well with the rider and terrain.

Maybe I'm being biased, but this is just my opinion. Don't get me wrong, they do LOOK better than the GoPros... But looks aren't everything.
  • 68 3
 OKAY, what's this monopoly crap... Just because GoPro has a larger audience doesn't mean they control the market. I think GoPro has a wayyyyyyy better product than contour and Sony. In fact GoPro is the reason this market even exists..
  • 14 5
 Now drift cameras have a chance to step it up.
  • 10 8
 driftinnovation.com
  • 4 2
 Yes, there are many other start up companies, but most people who are buying action cameras now are new to the market. I think if you really like filming what you do, you already have a camera. This means a lot of the market is new consumers, who have little product knowledge. Most will choose gopro, because of its massive amounts of advertisement.
  • 67 4
 Canon should release an action camera, the quality would blow gopro out of the market haha
  • 7 3
 Oh HELLS NAH
  • 2 4
 honestly i would get a cam-one over a gopro any day. Its is obvioulsy styled off the gopro and all the specs are identical except for a very slightly smaller view window. But more importantly it has a screen so it can be used as a normal camera occasionaly. Lastly it is much much cheaper than the gopro.
  • 12 0
 Such a shame, I'm GP user but Contour's shape overall simply makes more sense than have a box on your head (helmet mounted) and seemed like with some good direction/focus they should or could of done so much better. It's gonna get awkward for some gun shooters trying to attach a box type camera to the rails..

And Sony has the full anti-shake/stabilized which helps tons and tons for footage, instead of the watching some videos and a feeling like you're being shaken to death for the most part.

Now, I just hope GP or any company continues to progress and get new features out there. Tbh, not everyone needs super high-res and fancy modes, more so on improving on depth perception + better internal anti-shake/stabilization.
  • 1 4
 @NittyGritty Partially you are right. Their marketing department was lacking and inexperienced. GoPro on the other hand has done great marketing and thus is successful as a business, regardless of camera quality.

Regarding the improvements made to the cameras, you are misinformed.
  • 23 0
 @jonathanheierle Canon should buy Contour. Now we would be talking.
  • 2 7
flag booostin FL (Aug 6, 2013 at 22:44) (Below Threshold)
 They should just buy gopro and corner the market @Vfreehd
  • 4 6
 @panasonic

bring lumix action camera, and knock out the competition!
  • 15 19
flag cyberhawk (Aug 6, 2013 at 23:57) (Below Threshold)
 the only reason go pro has a bigger image is marketing.. it isnt really"that much "better"
most people just dont know any better.. its convincing a church member god doesnt exist.. (he doesnt)
hence said above.. i dont want to ride with a box on my helmet.. neither do i want something that is over hyped.
when i bought my drift.. the gopro bit the dust with switching from light to dark and vice versa. the new model is a little better.. but i suppose the new drift still will kick its ass. again..
i will get neg propped over this by all the indoctrinated go pro lovers out there.. but if you actually compared footage and tests.. instead of buying instantly the crap the give you in comercials.. or wanting the same thing some pro rode with or the guy you look up to in your riding group.. well yes than you need a gopro..
  • 1 0
 Exactly what I did, didn't regret it though.
  • 5 3
 I have a gopro, and have no complaints at all. A friend uses a contour on his motorbike helmet and the image quality is pretty much the same as the gopro, but it fits better in that application. As mentioned above, I think that Gopro have marketed themselves very well, and any competition will have to fight that. Anybody who knows what they really want can research and find the ideal tool for the job. Lazy people will buy a Gopro, as it is the most recognised brand.
  • 4 3
 I called this after the hero 3 black came out a few days after contour decided to include color options.
  • 1 0
 Mindalnd XTC cameras are the absolute bargains
  • 7 0
 @ cyber hawk. The go pro can do chest cam which is the best pov imo. I bought a cam one infinity which is a german go pro knock off.

