My New Z1 Camera Is Awesome During Day & Night- See Pics

[OSUV]

MY REVIEW OF THE MOLONEY CCD REAR VIEW CAMERA

 

After much research, I finally decided on a camera that I felt would meet my high expectations and provide me with all the features I wanted in a rear view/backup camera. So I bought it.

 

First, I wanted a camera that had a very wide viewing angle so that I could see everything around me (110 deg. or more).

 

Next, the camera had to have a high quality CCD 1/3" or larger lens so that the image would be sharp and rich with brilliant color and detail. A CCD lens is a MUST for a high quality image.

 

Thirdly, it had to have the ability to produce a mirror image similar to that of a rear view mirror's image. (by the way, this camera is adjustable and can project either a mirrored or non-mirrored image)

 

And finally, it had to be able to project a quality image at night.

 

The camera finally arrived yesterday but I had such a busy schedule that I had to wait until the following day to install it.

 

So today was going to be the day to install it. Why, you might ask, was I in such a hurry to get the camera installed, especially on a day with winds blowing in all directions and with a brisk 21 degree temperature in the air that felt like 10?

 

Well, last week I picked up my daughter at gymnastic practice at around 8:00 at night and while backing out of the unlit parking lot to leave, I did not see a (parked sideways) dark blue suburban behind me and unfortunately I hit it. Fortunately, I was only going around 3 or 4 MPH but that's all it took to do $975.00 worth of damage to the Suburban. My Exploder only sustained a broken taillight. Man I could have used a rear camera that night. So needless to say, I wanted a rearview camera on my vehicle...NOW!

 

WHAT'S IN THE BOX

As soon as I took the camera out of the box, I knew immediately that I had bought myself a high quality piece of hardware. It had a silver powder-coated metal body and a matching sturdy adjustable silver powder-coated metal mounting bracket which was attached to the camera with 6 stainless steel allen head screws. The number of screws and their respective configuration provided me with limitless adjustability of the camera at multiple angles. (an allen wrench was included for camera angle adjustment).

 

Next, it came with an extremely long and durable 65' hookup cable. I could have installed this camera on an RV and still have had plenty of cable to spare. Of course I didn't need all of this cable for my 2Dr Ford Expoder but due to the cable having molded connectors at both ends, the cable could not be cut. So I just kept most of it coiled and fed out only what I needed. It also had a separate detachable wiring harness which provided me with hookups for audio, video, positive and ground. Yes I said audio. This camera actually has a built-in Hi-Gain microphone to catch the outside sounds, however I haven't quite figured out a way to integrate this feature with the AVIC-Z1, so I just left the audio RCA jack unconnected for now.

 

Next, the abundant quantity of LEDs, which is what really makes this camera special, was incredible to see. (supposedly, the more LEDs the camera has, the better it can see in total darkness). Now this was my first camera with LEDs so I felt that if this rumor was true, and by the quanity of LEDs that this camera had, I was about to experience neo-omni, superduper, alien-grade, x-ray night vision capabilities. We'll see...

 

INSTALLATION

Installation was quite simple. It was just a matter of finding a location for mounting the camera and running the wires forward to the Z1. Now mounting screws were provided but if using screws, I highly recommend stainless steel. I mounted the camera high (on the spoiler of the rear hatch) although it could be mounted low, on say a bumper or trunk lid if your vehicles clearances allow it. By the way, there were no installation instructions with the camera, only a sheet showing wiring hookup and integration with other accessories. But again, it's so straight foward that my 7 year old soon could have walked me through it.

 

TEST ONE (Daylight)

After finishing the install, it was time to put my new toy to the test. First I had to enable the camera by turning it on in the Z1 settings. So I did this and then put the car in reverse and voilla, I had a crisp, clear colored picture of the rear view surrounding the back of my vehicle. The image was bright and colorful with no noise or distortion. My angle of view was absolutely amazing. I could see absolutely everything around me. Much more than what I could ever hope to view from my rear view mirror. In fact, with the excellent view that I get from this camera, I would have to be a total idiot if I were to hit something behind me now.

 

TEST TWO (Nightfall)

After using the camera for a couple of satisfying hours during the day, I came home, grabbed a bite to eat and waited for night to fall so that I could test the camera's infrared night vision. Finally after an hour or so, it became pitch black outside so I went out to the vehicle, started it up and shifted it into reverse, while crossing my fingers in hopes that the night vision would produce acceptible results. So I looked down to view the image on the AVIC-Z1 screen and was absolutely floored. This camera has cat's eyes. I could see nearly everything I saw in the daytime but more surprisingly, I could see objects at a great distance. Now granted, the picture was not as bright as during the day but nevertheless, I could see everything around my danger zone and beyond and with no eye strain. It definitely lived up to my high expectations and passed the test with flying...no...soaring colors. And speaking of colors, unlike most infrared cameras which switch to a black & white image at night, this camera remained in color. How excellent was this?! Next I turned on the headlights of my wife's minivan, which was parked behind me, to see how badly the glare would be and surprisingly, it wasn't bad. And I was very close to her vehicle. It did wash out most of the minivan, which was to be expected at this close of a range, but it still projected a clear image of everything around the van. In viewing the image, I honestly feel that this will not be an issue during normal night-time driving since most vehicles will be a minimum of 2-3 car lengths behind me. At least I hope so. But I'll know more once I actually drive the vehicle at night for some time.

 

CONCLUSION

Now that both of my tests are complete, I can proudly pat myself on the back and say to myself, with a resounding conviction, that I very well may have chosen the perfect camera for the AVIC-Z1. And I truly hope that many of you are enjoying similar success with your cameras.

