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Quality cheap cameras on EBay...


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Installed a random Chinese EBay camera this weekend. It's one made for a 09 Camry (I have a 2010 Prius) -but fits and locks in nicely. Cost was like $37 delivered from China - which seems to be the going price - far cheaper than anything I can find in the US.

 

Install was the same as all the other threads - except locking it in. Once the black plastic plug is removed, the cam goes in, then I took a standard #2 screw driver, and bent out the locking tabs. This sets it very securely. I added some hotmelt for good measure (love the stuff).

 

Not sure if the picture does it justice - but on my Pioneer Z110 - the picture is really detailed and clear.

 

As a nice add-on, they have colored lines indicating distance

post-43028-12872762475226_thumb.jpg

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So there is a lot of conversation on the off topic thread viewtopic.php?f=15&t=32676 here.

 

To bring it around, and address a few thoughts. The picture I took was a bit out of focus. The display is better than the picture above.

 

The wires supplied for power are very thin - maybe 24awg. While thin, the camera (I'm an electrical engineer and can state this) does not require 10 awg wire.

 

For modding, I bought the Radio Shack wire splicers - and *folded* the wire in two - to provide a more secure connection. This was done and the connection was good. The quality *can* be affirmed through your Ebay (whoever you buy it from) rating - and you can ask questions prior to buying.

 

I've been out to caraudio.com where they state all "Chinese stuff is ***" - I think (IMHO) that if you buy a random CMOS camera with ip67 (waterproof to 1 meter) setting, you can get a very good camera at a very good price ($40 delivered). The downside to that price (from anyone on Ebay with a cheap cam - at least that I have seen) - is a 2-3 week delivery schedule.

 

On the pros:

Really good and detailed cam - great colors and detail - I believe I could tell a nickle from a quarter on the ground

Easy to install - they (meaning most merchants) have cams for each vehicle - and they just plug in as far as physical.

The one I bought has built in distance lines - which always freaked me out on our Lexus (how far am I) - this means I'm not putting in bumper sensors (that cost $40 from China for 4 - but are a hassle since you pull the bumper cover and cut it).

Most of the outfits have 99+% EBay ratings

 

The negatives:

Time to arrival

If you need to return it in warranty (cost).

 

I've never heard of a cam failure (wired) - and would personally steer clear from any wireless solution. I know of no single person (out of 4) that is fully satisfied with wireless.

 

I would've loved to do that route on my 2010 Prius - because pulling gobs of panels is a hassle - but in the end, I've got an amazing picture.

 

I will (once I find the right switch) add a "reverse on" switch to one of the front blanks - more for fun (to be able look out whenever)...

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Again, you cant really tell what the quality of the product is by going by the ebay seller rating. By the time the product takes a dump, you have either already responded with feedback or it is too late to complain because you only have a certain amount of time to post feedback on a ebay merchant. 90% of all these non brand named products made in China is absolute garbage.

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Again, you cant really tell what the quality of the product is by going by the ebay seller rating. By the time the product takes a dump, you have either already responded with feedback or it is too late to complain because you only have a certain amount of time to post feedback on a ebay merchant. 90% of all these non brand named products made in China is absolute garbage.

As you have stated a direct claim "90% of all non branded Chinese are garbage", I ONLY ASK that you please add some - any backing to your claim. Again - not to get back into the comical thread above - just throw something that shows you have backing to your 90% statement.

 

I know I buy stuff from China a few times a month - and have great observations on the quality and functionality of the goods. They cost far less, and can have far better quality (again - the battery example is a good one - you can buy batteries with 1-2 yr newer technology (quality and capacity) - these have advanced electronics built in - yet are far better than can be bought from Apple.

 

I Also have 25 yrs in Asian MFG experience - meaning factories from Korea/China/Taiwan and Japan - traveling, inspecting.......

 

You have again moved this off topic, and maybe this goes by the wayside...

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Again, you cant really tell what the quality of the product is by going by the ebay seller rating. By the time the product takes a dump, you have either already responded with feedback or it is too late to complain because you only have a certain amount of time to post feedback on a ebay merchant. 90% of all these non brand named products made in China is absolute garbage.

 

And just to add one more thought - quality is a relative thing. How many here have posted hardware problems. If you take that as your measure (by number of failures per person posting), I'd guess the rate (and it is an estimation - but likely not far off) is far greater than anything close to what Pioneer quotes with their manufacturer.

 

I know too many people who state *** sucks because of a few data points that have little to do with reality once put into perspective.

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I'd be interested to see a picture of this thing at night (Also how it works after a year out on the road and in the weather). That's usually where the cheap CMOS knockoff cameras fall short, and coincidentally night-time is usually when you most need a good picture. Even the more expensive brand name CMOS rear-view cameras fall short in this area, because CMOS sensors aren't very good in low-light situations. This is because CMOS sensors are very susceptible to noise due to the way they work. You can mitigate that in software somewhat but that isn't going to be the case with these cameras.

 

So a fair statement would be, if you are going to cheap out and get a CMOS based rear-view camera anyway, why pay Pioneer or whoever $150 for theirs when you can get a cheap knockoff for far less, warranty or no. I might agree with that (with conditions) but I'm of the opinion that going cheap on a rear view camera is a bad idea no matter who makes it.

 

You get what you pay for. For a real backup camera that is going to work in all lighting conditions you want one with a CCD sensor. Kenwood sells a very well regarded one, great image, very good at night when the reverse lights are on, reliable, waterproof, costs $200 but we're talking about a freaking backup camera here, something that by design in meant to keep you from running in to things with your car/truck, or God forbid running someone over, don't cheap out on it. Personally I think a bad camera is worse than no camera because with a bad camera you'll still rely on it. What's a couple hundred bucks for something meant to save you far more in damages to your vehicle, or another person? That's just me though.

 

My other worry with these knock-offs is the wiring. The Ebay one linked above requires you to straight up tap the reverse lights at the rear of your vehicle. I know this isn't exactly a high-current device but that's not a very good way to do it, especially with wires that thin/cheap, and not a fuse in sight. The better cameras, you route the power along with the video cable to the front of your vehicle, avoiding your gas tank, lines, and break lines of course (I usually follow the existing wiring harness up to the earliest point I can enter the vehicle, then run it inside the rest of the way) to a separate power block. Said block has a fuse of it's own and connects right to your vehicle fuse box, or you can tap it in to the ACC 12v signal your HU uses and ground it to the chassis. Then you run the video cable up to your HU. That is the safe, reliable way to do it, and is how the Pioneer, Kenwood, and other good branded cameras install. The knock-off linked above cannot be installed that way, it's meant to be tapped in to existing wiring in the rear lights of your vehicle, which you would not get me to do, I don't care if it works or how easy it is.

 

Whether all Chinese factory knock offs are crap or not is debatable. I don't think there's much of a debate with these cameras though; I'm not saying Pioneer or Kenwood's high-priced cameras are a good value either, but when you pay $9 for a camera + $26 to ship it you'll get what you pay for. And once again, we are talking about a device meant to help you avoid far worse in damages.

 

Come on you'll pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a custom audio system but you'll cheap out on the camera? Would you buy $9 knock off speakers from a no-name Ebay merchant? I don't think so.

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