You strike me as a person that avoids good products just because their trendy.
  • 5 9
flag cyberhawk (Aug 7, 2013 at 6:31) (Below Threshold)
 imo i dont like the chest cam view ,. and i dont like the clicking sound the GP makes in the case./.

and yet another assumption...

yes and no... i can easily detect BS... . i like 5-10's .. trendy maybe but they work for me.. nike's 6.0 > BShit..
a cam where you need to buy every part separate what my drift all ready has build in without the clicking sound... works..

i avoid trendy products.. that dont add ANY value over others.. some want to be part of "something"
i rather be objective an Original.. its just a point of view.. Wink
  • 11 4
 This camera is like the LEFTY forks, only for the people who want to feel different, but has no real benefits or advantages at all....
  • 6 2
 Are you calling the go pro bull shit?


If you dont like the chest mount thats fine lots of other people do. Contor claimed to be versitle but was un able to mount in a position many riders like.

Just cause they do well with sales and, market themselves well your calling people that buy them fan bois. At the same time you have five tens. So you realize that some things can have usefullness behind the hype yet you still take a smelly.dump on go pro..... My BS meter is going off reading your posts


For the record i have a cam one infinity not. Go pro. I found it camera shoping and was happy to find another cam that could do chest mount.
  • 8 9
 GoPro was and still is the DADDY of cameras ... Ive seen the quality of so many other POV cameras and they dont compare at all.. GoPro dominated from quality , to finish, to customer service , to marketing /advertising...

Would you rather have a Ferrari or KIa ? Take your pick lol
  • 7 29
flag cyberhawk (Aug 7, 2013 at 7:20) (Below Threshold)
 most of you mericants are so damm dumb and indoctrinated.. misinterpertations and all..
and go pro was certainly not the daddy of camera's .. Facepalm
  • 2 0
 ^^ whaha, lol!
  • 2 0
 My friend has a contour that he put on his airsoft gun. it was really sick. R.I.P.
  • 1 0
 Ditto. Thanks gopro
  • 3 0
 My friend had one and the camera itself was great and it produced great footage... However the mounts were terrible, which let the package down as a whole - once on the mount the picture was too shaky to tell whether it was focused or not!
  • 1 2
 @ spoon man... your friend had what camera?
  • 3 0
 Contour... Which is what the article is about!
  • 1 0
 Narwhal mount, seat tube center, chesty, and car mounts are not the only reason. They got destroyed on quality by not just gopro.
  • 9 0
 cyberhawk, please don't lump all us Americans in ignorant categories, that simple statement also admits your ignorance. Granted there are fewer great Americans nowadays but I don't lump anyone into categories....and you are using pinkbike right? Pinkbike is a VERY trendy product Smile
  • 5 0
 ... plus ripping on 'muricans is pretty trendy as well, when it is in fact no better than ripping on any other country/people!
  • 1 0
 Drift, seems better, especially the footage from the syndicate team for course runs, not as jittery, I have an older version, works great, the new version is smaller, but you can actually see what's going on
  • 1 0
 I am not bagging on contour, but go pro isn't just in mountain biking sports. They are in surfing which is huge, and I have only seen surfers sponsored by go pro. Also you have wakeboarding, snorkeling. You have the x games sports like skateboard vert and mega, bmx vert and mega, skateboarding, rally cross, and other events that I can't think of.
  • 1 0
 There is also Tachyon
www.tachyoninc.com/opshd.php
  • 1 0
 That is so sick! I need a gun cam!
  • 1 0
 I'm continually surprised that one of the top five camera manufacturers have not looked at that $500m revenue source and seriously tried to compete against Contour or GoPro. I mean aside from the weather-proofing and attachment accessories that Contour and GoPro have built for these "adventure" cameras, they are feature-poor compared to what Canon or Nikon could bring to the table. Heck, there is not even a basic exposure lock on these cameras! Probably a different target group than what GoPro is making a killing on... In the meantime I will continue to use my GoPro.
  • 1 0
 Ha! I was just searching around for alternatives to the Contour and GoPro, with my complaining about why the top camera manufactures have not entered into the sports-action segment with feature-packed cameras, and low and behold, I discovered that Nikon has indeed created an all-weather, shock-proof camera with very impressive specs: www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Compact-Digital-Cameras/26412/COOLPIX-AW110.html. And Vivitar has even built a couple of different mounts for it: www.cameta.com/Nikon-Coolpix-AW110-Shock-Waterproof-GPS-Wi-Fi-Digital-Camera-Camouflage-74235.cfm. While I don't consider the controls to be really trail-friendly yet, nor would the design lend itself to helmet mounting, they are headed in the right direction. I might have to pick one up and give it a serious review.
  • 1 1
 Drift cameras!!!! Have you seen the footage they produce... It's not all that good! GoPro and Contour lead the market as far as picture quality and still do (despite contours demise). Contour is/was a good camera for certain things, but they didn't/couldn't keep up with GoPro. I love my gopro and I think it's the best action cam out there. Another major problem is that gopros were designed for surfers and therefore they have a really good water resistance rating that other companies don't have. GoPro can also function as a normal camera, where the contour couldn't.
  • 1 0
 Yeah went to best buy and saw the sony cameras....hopefully they will keep go pro in check
  • 1 1
 @ andypav : i said "most" . you are not reading my post correctly is sad.... but since you are typing like a sir.. makes you not a part of the "most" i ment..
  • 2 2
 @VFreehd Actually I am mostly, all, entirely... correct.

