Reversing camera and rear view camera

by Nieve Mon May 22, 2023 3:09 pm

Could somebody please tell me the difference between a rear view camera and a reversing camera?

by SomersetLes Mon May 22, 2023 3:25 pm

Maybe a rear view camera can be switched on and off as wanted, whereas a reversing camera only comes on when you change into reverse gear?

by The Bargee Mon May 22, 2023 3:37 pm

Yes, a reversing camera is normally set to switch on only when reverse gear is engaged. It might also be focussed more on the immediate rear of the vehicle. A rear view camera will give a more general and longer distance view behind and can be left on all the time as an excellent rear view mirror. The two can be combined in a dual lens installation, such as the one I have recently fitted. I posted on this matter recently.

by Slow-Lane Mon May 22, 2023 4:40 pm

Like Bargee, we have a combined rear-view camera, which gives a view of the road for some distance behind the van, and a reversing camera, which points downwards and shows what's happening in the couple of metres behind the van.

We have a screen that clips over the existing R/V mirror in the cab, so most of the time when driving we look 'in the mirror' to see what's happening behind us. When parking the camera should automatically change to reversing view when reverse gear is selected (activated by the same circuit that turns on the reversing lights), but when we had ours fitted they found the switch on the gearbox that activates this circuit wasn't working so set it up with a discreet switch on the dashboard that allows us to manually swap between rear and reversing views, which is sometimes quite handy.

If you're thinking of fitting a rear view camera be aware that the view you see on screen is not very accurate. On ours things appear much further away on screen than they actually are - which could be quite dangerous. We use the camera/screen as a backup to checking the door mirrors for accurate information.

by Nieve Mon May 22, 2023 4:58 pm

Thank you, much clearer now! smile!

by FreelanderUK Mon May 22, 2023 5:32 pm

A rear view camera has a wider angle of view normally 120 degree or more and aimed a little higher ,rear view cameras are normally 90 Degree field of view and aim lower for reversing

by Nieve Mon May 22, 2023 6:40 pm

FreelanderUK wrote:A rear view camera has a wider angle of view normally 120 degree or more and aimed a little higher ,rear view cameras are normally 90 Degree field of view and aim lower for reversing

yes, that makes sense. Thank you!

by The Jacobite Mon May 22, 2023 10:31 pm

Recently just fitted a Boscam wireless reversing camera. Didn't hook it up to the reverse light, instead I gave it an independent stitched power source. Now I can have a peek at what's going on behind me at any time by just flicking the switch. smile!

by breakaleg Tue May 23, 2023 10:02 am

First thing I done on my new Nuevo was change the camera, Auto Sleeper definitely fit a rear view camera, I have to park on the road and sometimes there is just enough room to squeeze in, impossible with the fitted camera, I now have a twin lens and are confident to reverse to within an inch of any obstacle behind me.

Pete

by Nieve Tue May 23, 2023 9:06 pm

breakaleg wrote:First thing I done on my new Nuevo was change the camera, Auto Sleeper definitely fit a rear view camera, I have to park on the road and sometimes there is just enough room to squeeze in, impossible with the fitted camera, I now have a twin lens and are confident to reverse to within an inch of any obstacle behind me.

Pete

Which twin lens camera did you go for? And how much was it, if you don’t mind me asking?

by IanH Tue May 23, 2023 9:53 pm

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Look through this whole section on cameras.....

by breakaleg Wed May 24, 2023 9:21 am

Hi Nieve,

I just got the dealership to do it and they got TVS in Brent knoll I was charged £400.00 for the privilege, I did however ask for the one with the better sensor and that the camera be black instead of the regular white one as it was being fixed in the same place as the original on a black background.

Although costley, I am pleased with the outcome.

Pete

by FreelanderUK Wed May 24, 2023 9:26 am

breakaleg wrote:Hi Nieve,

I just got the dealership to do it and they got TVS in Brent knoll I was charged £400.00 for the privilege, I did however ask for the one with the better sensor and that the camera be black instead of the regular white one as it was being fixed in the same place as the original on a black background.

Although costley, I am pleased with the outcome.

Pete

£400 was that just for a camera swop or the whole kit,

by breakaleg Wed May 24, 2023 9:31 am

No, for the whole kit. not sure if they had to change the cable or not but the monitor was changed .

The monitor that was fitted by auto sleeper was poor quality.

Pete

by FreelanderUK Wed May 24, 2023 9:33 am

breakaleg wrote:No, for the whole kit. not sure if they had to change the cable or not but the monitor was changed .

The monitor that was fitted by auto sleeper was poor quality.

