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Best Available Reversing Camera


luka761

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Hello All,

 

Obviously quite a few topics on this subject but I can't see anywhere a definitive break down of what the best camera is and what the difference is between a £20 camera and a £100 one. Given how much I'm likely to be forking out for labour I'm tempted to get the best one possible since I'm at that "f*%k it might as well spend the cash" stage. So....

 

-What makes for a good camera and are there any that are considered the "best". (ideally I'd like on that is decent at night as well)

-How much should I expect to pay and how many hours does it usually take to install.

 

Many thanks for your help in advance.

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I bought a reverse camera which pretty much looks the same, but from a different seller. I personally opted for the wired version as I heard wireless (especially cheap ones) can be prone to interference. No idea about the validity of that claim, but definitely seems to make sense. I wanted to play it safe as well, so went wired. Well... as safe as Chinese parts from eBay can be :lol:

 

As M1 6RYF has already stated, the wired version is a bit cheaper too.

 

Anyhow, I installed the camera in July and haven't had any issues with it so far. :thumbs: The only thing is I installed it myself, so I don't mind replacing it if it does go wrong, which wouldn't surprise me. I think if you're 100% going to get it done by a professional, you may as well just get one that's reputable. That's my opinion anyhow.

 

My opinions on pros/cons for the cheap one M1 linked (wired or wireless)

 

Pros

  • Cheap
  • Quality is pretty good - more than satisfactory imo
  • Not too bad in the dark

 

Cons

  • It's a cheap part and I assume the quality control is pretty much non-existent. I have no idea how long it'll work for.
  • My one came from Hong Kong so it's a bit of a hassle to return if a faulty one did get delivered
  • Not really that big a deal, but I installed LED lights in my numberplate lights, and the camera blocks some of the beam. There's a noticeable shadow in the illumination of the numberplate.

Not sure if it's helpful, but a couple of photos below. Bit obvious, but please note that the example of it working isn't really ideal, as I'm trying to take a picture to illustrate the performance of the reversing camera in low light, by using another camera (my phone) in low light :lol:

 

11264891_10101320506925941_3473575244158237177_n_zpsizhobx4m.jpg

 

11737843_10101320507020751_6371342798007033098_n_zps3yssygcm.jpg

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I bought a reverse camera which pretty much looks the same, but from a different seller. I personally opted for the wired version as I heard wireless (especially cheap ones) can be prone to interference. No idea about the validity of that claim, but definitely seems to make sense. I wanted to play it safe as well, so went wired. Well... as safe as Chinese parts from eBay can be :lol:

 

As M1 6RYF has already stated, the wired version is a bit cheaper too.

 

Anyhow, I installed the camera in July and haven't had any issues with it so far. :thumbs: The only thing is I installed it myself, so I don't mind replacing it if it does go wrong, which wouldn't surprise me. I think if you're 100% going to get it done by a professional, you may as well just get one that's reputable. That's my opinion anyhow.

 

My opinions on pros/cons for the cheap one M1 linked (wired or wireless)

 

Pros

  • Cheap
  • Quality is pretty good - more than satisfactory imo
  • Not too bad in the dark

 

Cons

  • It's a cheap part and I assume the quality control is pretty much non-existent. I have no idea how long it'll work for.
  • My one came from Hong Kong so it's a bit of a hassle to return if a faulty one did get delivered
  • Not really that big a deal, but I installed LED lights in my numberplate lights, and the camera blocks some of the beam. There's a noticeable shadow in the illumination of the numberplate.

Not sure if it's helpful, but a couple of photos below. Bit obvious, but please note that the example of it working isn't really ideal, as I'm trying to take a picture to illustrate the performance of the reversing camera in low light, by using another camera (my phone) in low light :lol:

 

11264891_10101320506925941_3473575244158237177_n_zpsizhobx4m.jpg

 

11737843_10101320507020751_6371342798007033098_n_zps3yssygcm.jpg

 

Brilliant little review.

 

One question, does the screen auto swap to camera in reverse?

 

Did you wire it to the reverse light?

 

Does it just use the power off the numberplate light?

 

I lied, that was three questions

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Brilliant little review.

 

One question, does the screen auto swap to camera in reverse?

 

Did you wire it to the reverse light?

 

Does it just use the power off the numberplate light?

 

I lied, that was three questions

 

Haha, Well it's sorta 2 questions anyway, coz Q2 and Q3 are pretty much related. :lol:

 

Please take the below with a pinch of salt. I'm no expert and I've only done this 1 time! :surrender:

 

First of all power. I tapped the positive (red) into the reverse lamp wire (pale green) and the ground (black) goes to the Bose amp housing, or any other earth. This way when you select reverse, the power to the reverse lamp will also provide power to the camera. Make sure you get the PALE GREEN white, not the GREEN/WHITE one, as that's for the indicators instead. And no, there's need to power it into the numberplate.

 

Concerning the screen swap, yep, it does on mine. I had to switch a setting called "Camera Polarity" to "Battery" on the Pioneer HU I have, so that it switches to the reverse camera when it gets powered on. I have no idea what you're meant to do for wireless cameras though :wacko:

 

Here's the guide I followed, which goes into much more detail:

 

http://www.350z-uk.c...de/#entry837770

 

I sorta skipped the testing phase though!

 

It should be quite clear from the post above as it's pretty well written :thumbs: Just in case this helps clarify though, I think it's like this for yours (the transmitter/camera side only):

 

Explanation_zpsa2weicye.jpg

 

*EDIT* - Thinking about it, do you think it takes a bit of time for the transmitter / receiver to connect to each other? If so, the above method might lead to undesirable delays. Maybe for wireless it's better to keep the camera on at all times. No idea but worth looking into?

Edited by Hodaka
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Yeah it's a good guide :)

 

Well other than the potential of having interference, I feel they're about the same in terms of effort required for installation. With the wired version you still have to feed the wire through the car to your HU. That took me a while to do... In fact, everything I do takes ages :lol:

 

Again, please do do your own research on the receiver, but maybe you could connect that to the constant +/- on your HU harness?

 

Anyhow see how it goes! I feel we're sort of hijacking the OP's thread, so if you struggle then maybe start your own thread and PM me? I don't know if I'll be any help, but I'll be more than happy to take a look :thumbs:

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thanks for the info Hodaka, you're a technological god compared to me so I'm afraid I'll be paying some nice man to do this for me. I wouldn't mind spending a bit more on the camera if it would get me a better image but clearly I've struggled to find anything other then the same sort of price range that you guys are talking about.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi there,

 

I have a self-install reversing camera for a 370z free to a good home if anyone is interested? - just pay the cost of postage or collect in person (Halifax, West Yorkshire area). I’d bought it to fit my Nissan 370z Black Edition (2010 model) but I never actually fitted it, and I sold the car last year. The kit has been languishing in a drawer since.

 

The kit uses a Kenwood CMOS-210 camera and includes wiring loom and Installation instructions. I purchased it from the Car kit Company – see http://www.carkitcom...kup-camera-kit/"%5Dwww.carkitcompany.com/nissan-370z/nissan-370z-backup-camera-kit/%5B/url%5D if you want to check it out.

 

No warranty provided, and I won’t be able to help you with the install ;-)

 

First come first served.

 

Alan

post-16867-0-28148600-1447444219_thumb.jpg

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