-The original Contour+ Filmed in 1080p @ 30 fps which was it's highest resolution.
-When the Contour+Roam came out, none of it's filming resolution abilities changed. Its only additions were a leveling laser, gps, waterproofing, and bluetooth.
-When the Contour+2 came out, no filming resolution abilities changed. 1080p @ 30fps still remained the best. But 720 did raise to 60 fps from 30 fps. But it also lost features such as GPS, bluetooth, and HDMI connection.
-Finally the Roam2 came out. Regaining the gps, bluetooth, hdmi functions while adding a set resolution slow motion feature. Adding a waterproofing case and adding a few photo mode features. All while the best filming resolution stayed the same as the original Contour. Oh.. and they made them different colors. This camera also lost an hour worth of filming time dropping it to 2-2.5 hours.

So when you look at what the camera gained over the course of its life... It wasn't much. Compare this to the new GP hero 3 black, it barely rests in the shadow of the GP.

GP best filming ratio is more than 3 times better than the Contour. They offer twice as good of a 720 filming ability, along with numerous other filming features including 4k. The battery life will last more than 8 hours which I can attest to, I own one. The list goes on and on as to what GP has added to each new camera. Contour can not say the same for theirs. They have added a few minuscule features to one, then removed them from the next generation only to add them again and charge more than the original. Contour had the total package, minus the innovation.

I am not riding GP's dick, I am simply making the comparison between these two cameras only as they are the main topics of conversation. I have not followed or looked into any other sports action camera so I can not compare any other competition.
  • 2 3
 @NittyGritty: I call bullshit on the 8 hour battery life of GoPro.
  • 1 2
 Not even, I had my GP mounted to my roof rack and drove from Iowa City to Dayton. I would shut it off at gas stops and restart it when driving. The drive took nearly 8 hours, the go pro was on the 60 second time lapse and was not dead when I reached Dayton. Factor the stops taking a bit of time, so I'll say the battery life was closer to 7 hours.
  • 2 0
 Try recording a video with it, and see if it will last more than 2 hours.
  • 2 1
 this is what they call false advertising.. it last 8 hours... ( with a time lapse that is.. )
  • 2 0
 Ha ha hero 3 black batter sucks!
  • 3 0
 gopros now come in batter form? do you like yours in pancake or waffle form?
  • 1 0
 Go pros dont have the best batter....or battery ha ha
  • 1 0
 8 hours is stretching it I think. It has enough battery to last a little over 2 hours at 960p at 60fps(If that). However I have watched videos on youtube and GoPro always seems to have the best quality video. GoPro also has several different modes that others don't have.
  • 1 0
 The Athertons used to be sponsored by Contor, bit now they have gone to GoPro. GoPro are more famous an have more options than a contour.
  • 2 0
 @NittyGritty My close friend was the head of the video editing department at Contour and believe me their is much more to this story than the public will know. The past month sales were no less than it has been for the past couple years. In fact, they were excellent, so it was very counter intuitive that they failed. There was huge mismanagement.

But about the improvements, you said the Contour +2 "...lost features such as GPS, bluetooth, and HDMI connection. "? That is odd because our +2s have GPS, Bluetooth, and HDMI connections.

