Thread: [REVIEW] In-Bumper Rear-view camera

Shotgunefx: The savv cam in the video/pic has a 150 degree viewing angle?

It doesn't look very wide to me. I would expect it to be much wider, but I haven't seen much to compare it to.

Maybe once RoyN posts some pics I will be able to put it into perspective.

Originally Posted by blasterguy128

Shotgunefx: The savv cam in the video/pic has a 150 degree viewing angle?

It doesn't look very wide to me. I would expect it to be much wider, but I haven't seen much to compare it to.

Maybe once RoyN posts some pics I will be able to put it into perspective.

They quote 150 degrees.

Did you look at the QT video? I basically held it in front of my face and moved it around. It's gotta be pretty wide to see most of the dash at less than 20" away. You figure I can see the the whole interior of the passenger side when facing it right from the driver's. A 90 degree camera at roughly 40" inches will capture a 40" field of view. From the rear deck to the firewall is probably close to 80". So if it's capturing all that, it's gotta be around 150 degrees.

The only thing I don't like about it is there seems to be a fair bit of noise in the picture. On the other hand, it does well in low light.

Perhaps this pic will show the FOV better.

The camera is about 12" away from the lcd

Ya, the picture above shows the angle much better, thanks.


I am having a hard time choosing which camera I want, mainly because of the price.

There is only two I'm looking at:

1. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=4558653080
This is the one being reviewed in this thread, from yanlab. $150

2. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5784108112

This one has very similar specs, except for infrared. $54


Can you help me choose? Is it worth $100 for infrared?

the second one does not say whether it is CCD or CMOS, CCD is the one to get, as it doesn't state I would suggest it is CMOS. That is where the $100 is

Originally Posted by blasterguy128

Ya, the picture above shows the angle much better, thanks.


I am having a hard time choosing which camera I want, mainly because of the price.

There is only two I'm looking at:

1. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=4558653080
This is the one being reviewed in this thread, from yanlab. $150

2. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=5784108112

This one has very similar specs, except for infrared. $54


Can you help me choose? Is it worth $100 for infrared?

No expert by any means. Having said that, here's my thoughts. If the main difference is the leds, then no. It doesn't look like the expensive one actually has a dual ccd. Maybe I'm just misinformed. The one I have has a color + b/w sensor and switches between the two. At color it's 2.0 Lux and b&w 0.2
Normally when I see cameras and they have a duel sensor, they usually note it.

Infrared leds are not expensive. You could build your own illuminator pretty cheap. Keep in mind it won't be in a nice housing, but it would be cheap. The other thing is leds aren't bright. I can't imagine 9 leds will illuminate much at all. They are also very very directional. So even if it does, it will be a little spot in the dead center behind you. And if by chance they are wide angle, the way they are wedged in that housing, anything but forward light would be blocked by the housing.

Also if it's like the B&W house camera I have with illumiators, you'll see a little reflection from the leds on the housing lens and therefore the image.

If you have reverse lights, they are bound to light up the scene much more than 9 leds. Same for street lights.

The expensive one is a lot more forthcoming on the sensor details, but I can't imagine the pic quality would be $100 better. Wonder what the current consumption is on the cheaper one.

I'll probably pick one of the cheaper ones up myself and install it in the front of my car. I've got some giant illuminators from some old security cameras that a friend gave me. I'm hoping I can have something akin to nightvision. Not sure if they will be bright enough, but they are pretty damn big. Around 4 inches in diameter and packed with IR leds. I'd guess near 100 in each.

Originally Posted by BoyNextDoor

...
How do you power it? May i suggest powering it off of the powersupply you are using? If it's powered trough the battery, that may be it...

Doesn't matter how I power it. I initially tried it on a 12volt portable battery and a wall wart, same thing. It's not bad at all. But for what they cost new, I would have thought it would be crystal camcorder clear.

Well, I came to the conclusion that if I want high quality, I have to pay the price. IMO you either do it right or don't do it at all. No one ever said this hobby was cheap.

So I placed a bid on the expensive one.

This is my last big expense on the setup, I'm sure it will be worth it. The seller Yanlab seems to know what he is doing, which is somewhat reassuring that I will get a good camera.

Now don't you guys go outbidding me!

Originally Posted by blasterguy128

Well, I came to the conclusion that if I want high quality, I have to pay the price. IMO you either do it right or don't do it at all. No one ever said this hobby was cheap.

So I placed a bid on the expensive one.

This is my last big expense on the setup, I'm sure it will be worth it. The seller Yanlab seems to know what he is doing, which is somewhat reassuring that I will get a good camera.

Now don't you guys go outbidding me!

Good luck. Make sure if you win to post some pics when it's installed.