Pete

They would only be able to use the old cable if same connections used , not a bad price considering monitor was changed also

If happy with the monitor a twin camera with good quality cameras can be bought for around £120 and simple to swap if cable is same connection

by Slow-Lane Wed May 24, 2023 9:38 am

In case it's helpful, the twin camera system we went for was a Camos Jewel Plus with a 7" monitor, as supplied and fitted by Roadpro:
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by breakaleg Wed May 24, 2023 9:39 am

Hi Chris,
As said, not sure if the original cable was used or not, there was some alteration to the cable in the cupboard over the sink so I think they did change it, the dealership suggested thar AS contributed £200.00 towards the cost, I thanked them for their contribution but had no reply .

Pete

by Adrian R Wed May 24, 2023 8:06 pm

I can recommend the Autovox Solar 4 wireless back up camera. The camera has a built in battery and folds its charge for a good while. When on site or at hiome there is a small plug in solar panel that plugs in to the rea camera or you could mount permanently but I didn't want a black trailing cable on the outside of a white Autosleeper Symbol c.2000. Comes with a 7 inch screen that mounts on the top of the dash and so far the support has stayed stuck. To bring the camera into life there is no fiddly wiring into the reverse gear, just push the button on the plug that fits into the 'cigarette lighter' 12V socket OR press the button to the side of the 7 inch screen. Has wireless connection to the HD camera on the back. As a back up camera you get the coloured guide lines on the screen to help you judge distances. Screen will go to sleep after a while. I have found it really easy to use. Another use is if you wanted you wanted to check if a line of traffic is forming behind you or simply see the vehicle behind you, just press one the the two buttons mentioned above. No wiring between the screen and the camera hence the wireless name.
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by Adrian R Wed May 24, 2023 8:13 pm

If you do purchase one have a play with where best to mount it before drilling anything. I found ideal spot was high over the rear doors. On my 2000 year model the extended roof has a shallow cupboard on the inside and I arranged so that by drilling the four holes from the outside (touch up with waterproof mastic and having a small rectangular piece of 6mm thick plywood on the inside with two lots of nuts to act as lock nuts on each of the four bolts in is held firm and less likely to put strain on the fibre glass (almost) vertical section of the roof above the rear doors. If you have room (check because I didn't but you might) you may be able to mount the camera inside of the rear glass window. There is a risk someone will try to steal the camera with the arrangement I have.

by Adrian R Wed May 24, 2023 8:16 pm

I have purchased a extra strong sucker pad on ebay which was advertised to hold a flag on a car of all things. It has a lever that when operated creates a very strong grip on a circa 75mm diameter pad with a bracket. I intend to modify the bracket to take the small solar panel that comes with the Solar 4 camera so I can 'stick the PV panel to the side of the van near the camera when it needs a recharge but as I mentioned earlier the battery lasts a good while

by FreelanderUK Wed May 24, 2023 8:42 pm

Unless the wireless reversing cameras have vastly improved I wouldn’t touch one at all, tried 2 of them on our old Van and had nothing but problems with the picture breaking up and loosing the signal , stick with wired

by The Jacobite Wed May 24, 2023 11:47 pm

FreelanderUK wrote:Unless the wireless reversing cameras have vastly improved I wouldn’t touch one at all, tried 2 of them on our old Van and had nothing but problems with the picture breaking up and loosing the signal , stick with wired

Unless it's very cheap equipment, wireless devices should very, very rarely ever give you problems. In decent devices, with good transmitters, receivers and quality wires where necessary, you should experience zero interference.
If you do, it's almost always caused by cheap or poorly manufactured/fitted components. This needn't be you camera set-up either. It could be a good few other devices firing off "noise".

by The Bargee Thu May 25, 2023 8:42 am

I have had several wireless cameras and they have been fine, even on the back of a long caravan.

I am not sure however that they offer any significant advantage over a wired camera (or are even available) if you would prefer an “always on’ rear view camera and a switchable twin lens facility.

I posted in the tech section (on 14th. May) about my recent experience installing a Revcam twin lens brake light unit. By way of update I am pretty pleased with this unit and the image quality. My only criticisms would be that the supposedly angle adjustable reversing camera shows me more of the back of the van than I need, but can’t be angled any higher to show me a little bit further behind. Also as for most cameras I have had the rear view image is probably longer than is ideal, with following vehicles appearing much further away than they are. This is probably the result of the scope of view being wider angle than is necessary for a van with good door mirrors. It just takes getting used to, but for me the main point of the rear view camera is to see what the tailgaters are doing, and it is perfect for that. The mirrors do the medium distance view.

The Revcam mirror monitor is easily switched from view to view and can also be switched off or dimmed at night. The switching time from camera to camera is acceptably short and if you ignore the reverse switch connection then it is very useful to have the rear view camera “always on” if shunting around alternately in F&R. No wait for the screen to boot up! I would certainly recommend the Revcam unit.

Reversing camera and rear view camera

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