 

By the way, it was rather difficult to find this camera available. In fact, I was told by the vendor that I bought his last one available. I am currently trying to work out a deal with a distributor so that I can market this particular camera myself. I will let everyone know in a week if I can start getting some. I am a real estate appraiser and am not much of one to market products, but I am absolutely sold on this camera and want to share my excitement of this camera with all of you. But if you already have a rear camera that you are extremely satisfied with, please share your story on the forum and let everyone know where to buy it. But if you have not yet purchased your rear camera or are just not satisfied with your present camera, then with all sincerity, this is the one to buy. Please send me a PM if you may be interested in buying one.

 

Cheers All,

 

Kevin

 

PS The pictures that I've provided below don't do this camera justice when compared to it's real life projected image. I could have adjusted these pictures in an attempt to provide you with a true rendition of the camera's actual image but my better judgement told me to leave them alone so that you could see the pictures in a true and unaltered state.

 

My cost: $149.00

 

Camera Specifications

 

-Highest quality COLOR CCD video camera available

-Highest resolution 1/3" Sharp® CCD image sensor

-120 degree wide angle precision micro lens

-Selectable on / off 'mirror image' function

-28 high intensity infrared night vision illuminators

-Night vision range up to 50 feet in total darkness

-Aircraft grade stainless steel weatherproof connectors

-420 lines resolution (512 x 492 pixels)

-1 inch to infinity fixed focal range

-Built-in high gain microphone

-6.8 G-force rated shock resistant

-Heavy duty adjustable powder coated steel mounting bracket

-Silver weatherproof powder coated steel camera enclosure

-Dimensions: 3.75" (w) x 2.0" (h) x 3.0" (d)

[ducatiboy]

Wow, thanks! One hell of a write up. Looks pretty good too and not a bad price. Thanks for the work.

[OSUV]

No problem ducatiboy. Always happy to contribute.

 

Cheers,

 

Kevin

[tillithz]

one thing I noticed from the pictures is that theres no point of reference of your vehicle. What I mean is you dont really know how close your bumper say is to the object away from your vehicle. That is why I like putting the bumper into the view so I can see the piece of my car that extends out the most and how close to a given object it really is.

 

Do you not have that ability? did you not want to angle it downward thus limiting the view backwards a little?

[OSUV]

That's a good point tillithz.

 

As I have it positioned right now, when the bumper of the rear vehicle meets the bottom of my screen, I am about 18" from that bumper which is the clearance I like to have. And I still get the maximum distance of the camera's view. It's really just a matter of preference I guess.

 

I have not tried it angled down so as to see my bumper, but I will try that tomorrow just for fun and provide feedback as to how I like that positioning versus what I have now.

 

Thanks for adding your point of view.

 

No pun intended.

 

Cheers,

 

Kevin

[tillithz]

hehe, right on, I personally like your style for say a pickup, its very helpful when trying to keep an eye on your towed load. but for a more sporty compact car, i kinda like being able to see just how close I am exactly down to an inch even. Unfortunately my new subaru doesnt allow that with a license plate mounted type of camera.

[OSUV]

Yeah,

 

I tow a boat and a cargo trailer from time to time so it does help to have the full height view. But I do want to try angling down to the bumper to see how that works out. I'll post my opinion tomorrow.

[bobmun]

I also use this camera for my tow truck it works very well. I got it on ebay for $115. this seller has 100% positive feedback and is very helpfull. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260079297394&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_RCRX_RCRX_Pr4_PcY_BIN_IT&refitem=260068857402&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&usedrule1=CrossSell_LogicX&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget

[OSUV]

Its a great camera isn't it? I am currently working on getting some from a distributor for $99 each. Right now I am checking into availability. Then I will start selling them for $110.00 + actual shipping. I paid $120 + $29 shipping which I thought was steep but what can you do? Thanks for your input.

 

Cheers,

 

Kevin

[tillithz]

man make dem pictures smaller. this thread is getting good response

[OSUV]

tillithz,

 

I am on my way out the door. When I get back, I will resize the pictures and repost.

 

Kevin

[bobmun]

I use it with a dvr to record the tow for body shops and insurance companies. I don't like the size or look for my personal vehicle, I plan on installing a license plate cam on it. I know the quality of picture won't be the same but, I am not filming a movie I am only trying to avoid running over someone or something.

[NextGen]

In the third picture I see a bright vertical line. It appears to be caused by the glare off the car (sun reflection). I used to have this same issue with my camera. I got rid of it by turning down the brightness on the Z1 for the rearview camera.

[OSUV]

Thank you for the tip NextGen,

 

But that glare was temporary. It lasted for like 1.2 seconds. I just happened to be stopped at the end of the I-75 exit ramp and the sun was shining right on the camera. I had already adjusted my brightness prior to taking that photo and all in all, its perfect.

 

Cheers,

 

Kevin

[OSUV]

Hey tillithz,

 

A couple of things...

 

First, I resized the pictures, deleted the old ones, and uploaded the new ones but unfortunately, I could not get this thread to readjust it's page size. So I then deleted all my newly re-sized pictures and cut all the text and typed in only the word 'test' and resubmitted with no pictures. The thread page was still wide. It looked great when I previewed it, but once I submitted it, it was wide again. Lesson learned! In the future, I will make sure that my pictures are sized correctly to begin with.

 

Secondly, today I tried to angle the camera down far enough to see the rear bumper but unfortunately, the handle of the glass hatch and the rear wiper was all I could view on my vehicle. So I left it angled this way and drove around for awhile. I did not like it at all. Actually, the horizon was always at the top of my screen and I could not view a car behind me until it got close enough to break that horizon line. So I changed it back to my original angle and now I can see the sky again. I like it this way much better. But again it's just a matter of preference.

 

Cheers,

 

Kevin