Don't worry, i know the GoPro specs are higher in some cases. Their team is on it. I just hope they don't slack off now. Back to the topic, @QQdownhiller summed it up nicely below.
  • 1 0
 @VFreehd I'm sure there are a lot of factors that I am missing that the general public do not know about because I am just the general public, but I am simply speculating from the information provided to the public from Contour. A majority of the time a companies downfall is due to miss management which is a huge pity that people can ruin a successful business. And you are correct about the +2 camera having those options, It is the Roam2 that lost those features. I got the 2 cameras mixed up.
contour.com/products/compare_cameras

It is a shame that Contour went under because I was always more impressed with their camera than the GP. I simply went with the GP because of the features it had in comparison to the Contour. My biggest point is that Contour's upgrades and features never really made the final video output any better which is what GP was always improving (My opinion).

I would love to see GP and Contour hook up and combine their product. It would be the recipe for perfection. GP's technology mixed with Contour's layout would make for the ultimate Camera.
  • 3 0
 @NittyGritty Thanks NittyGritty for being a reasonable person. I completely agree with both subjects. As for the company, yes it is very sad. A good amount of people inside Contour worked their butts off to make it successful. In the end though, the guys up top just made too many bad decisions...either because they didn't care, (Which from what i hear may be true) or because of lack of experience.

Now i don't know what to buy! Although, i know I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Hero 3 that has the aesthetics and ease of use of the Plus 2.

Ride on Bro!
  • 1 1
 You got backwards
The +2 has GPS , Bluetooth and photo features . It is not waterproof without a housing,
The roam 2 is waterproof down to meter with put a housing.
Does not have Bluetooth. Or GPS.
  • 36 2
 Sad. They had a lot of potential and seemed to be doing good. They were cool looking and had some cool features on the contour website. Sad, hope they pull a race face and make a turn for the better
  • 4 1
 Not only features, but for the price they were the best out there too
  • 3 0
 What about the riders sponsored by contour gopro will probably step up and sponsor them also furthering the monopoly
  • 4 0
 Well I dont know about anyone else, but camera sponserships dont have any effect on me at all, I really couldnt care who uses which camera. Just my opinion though, maybe it influences other people.
  • 2 0
 I agree 100 percent.
  • 35 3
 Can gopro please just buy the contour design now so I can stop looking like I have a block attached to my head?
  • 24 1
 Noooo, chest mounts look so much better. Having that cylinder on my chest and then crashing onto that cylinder wouldn't feel nice
  • 1 11
flag VTwintips (Aug 6, 2013 at 23:11) (Below Threshold)
 Drift wins in design for both sections.
  • 5 0
 That's exactly why I ultimately bought my contour, for helmet mounting while snowboarding. Go pros are just to bulky and boxy. For biking you can chest mount, which go pro is better for, but that's not an option for snowboarding. For what it worth I love my contour. Super simple to use and the picture was great. Maybe go pro might be better for the hardcore filmer, but for the average person there was no difference.
  • 4 0
 I agree with sino , I have a Contour GPS+ and it's great. A bunch of my buddies have GoPro's so I got the Contour just to compare. Picture quality is crisp , video isn't too shaky but there is more wind noise than with a GoPro. But Contours downloading/uploading and editing was super easy to use for some one like me who doesn't have the patience for the little things. It's a shame but I'm sure someone will pick up their patents/designs and make it better than before.
  • 1 0
 Yea seems like the type of company someone would want to resurrect. Seems like it could be a profitable company if someone could operate out from under that debt load. I think I'm going to order some accessories I've been meaning to order just in case they never become available again.
  • 31 1
 First Contour. Then Protour!
  • 29 1
 Well it is shaped kinda like a Twinkie...
  • 5 1
 better than a brick...
  • 21 0
 Contour made some good cameras but from the very beginning their fault was picked up by GoPro: Marketing. Contour simply did not market their product at all until recently, but even then it was too little and too late. GoPro was already the brandnomer of the helmet camera world. Wherever you look, there's a GoPro ad, just like Redbull.
  • 2 0
 Right on.
  • 22 2
 RiP Contour. May you film the heavens....
  • 2 0
 That's nice and all, but can I still get Contour accessories when they're off prancing around in the heavens?
  • 13 0
 I feel bad for all the employees who just lost there jobs, we all knew that go pro was a much more profitable company, but I didn't think they were in any danger of closing up shop :-\
  • 5 1
 Damn shame... Contour makes the superior camera but their accessories and poor product placement have really crippled their growth comparatively speaking. Shame to see yet another good product in danger of disappearing because of poor business management.
  • 7 4
 Not to hate on GoPro, but I had bought the Hero 3 a few months ago and the camera was a total piece of shit. The battery constantly overheated and died and the camera froze every other time I tried to turn it on! Besides that the pictures and video were great but I returned that thing. Its sad that they would put out such a defective product. Hopefully, they straighten out or they're going to end up like contour!
  • 4 1
 My friends GoPro Hero 3's battery life is too short, about 45 minutes.
  • 5 0
 I get 4 hours on 1080 recording at 30fps, maybe he is not using it correctly??
  • 4 2
 the black version has terrible battery life..crashes and is basically a pos. Yes the quality is good when it works, but when it works is the key point.....

