nickwwalker Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hello folks I'm taking delivery of a new Tribute 670, based on the Ducato 6metre van soon. Please could any of you recommend a make & model of reversing camera for practical use? I saw one fitted to an Autosleeper a few weeks back and the picture on a sunny day was rubbish, there was no detail in the black areas and little adjustment to correct it. I'm not expecting HD quality but was hoping I could find something that would work ok in bright light and at night without paying a fortune. Yes, I know it might have been a camera set up issue. But no amount of tinkering could coax a usable picture in shadows. So I though someone out there will have used one regularly that they are happy with. I'd prefer a wired unit and ideally with two camera angles, but any advice on choice would be appreciated. Thanks, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisturn Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 i have a burstner, and the camera in that is next to rubbish, and i believe it to be about £800 worth, so interested to see what replies you have to your post, there are two types of camera, cmos and ccd, the latter being the better option according to the web, and two types of those, sharp and sony, and the latter one of those seems to have the best reports, have myself just ordered off ebay two sony cameras with 7" monitor for £44, farmer on my storage site uses them on his tractors, says there brill, eager to see the replies on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I have this one and can highly recommend it, for a monitor I have a Clarion double DIN stereo unit with 6" screen makes a nice tidy install no clutter on the dash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike B. Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I have a Waico on mine which was fitted by Vanbitz for about £600 all in. It replaces the interior mirror (which was useless as couldn't see out through it anyway) with a screen and I have it on all the time with the sound off. Suits me perfectly Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I had one of these fitted last year, twin cameras, so two views, clip on monitor, cheap and cheerful but quite good, happy with the performance. http://shop.reversingcamerasuk.com/epages/es106294.sf/en_GB/?ObjectID=35181497&ViewAction=ViewProduct Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I recently fitted one of these and it all works a treat. I have the longest X2/50 van, but total camera cable length is 7.4m so it fitted with a bit to spare. Just wire the camera to the reversing light, and when you engage reverse gear the sat nav changes to camera monitor. ..... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331369551645?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Rayjsj - 2015-01-13 9:57 PM cheap and cheerful Ray Thats Cheap? 8-) Mine was £60, including full European Sat Nav, Video player, MP3 player, photo viewer... and more features I can remember. The camera looks a bit flimsy compared to some, but it all works a treat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duetto owner Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 we have a waeco which is very good, no idea about other makes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Choose a camera with an imaging device based on CCD rather than CMOS technology. In general CCD cameras give much better resolution and contrast. The images from cheaper CMOS cameras often look washed out. Mount the camera as high as possible on the vehicle looking downwards so as you capture each corner of the vehicle. The camera should an angle of view of about 120 degrees to avoid any blind spots As your vehicle will have opening rear doors you may want to position the camera above the doors to avoid cabling across the door hinge. http://www.2seetv.co.uk/acatalog/Reversing_Cameras.html#aRC_2d5018A Or the Licence Plate Camera RC-5010 Both these cameras use the 4-Pin Aviation type connector which have locking screw so are very robust. Just one cable required back to a monitor. The monitor provides power to the camera. The best monitors use a digital panel with resolutions of 800x480 on 7" versions. or the smaller size 5" monitor M-VLCD5P gives very clear pictures. http://www.2seetv.co.uk/acatalog/Vehicle_Monitors.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 To those who have responded to this thread can I ask how their cameras perform at night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 mikejkay - 2015-01-14 11:45 AM To those who have responded to this thread can I ask how their cameras perform at night? The ones I have, amazing apart from being a mono image at night the view is almost as good as in daylight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 The Vancam has IR LEDs used for night vision. The LEDs will product an IR beam of up to 15 metres, hence giving good clear monochrome images within that distance. It is the same for standard reversing cameras like the RC502, night vision up to15 metres. In street light areas the night vision may not be needed, then you will see colour images for as far as the camera can see. The IR beam is invisible to the naked eye but not the camera. Think of it as a bright torch beam. If you shine a torch beam down your drive it will eventually fade to nothing. It is exactly the same with a night vision camera, the image quality drops off over distance. The cheaper CMOS cameras typically have an IR illumination distance of less than 5 metres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 mikejkay - 2015-01-14 11:45 AM To those who have responded to this thread can I ask how their cameras perform at night? The image turns a funny colour at night, but its clear enough to see how close you are to whats behind you. I mounted the camera above the rear brake light so ita at the top of the van above the doors. Cut 2 pieces of metal 3" x 1" with a hole 1/2" in at each end, and bent them slightly so the camera is looking straight down at the bumper..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 mikejkay - 2015-01-14 11:45 AM To those who have responded to this thread can I ask how their cameras perform at night? Excellent, obviously if a car with full beams is behind you the CCD /infra red gets flooded, but no complaints. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Thanks for the responses, one and all. I have fitted two cameras, one 120mm pointing down and the other 135mm pointing back, both with the eighteen LEDS. At night it appears as if there is thick fog outside. The back pointing camera intermittently gives a good picture and it seems that this good picture comes when I am passing a street light although I can't be certain of this yet. I'm wondering if there is enough power getting to the LED's. In daylight the cvameras are drawing 70mA. Bit difficult playing with a multimeter at the back of the van and driving at the same time :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 mikejkay - 2015-01-14 6:07 PM Thanks for the responses, one and all. I have fitted two cameras, one 120mm pointing down and the other 135mm pointing back, both with the eighteen LEDS. At night it appears as if there is thick fog outside. The back pointing camera intermittently gives a good picture and it seems that this good picture comes when I am passing a street light although I can't be certain of this yet. I'm wondering if there is enough power getting to the LED's. In daylight the cvameras are drawing 70mA. Bit difficult playing with a multimeter at the back of the van and driving at the same time :D It sounds like the glass cover on the camera is dirty. A thin layer of road grease can build up on the glass which is not enough to spoilt day time operation but at night when the LEDs turn on the beam is being reflected back from the glass cover and flooding out the image sensor. Clean the glass with some warm water with a drop of washing up liquid. Check all the LEDs are working. If doing this in daylight place a thin towel over the camera causing the LEDs to turn on. You should see the glow from each LED through the towel. This would also allows you check the current flow. There could also be a problem with one of the cameras internal seals. Behind the glass cover there should be a round seal surrounding the lens which separates the image sensor from The LEDs. If this has broken down the LEDs beam will bleed through to the lens and flood the image sensor. Not easy to fix this as a complete dismantle of the camera is usually required. I hope that hepls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 AliB - many thanks for your help. I have a confession to make :-( I bought black cameras and paint ed them white to match the van. I used ordinary car cellulose paint and before I did the painting I covered the glass with masking tape. Unfortunately, when I took the tape off I found that paint had crept beneath the tape. I cleaned the glass as best I could but there may be some residue. The screen display in daylight is fine. Both cameras display the same "fog" effect at night but only one switches between clear and fog. I'll try a gentle application of cellulose thinners . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike B. Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Works perfectly at night-inbuilt LEDs light up the rear Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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