X5 Reversing Camera At Night - RUBBISH

[brian5]

Originally Posted by blondboinsd

No shock here. My '07 camera was useless at night AND it took like an HOUR to turn on

Coding solves the latter problem. My camera is now on when I'm backing up my driveway.

[nephs]

I totally agree that you shouldn't rely on the rear camera and I use all mirrors / check over my shoulder etc and use the camera whilst reversing but the camera is supposed to make it safer by giving a you a view you normally cannot see, especially in a high vehicle as this. Anyway, apologies for its lateness but I have posted a pic.

[Halston Pitman]

It is pretty terrible

[nephs]

Originally Posted by nephs

I totally agree that you shouldn't rely on the rear camera and I use all mirrors / check over my shoulder etc and use the camera whilst reversing but the camera is supposed to make it safer by giving a you a view you normally cannot see, especially in a high vehicle as this. Anyway, apologies for its lateness but I have posted a pic.

It was the best image I could acheive. If I lowered the brightness or contrast anymore then I couldn't see anything. Any higher and the image gets washed out even more. Awful

[MudyOvl]

I have a 2009 and I totally agree that the back-up camera is useless at night. I have considered upgrading the reverse lightbulbs to LEDs, but have not found a solution/product that I am completely confident will fix the issue. Also, a previous post stated that brighter reverse lights actually wash out the image.

So, I decided to see if my camera image improved with better lighting mounted away from the camera. I had my daughter illuminate the area behind my car using a 1200 lumen flashlight while I viewed the camera image on the screen. Yes, I had her stand to the side of the car for safety. ;-). The viewable image was much better. Not as good as sunlight, obviously, but better than the stock lighting.

My question for the group is, Has anyone used their 7-pin trailer receptacle to power some LED accessory lights to better illuminate the area behind the vehicle when in reverse? I am thinking about building an auxiliary light system that plugs into my trailer harness plug to power the extra reverse lights. The LED lights would be mounted to a trailer hitch insert.

Any feedback on the viability of this idea? Would there be any flickering issues from the vehicle's bulb test process?

Thanks for any feedback.

[josiahg52]

I get the chance to drive many rental vehicles and the camera in my 2011 X5 is far and away the superior camera in my opinion, night or day. It's not perfect, it's not like actually seeing what's back there with your own eyes. It's not HD. For what it has to do, it does very well.

[smassey321]

Originally Posted by josiahg52

I get the chance to drive many rental vehicles and the camera in my 2011 X5 is far and away the superior camera in my opinion, night or day. It's not perfect, it's not like actually seeing what's back there with your own eyes. It's not HD. For what it has to do, it does very well.

2011 is the gen 2 LCI i-drive. The screen has twice the resolution and the camera is also better when compared to 2009 back gen 1 CCC i-drive. Every rental care I drive has a better camera than my 2009 .

[JCDillon]

The back-up camera on my wife's 2013 Chrysler Town & Country is like HD compared to the one on my X5. There is no option for a better aftermarket camera, is there?

[Best4x4xFAR]

I know this is an old thread, but I've had the same issue. I see that same 'hotspot' that gives a hazy image to the whole picture. I found that the tag lamps are designed to throw light to cover the longer European type tags, and that (in the US anyway) you can block off the outer portion of the light and pretty much eliminate this hotspot, without affecting the illumination of the tag itself.

Now what you can see in low light areas is still poor, but slightly better without the hotspot, and the associated exposure issues..

Also note that turning off the headlights brightens the screen, making the image somewhat better as well, but this may not be the best idea in low light situations..