www.i-mtb.com/go-pro-hero-3-black-edition-review
  • 1 0
 Hmm i'll have to see when we film again.
  • 6 1
 It's pretty strange that Geekwire is the only place you can find this "news". Google search of Contour closed or out of business brings up nothing.
  • 3 0
 Wow, just bought the Contour 1 on Amazon for $129 and firmware updated it to a 2. The form factor is much better. Other than marketing, the only thing GoPro had over Contour was the chest mount. As far as mounting on the bike or helmet, the Contour shape was much better.

I was looking at the Sony, but only having the mounting on the case not the camera knocked it out of contention. Also I thought I read that Sony's image stabilization only worked on a narrow view, not the wide angle everyone wants to film at.

When it's time for a new camera, my be time to look at the Drift.
  • 3 0
 Contour had the right product, it's a shame to see this happen, I hope that Mike is right when he predicts someone will resurrect the company, it would be my dream to work for them, and I was literally about halfway through a marketing proposal I was building for them...their product is amazing but their marketing, and some of the features for user experience are lacking anyone want to spot me the dough??? HA

Ride on
  • 3 0
 I for one am sad to see them go. I really like my +2. It's soooo much easier to use than the GP. I love that I can use it in the rain and snow w/o needing a case. I get a solid 2+ hours on a charge and there's no fidgeting with stupid menus to make sure you got things right. They really missed the mark on the +2 by not even coming close to the features in the GP3. Hopefully, someone with some deep pockets buys them up and puts some effort into it. It wouldn't take much to make it an amazing camera.

Yeah, the options and video quality are amazing on the GP HD3, but experience was that the camera was very buggy and the battery life was terrible. I also hate having to fidget with cases and their stupid menu. I ended up returning mine and sticking with the +2.
  • 2 0
 NOOOOOOOO! GO PROS are junk. Contours are the shizzz. go pros film great but they break so easy . Contours are great all around camera. I dropped mine plenty and they still work. lasers and buttons are a no brainer. Gopros fall and brake in a bunch of peices. Half the time you don't know if their recording or not. I feel if contour would have had commercials and sold in regular stores they would have taken out go pro. The Sony camera is also great. I've used it also and no problems yet.
  • 10 3
 dafuq?
  • 4 0
 The worst part about the end of Contour is the loss of sponsorship to races like the NW Cup and other events. Hopefully another company will pick up the slack.
  • 4 0
 Sony is looking at that $500,000,000 and have entered the market to win, there camera's have anti vibration that go pro does not. They are Go Pro's biggest threat.
  • 2 2
 wouldn't be surprised if Sony steps up to the plate to buy Contour, who knows it might be a good thing.
  • 2 0
 Sony wouldn't gain anything from buying Contour - I'd rather have a cam that was made my Sony than by Contour. The Action Cam isn't quite there yet IMO- but with the clout of someone like Sony, you know it's not going to be long before they make one to really challenge GoPro. Go Pro are leading the way but they still have flaws- it looks like a brick and a lot of people are still moaning about technical issues. There is room for improvement- it'd be interesting how the next few years work out.
  • 1 0
 gopro5 will have optical stabilization and will cost $550
  • 1 0
 Another thing is that the CEO of gopro is a surfer and designed gopros to bring surfing. Not just biking is going to change a company.
  • 6 0
 Step up SRAM and purchase Contour. A matchmaker made in heaven?
  • 2 0
 I bought a contour when they came out with the first HD model. At the time it was quite superior to the gopro models, but they got better quickly. This is too bad, as the product was actually good. Maybe they needed to market better, sponsor more riders etc. This is Beta vs. VHS again.(most of you won't know what I'm talking about.)
  • 2 0
 There's only one camera that fallen out of space and survived the fall only to record everything. That is, a GoPro. We know lots of people with contours, they were the first GPS based camera on the market, the primary selling feature at the time.

