We have several lenses that will fit just like the stock lens does; keeping the camera waterproof, except now you can get a more realistic view or more zoomed in view.
Many of our customers just do not like the fish eye distortion look that all the mini HD cameras on the market seem to follow. Sometimes fish eye is good for the right application like surfing or skydiving, but not for hunting, surgery, or paintball!
This lens change we have developed is a great way to improve your zoom optically on your Contour camera.
Will not work for:
Contour GPS - ContourHD - Vholdr
This is a high quality lens designed to fit under the lens cap. 58 degree FOV. Great for filming a surgery!
Please note when changing the lens on the Contour Roam its similar to the Contour Plus.
Good news, if you have the Roam2 or Plus2, the lens is not glued in nearly as tight as the older models, so no heat gun is needed!
Tip: Before you remove your stock lens, use a silver or gold sharpie marker & put a dot @ 12:00 as this will mark the perfect focus if you want to quickly thread back in the stock lens to film a wide angle fish eye video again without the headaches of trying to refocus it by talking your way through a video file.
Make sure you rotate the camera lens all the way clockwise until it stops & then remember to thread the lens in a little clockwise using needle nose pliers to break the glue seal, not counter clock wise as this could cause your stock lens to release the glue seal at the top of the lens bezel ring that holds the top glass optic piece in.
It still can be put back on later but just makes the initial stock lens removal more difficult without that outer ring to grip
Note: If you used a heat gun, after you break the lens loose from the glue its wise to let it cool a bit after you start to un thread the lens a few millimeters away from the glue on the threads, & lens holder.
Then you should use a cue tip with a little bit of goo gone on it & apply it to the lens threads right at the top of where your lens holder starts & the lens threads, & start to thread the lens in & out back & fourth without removing it so that the threads wear in & clean out any glue in them keeping the threads clean & lubricated.
Special thanks to youtube genius erican442 for all the great videos he has edited using multiple cameras with different lenses from RageCams!
If you are using the contour plus or plus 2 use the hdmi out live feed to set your focal point while threading in the lens
If you have the contour roam or roam2, this camera does not have a live video out feed, so to focus the lens you need to first make sure this lens is seated in the threads of the lens holder & looks level when you look at it from a 360 degree side view to confirm you have it level ready to thread in, & it should thread in easily. If it is not threading easily then do not force it as you could cross thread the lens holder threads & ruin them if you go in too deep forcing it:
Tip on focusing the lens on the contour roam & roam2.
You need to put a small silver dot using a sharpie marker at 12:00 on the lens outer bezel ring of the 12mm lens, not on the lens glass!!
Now thread the lens in 12 full rotations & end at 2 o'clock & you should be in perfect or near focus. The easiest way to fine tune it perfectly is to start recording on your roam camera while you are talking your way through a audio video recording file & speak the hours on the lens dial that you are at so when you play back the video you will then see the perfect rotation position you need to be at.
To focus far away, the lens needs to be turned more clockwise, & to focus on an object that is close to the camera within a few feet you need to dial it back counterclockwise so you can macro focus the lens for extreme detail. Make sure when you focus your lens to infinity that you are doing so through a window or outside focusing on an object 150ft-200ft away, this way everything from 5ft & farther out will be perfectly focused for you.
If you feel you cannot handle the lens change, we can do it for you for a $49.00 fee totally insured by us against any damage to your camera. We make sure your sensor is clean & free from debris that can potentially leave dark spots in your video image, & we also clean, de-glue & silicone grease/lubricate the lens shaft after we remove the stock lens so you can thread in & out lenses in the future smoothly
We have successfully modded over 1000 gopro hd hero, sony, & contour cameras to date!
Please feel free to ask us for help at anytime, we answer emails on a daily basis most of the time!
Tools & supplies you will need to make this install go smoothly:
, Needle nose pliers with sharp inner gripping grooves, windex on a cue tip to clean the lens top & bottom & even sensor if it gets dirty, goo gone, heat gun or hair dryer, silver or gold sharpie marker, & philips screwdriver to remove the lens front.
Its very common to leave plier marks on your stock lenses outer bezel metal ring when you remove it due to the fact it may be glued in too tight.
This video shows macro focusing ability of the contour ragecams 12mm lens
