Gizmodo came out with a pretty cool little comparison video of some of the most popular action cameras out right now including the GoPro HERO3 Black Edition, the GoPro HERO2, the Contour+2 Action Camera and Sony’s HDR Action Video Camera. In the video above you get a general idea of what each camera has to offer in terms of low light performance, image quality, how it captures video when recording on rough and bumpy terrain and what type of color space you get with each. The audio was a bit difficult to make a fair judgement on, however we do get some small ambient samples with this comparison video.

GoPro Hero 3 Black vs Contour+2 vs Sony Action Cam vs Hero 2 from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

I’ve personally never used any Contour cameras, however I have hands-on experience with the GoPro HERO2 and 3 and the Sony Action Cam. Personally, I feel that if you’re on the market for an action camera there are a few key features you should take a look at prior to pulling the trigger on a purchase.
1) Which features do you know you will need? If you save a bit on superflous bells and whistles, you’ll have some extra cash to spend where it counts- accessories or add-ons (LCD touch screen on the GoPro HERO3).
2) Opting for a lower model of the newest camera could mean that you can still take advantage of firmware updates later on down the road. These are created to not only fix bugs, they can also expand the capabilities of your camera.
3) Consider the nature of what you’ll be shooting the most and be sure that the camera you’re choosing is best outfitted to suit those situations. For example, the low light performance, image stabilization, audio capture, etc.

GoPro HERO3: Black Edition Camera

Sony HDR-AS15 Action Video Camera

GoPro HERO2 Motorsports Edition

Contour+2 Action Camera