Now, it's not such a big deal cause everyone rides with their phone in their pocket or backpack and tracks routes/times/progress in that manner along with other personal performance data (heart rate, etc.). I've seen "cheaper" versions of the Contour by Kodak and others, but they just don't have the true durability of the GoPro. We can use cameras that have better fps rates and dpi resolutions, but they can they withstand the fall from outer space, land on the ground, and survive to watch the footage and do it all over again?? Go 100m under water? Get mounted to pretty much anything? No.

I'm no GoPro promoter, but they have me hooked, I love my Hero3, it's really all I've asked for in a camera of this style. I mount it to my bike, motorcycle, a Phantom DJI quadcopter, my Jeep when I'm 4x4'in, myself....everything. Just hope they don't get crazy with prices as others have said.....here's hoping...
  • 5 1
 sounds like a ploy to sell all old stock then announce they have changed their minds hahaha
  • 6 0
 This is all our fault...
  • 1 0
 go pro is huge as we know, and keep growing in market, sony is huge brand with some asian satellites brands, contour was designed to our adventures sports, is unique, but probably is losing this market challenge.
its just right time to think, change some features and bring something new, and somthing cheap. i still like on fb. tup
  • 9 5
 Sounds like a classic pump and dump. The boys at GO Pro are laughing all the way to the bank.
  • 4 0
 The slimmer side mounting profile was cool, but I was always jealous of others who had GoPros.
  • 2 0
 Sad to read this. We need competion to drive innovation. But you cant compete by merely adding colors. And dont forget marketing just like whats sony's doing on top of this page.
  • 2 1
 At least I don't have to look at the same list of Contour video thumbnails every time I want to watch a video on Pinkbike. Contour didn't lose out because of Marketing- it because everyone, even my Nan who's been dead for 3 years, knows that they weren't as good as GoPro. It's really that simple.
  • 3 0
 I used a contour to spy on the Mrs coming out the shower for a laugh. I was quite impressed by the quality......even with a black eye.
  • 1 0
 so sad...as much as I prefer GoPro over Contour, I hope Contour can find the backing to open shop again and rehire the same people (if they still want it). It's less about the product and more about the people who stood behind it, i'm sure a lot of good people were devastated. At the very least Contour could have given a 2-week heads-up...unless this was totally unexpected even from upper management (seems unlikely though).
  • 1 0
 To be fair GoPro cameras have been around for a while and there excellent camera and you can use them for any activity and most sports are Sponsored by GoPro but I haven't see once sport where it has sponsored by contour because I don't think much people have a contour camera but there excellent camera to have so I think contour should be getting sponsored by different sports.
  • 1 0
 Someone please build me a camera that can pause and zoom on the fly that doesn't look like a toaster. Something that's smart that knows when to take photos on it's own. Having been one of the original riders to use GoPro I am still hoping for some kick ass competition let's see what Sony has to offer.
  • 3 0
 So are they going to sell for cheap until they have no more? i mean id use it, if it meant getting it for half price
  • 5 1
 This is horrible. Contour is way better!
  • 3 0
 ... What can i say? i'm sad now...
i'm glade that i have buy one :3
love you contour, you'r the best
  • 3 0
 Go pro should buy contour so they can put a hero 3 black in a contour body. That would be a great cam
  • 1 1
 Out of all these years with the Gopro...its still a big Damn box, you can't put it on your helmet without it pulling your head back as the wind catches it....Contour were slick, can rotate and even shoot upside down, BT to your phone...they were way ahead of Gopro for a long time...you had to buy the viewback to get any kind of replay on the gopro, who ever thought Gopro was better were in it cuz the pros used them and to me that don't mean sh*t
  • 3 0
 It's cause they didn't introduce an Enduro specific model or a 27.5 compatible version.
  • 6 2
 I still prefer the contour interface. Contour ftw!!
  • 4 0
 ..and I'd still happily buy one...
  • 2 0
 And I just did by a new ROAM2
  • 1 0
 This is the camera i use made by astak its action pro 3 and is the same as the hero 2 but comes with a screen built in and at a bloody good price www.dogcamsport.co.uk/action-pro-3-astak-camera.html
  • 1 1
 I saw a contour vid right here on PB just the other day(think it was a course preview or something), the quality was terrible from sun to shade. regardless of that, it's still a shame & more to the point a SHOCK this is happening. I'm a Gopro 'er myself & very happy w the new 3 but like many comments previous Contour just didnt have the Marketing AT ALL!! I have not seen one in a store..ever.
Makes more sense to have a contour shaped camera for POV but i use a chesty so can't complain.
RIP Contour & hopefully this Thread..
ta-taa
  • 5 2
 April fools? if not then WHATTTTTTTTTT????!!!
  • 18 1
 August fools?
  • 13 0
 That would be a pretty mean prank to let go of your entire HQ workforce.
  • 2 1
 Great!! My Roam2 have sealing problem and water got in (submerse in less than 1 meter water). I cannot on it now.. What a perfect timing to have hardware failure..
  • 1 0
 Love my Drift Ghost 10x better than any contour or GP...http://www.actioncameras.co.uk/drift-hd-ghost
Remote, screen, awesome looks... no box on my Arai helmet jajajaja
  • 1 0
 Liquid Image EGO IMHO is the best cam. Small size, multi function, ease of operation, great price.

