Rear and reversing cameras

Edge of the World · Newbie

Rear and reversing cameras

Moonraker · Senior Member

Google Safety Dave they may able to help you with what you want. Their stuff seems good quality. I have a rear and 2 side cameras on my van, bought all the stuff from them.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Welcome to the gang Rosco, enjoy here and out in the playground.

Agree about Safety Dave, I have a camera from him on back of van and works well. It's just a rear camera but is on all the time so not sure why you would need a reverse camera as well? I have replaced my inside car mirror as the screen and am very happy with my decision.

Keep Safe on the roads.

iana · Guru

Hi "Edge of the world" There are cameras out there that are exactly what you want. Polaris (Australia) phone 1300 55 55 14 make one and its called --- Polaris dual camera has two cameras in the one unit the reversing camera has a angle of 120' and the rear veiw an angle of 120. There is also another with 40'/120'. It is available for $220 plus p/h. They also have the various adaptors and cabling available. Email sales@poron.com.au . Web site www.mypolaris.com.au . WAECO also have one called WAECO PerfectView CAM44 this has the angles of 140' and 50'. Cost about $550. If you look up www.dometic.com.au or email sales at dometic.com.au & freecall 1800 21 21 21 . Why have I this info because I just picked it up from the caravan show, interested in a similar product.

Further on this the wide angle cameras are ralatively cheap, however to get a realistic veiw of the traffic behind you, you need to have the telephoto camera otherwise as I have found, vehicles that look a 100 meters away are actually right up your butt. However the price goes up quite a bit for the telephoto cameras.

Hope this helps.

GerryP · Veteran Member

With all due respect, I can't see how people can pay hundreds of dollars for rear view cameras. I've bought at least half a dozen direct from ebay at a fraction of the cost that Australian companies and suppliers charge. The last one I bought cost me $18... and it works very well. None have packed it in and colour and clarity is great. The same goes for screens, I've bought a few and the last one cost me $35.

Cameras are all made overseas in any case, so even Australian suppliers get their stock from China or elsewhere.

Onedodger · Guru

Another vote for Safety Dave

Delta18 · Guru

GerryP wrote:
With all due respect, I can't see how people can pay hundreds of dollars for rear view cameras. I've bought at least half a dozen direct from ebay at a fraction of the cost that Australian companies and suppliers charge. The last one I bought cost me $18... and it works very well. None have packed it in and colour and clarity is great. The same goes for screens, I've bought a few and the last one cost me $35.
Cameras are all made overseas in any case, so even Australian suppliers get their stock from China or elsewhere.

The idea is to buy some quality first then you don't need to be replacing them all the time.

Edge of the World · Newbie

Thanks to all those that replied.

It gives me something to search for. It looks like safety dave has what I want for about $180. I still have to look at Polaris.

The overseas cameras - All I have been able to find are the 120-140 degree ones. It looks like I want aprox 40 degree angle for the rear facing one or telephoto. They are the hard ones to find.

At least I'm starting to get a handle on them now.

Thanks all
Rosco

TommyG · Senior Member

After I fitted a wireless reversing camera to our motorhome powered by the reversing lights at the rear, I at first wondered how to power the screen mounted near the rear view mirror.
I eventually thought about the interior light switch, There is a constantly powered wire inside the light. This meant I only had to run a short wire to the screen.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

I have rear camera . Considering reverse sensors as additional help ? Very cheap too .. Yes I've had no issues with Cheaper Chinese parallel imported camera's . Had them at home around pool and extra security. For approx 8 years still work as new .. Just up graded the recording hard drive ..

GerryP · Veteran Member

Delta18 wrote:
GerryP wrote:
With all due respect, I can't see how people can pay hundreds of dollars for rear view cameras. I've bought at least half a dozen direct from ebay at a fraction of the cost that Australian companies and suppliers charge. The last one I bought cost me $18... and it works very well. None have packed it in and colour and clarity is great. The same goes for screens, I've bought a few and the last one cost me $35.
Cameras are all made overseas in any case, so even Australian suppliers get their stock from China or elsewhere.
The idea is to buy some quality first then you don't need to be replacing them all the time.

I hear what you're saying, but I've not had any fail yet. I really don't think there's much difference between a lot of the cameras apart from the huge markups applied by local importers and retail outlets.

iana · Guru

"With all due respect" edge of the world was enquiring about a rear facing camera as well as a reversing camera. The cheaper cameras have a viewing angle of 120 +, and if you are planning on using the rear facing camera as a substitute for your rear view mirror, then a more realistic picture is to be obtained by a camera with a reduced viewing angle. It looks like these cameras come with a viewing angle of 40-60', I have found that the price goes up a fair bit for these. I want to buy one and as yet I have not found a single camera unit, they all so far have come as the reversing/rear view combination.
Like I said I have one of the cheaper ones, and it is quite useless for looking at rear traffic and judging vehicle distances. Looks like I have done $45. If you take that off the price of the combo unit, it brings the price down to $155. This is not over the top for a unit designed specifically for the job.

03_Troopy · Guru

When searching Ebay, many of the cameras come as a kit with mirror monitors, which I've heard aren't that great. I haven't used one so can't say for sure. The narrower view cameras (45deg to 60deg) seem to mainly come as a dual camera package. They are available separately, but it may be because most people ask for reversing cameras (wide angle), that they aren't often stocked as a single camera package.

Here are a couple examples of dual cam kits with a narrow angle of 45deg. There will be heaps more, but these came up in a quick search:
Truck-Van-Dual-Reversing-Sony-CMOS
Truck-Van-Dual-Reversing-Sony-CCD-700
Masten-Premium-Dual-Lens-View-CCD

Many of the cameras sold by some well known suppliers, popular with caravan forum members, are the same cameras as sold on Ebay, with a hefty markup.

-- Edited by 03_Troopy on Friday 8th of April 2016 10:12:02 AM

in transit · Senior Member

I would recommend that whatever camera(s) you buy,make sure they are CCD and not CMOS. Also consider mounting the camera inside the rear window of your motorhome rather than outside where it is subject to dust rain and prying fingers.

Ours is just a wide angle model and that suits us because I can now see motor bikes which used to hide in the blind spot caused by the frame around our barn doors.

Be aware too that when the sun is close to the horizon behind you that all vehicles maybe a silhouette.

Bruce and Bev · Guru

for those who have a combination interior mirror that is also a reversing camera screen, try using the side of a small cardboard box (free from Bunnings or IGA etc).

It can be difficult to see anything when reversing and the sun is shining in the window. Just make a slit cut in one side of the cardboard and slide it over the mirror arm.

You then have a large dark area all round the mirror to enable you to clearly view the camera picture.

Store a few in the back storage pocket of one of the front seats - easy to keep undamaged (or just go get a new free carton), easy to find, easy to get at