www.liquidimageco.com
  • 2 0
 im gonna miss feeling like predator when im leveling my contour on my helmet
  • 3 0
 Right as I got enough money to buy a new one too!
  • 5 2
 When I bought my Hero 3, I didn't even consider Contour, sadly to say.
  • 1 2
 I did, for a second. However a drift camera didn't even cross my mind an they are still running
  • 5 3
 Article just says they closed their HQ in Seattle.

Relocating it to Asia for cost savings maybe?
  • 3 2
 Moving the hq wont lower costs. Moving the manufacturing location does however.
  • 1 1
 Ha, whats new?
  • 3 0
 They smoke less weed in Asia
  • 2 3
 I've had both go-pro and contour and as was said above.. The footage kinda sucks until you have a editing master your footage. I can't say I'm surprised after the software issues contour had with their Bluetooth linking chip, and that crap sharing video web page. Plain and simple they weren't keeping up to the popular brand and closed their doors hopefully for them prior to really losing their shirts. Good luck in the future contour and employees.
  • 3 1
 Using a SONY AS-15 now, and performs really well. Only problem is the mounting accessories are not various enough.
  • 3 0
 Whatever happened to duct taping the family camcorder to your helmet?
  • 3 0
 damm it... was really lovin their stuff...
  • 2 0
 What do you think? Should someone buy contour and go big with marketing and technology???
  • 1 0
 they finally realised that their camera was shit. and i started with contour switched back to gopro and you just cant compare the quality of the 2 cameras.
  • 1 0
 Go pro = awesome marketing. Do your research sheepeople...there are products out there that have everything (and more) for a lot less cashish than a GP.
  • 1 0
 its like contour is iron horse and go pro is specialized , go pro wont be happy until they take over everything but their products work briliantly
  • 3 1
 well that's sure a bummer.
  • 2 1
 Wow. Quick buy your go pros now before they hike their prices a hundred dollars
  • 1 0
 They spent too much money on those cool advertisements on the videos page. Good watch though.
  • 3 1
 well that escalated quickly
  • 3 4
 whaaaat? I was about to buy 2nd one. This camera is way better then any GoPro I had! Ergonomics + lightness is what make major factor to have fun with those camera and GoPro just sucks on it.
  • 1 0
 was going to buy one until I found hero3 for 50% off at sport chalet. couldnt pass it up.
  • 1 1
 Guys, check out the mobius keychain camera, its much cheaper than all of the competition and the video quality is amazing, especially for only being $60.
  • 1 0
 Wow I was going to buy one after my next payday...which is tomorrow. But now, uh damn guess not.
  • 2 0
 My red Contour ROAM2 just arrived. Awesome. Better than looking like a GoPro wearing Teletubbie.
  • 2 1
 can't be right, but cue all the contours on ebay with the caption "best camera ever, discontinued due to unknown reasons"
  • 5 4
 I do not like Go-Pro. Very unfriendly user interface. Not that great video quality.
  • 2 1
 Even Pinkbike have stop the Contour stuff into video....no more advertize........hummmm bike is really an industry now
  • 3 1
 4k @ 12fps, no difference as a Powerpoint slide show...
  • 2 0
 I have a go pro its blah!.
  • 1 0
 poor for the employees, but i´m glad that i bought me a sony action cam :-) fits good to the gopro´s
  • 1 0
 Couldn't give a fuck about contour, but that's a shite way to treat their employees. Well done.
  • 1 3
 It's amazing haw fast things can change, what kinds of things can be hidden & not what they appear to be, but really, GoPro was always the helmet cam' business. Contour just picked up the market scraps. Too bad Shimano & Marzocchi haven't suffered the same fate.
  • 2 0
 So, should I buy the Contour +2 that I have been wanting now... or never?
  • 2 0
 Bummer.... I love my contour! Way better than a goof pro!
  • 2 0
 Ill just strap my 550d to ny chest!
  • 1 0
 Bring on the £3000 apple HD cam thats as good as a go pro, but for those who want apple cause it's cool
  • 1 0
 I would rock a Sony Cam and a GoPro. I saw one at the sony store for sale. It's sleek.
  • 2 1
 does this mean that we're going to see some cheap cameras being sold off?
  • 1 0
 well at least they saw the writing on the wall
  • 2 1
 Maybe now they'll be on sale for a cheap price.
  • 2 1
 Definitely a surprise... good news for go pro though...
  • 2 2
 If they are closed, who is updating their twitter still? twitter.com/contour_cam
  • 3 2
 Read the article dummy
  • 2 0
 I did dipshit. It says all the employees were notified last Friday, the 2nd, that they no longer had jobs. Since an employee updates the company twitter, that should have stopped Friday the 2nd as well, but the twitter account still has new tweets as recently as the 5th. If you would like to be more specific, we can refer to the Geekwire article, as opposed to the pinkbike article. In which case, why is Jacob Hase, the person interviewed in the article, and the supposed former social media manager, still doing work for a company he is no longer employed by?
  • 1 0
 Notified - not necessarily actioned immediately... e.g. I am notifying you as of next week you will no longer have a job. dipshit
  • 3 0
 Well at least you tried to provide some sort of actual response compared with Mr. Clarke. It also says the doors were locked and no employees have been seen at the location since last week. If the employees were notified that they would be no longer employed in a week or whenever, the company would still have its doors open so they could come in for their last week of employment. So you are telling me this guy has been told he has been terminated with no reason why, and he can't get into the building that he worked in, but he's still sitting somewhere (his house?) doing work for the company? Yea that doesn't make much sense.
  • 1 0
 Not in the PB article... Maybe I should read the other article Razz (end troll)
  • 1 0
 Does the GeekWire link work for anyone else?
  • 1 0
 I'm going to buy like 5 contours hella cheap now. Sweet!
  • 1 0
 you can get all the colors you want for cheap now
  • 1 0
 I feel kinda bad, I own a few GoPro's lol
  • 1 0
 that would be perfect. the gopro quality with the shape of a contour!!
  • 1 0
 @epicfail37 hahahaha nice one
  • 1 0
 Wow! This is sad. I never would have thought this
  • 1 0
 I feel for the employees there. Go pro will now be way over priced :/
  • 1 0
 Anyone got a U.K. retailer link for these sony cams ?
  • 1 1
 Cam One infinity is still open Right??
  • 3 6
 "by all appearances Contour had been continuing the growth that began in 2004..." Uh, by all appearances they were getting destroyed by GoPro.
  • 3 1
 Marketing over substance, yes.
  • 4 1
 To be fair, success isn't simply defined by being the biggest or having the most sales. Just because they were well behind GoPro is sales doesn't mean they were growing or couldn't be a highly profitable and successful business.
  • 1 2
 I bet apple will be creating a helmet camera in the near future
  • 2 2
 SONY.
  • 1 0
 i wan't Canon to do something with an image stabilizer so you can see something during a downhill run...
  • 4 6
 Quitters
  • 3 6
 wow this is shocking news!
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