I have been wanting to add at least 2 cameras, one for backing and one looking forward. There are plenty on Amazon, but most have lots of bad reviews. Just wondering if anybody has had good luck with a certain one?
I could go to the scrap yard and get the cameras, and other gear off a newly wrecked F350, just don't know what I would have to pull off the truck to adapt to mine.

 

This is what I bought for forward earlier this year has woked great.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-5-HD-207GS-6-Leds-270-Car-Dash-Cam-Camera-w-Rearview-Mirror-Bracket-Free-32GB-/121804728258?hash=item1c5c20a7c2
I have a newer tail gate on my truck and got one similar to this and connected it to my Pioneer stereo. I has worked great for connecting trailer and seeing when backing.

2005 2013 Ford F Series Tailgate Handle Rear View Back Up Camera Night Vision | eBay

Hope this link and info helps.

 

That's a pretty good price. I tried the Costco one for $99 and it kept missing footage, it would stop and start. Read the reviews and I wasn't the only one having the problem so back it went. Does the Ebay one have constant recording or motion only? Is it automatic start and stop?

 

Are you needing a screen or do you already have a back up camera comparable radio?

 

For just a camera I have used this one for over two years now, plowing snow and everything without any issue. I covered the seam with silicone before installing and has worked great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005C...back+up+camera

 

This one is loaded. Avoid Pyle - even if there are 300 positive reviews. I read reviews on camera systems all the time, and there is one thing I've learned for sure: Those not familiar with the options out there, they love what they buy... period. The camera scene is a convoluted mess right now. Boyo makes a quality product - at least it's metal. I have tried a few backup cameras, and the license plate frame camera makes the most sense to me when backing up - the angle just works.

A dash cam is typically digital, with the recorder as part of the deal - not too many places to go wrong, other than the wrong brand. Now... get an in-dash head unit with a display and start adding aftermarket cameras, and things get weird fast. One will say "HD" or "HD-ready", but the other part doesn't deal with this alleged improvement. First of all... do you see that camera connector that is what as known in the industry as an "RCA"?



That is for an analog camera with an NTSC (North America), PAL (not here), or SECAM (not here) format. NTSC was the first television standard created in 1941, then color was added in 1953 - so it is the "worst" of the video standards in the world - even in the '50s. PAL and SECAM were introduced long after we learned our lessons from NTSC, so Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and island nations like Australia have been enjoying better video images for 50 years before HDTV was commonplace.

So much for the history lesson. Anyway, when the camera ad touts "HD" and sports an RCA jack in the picture - it's a marketing ploy. There are honest-to-gawd systems out there that can legitimately be called "HD" with a coax cable (BNC or RCA connector), but I haven't seen those in the automotive market yet. If you know how to play with digital photographs on Photoshop or Paint... take a photo of a parking lot, reduce the resolution to 480 pixels vertical and let the width do what it does to stay the same aspect ratio. Now... zoom in on the photo until it fills the screen - that's NTSC.

All of the "quickie" DVRs I have used run on 12 volts - interesting. Open the case and there's absolutely nothing in there - a big shell with a tiny board. There are automotive DVRs that automatically boot and start recording any time the key is on. The home devices do exactly that (power applied starts the DVR) and uses 12 volts with about 3 amps. I mention this because a number of new analog formats (can use existing camera cables and connectors) are hitting the market - but you need the special DVR to utilize the new format. Modern DVRs are "tribrid" - meaning they work with three formats. My favorite horse of the hour is the HD-TVI format - the DVR can record vanilla NTSC format (DVD image), HD-TVI format (Blu-Ray image), and IP cameras (4K image quality or more). I looked at other "HD" analog formats, and specifications, proprietary hardware, or cost kept getting in the way.

Dash cam: Those "night vision" LED lights are less than useless - they are actually a hindrance. Grab your camera, set it to forced flash, walk over to the living room window at night, and take a picture of the view. Look at the picture to see how subject illumination works when not configured correctly. If you put the camera lens right up to the glass, you have a shot at getting a decent image - but in a car... that means a lot of sky shots.

When it comes to dashcam quality, image, features, reviews, and such - I have this as one of my resources: [LINK]

Shopping list for a good dashcam:

• Wide dynamic range for better dusk/dawn shots.
• Infrared/color sensor - infrared is best at night.
• At least 1080P resolution - more is better. Fat good it does to catch something on camera if the image is too grainy.
• Wide angle to see things on the side.
• 30 - 60 FPS frame rate.

Less than 30 FPS is stilted motion, but 30 FPS can blur fast-moving objects if the shutter speed is not fast enough. Uh... everything on a dash cam is a fast-moving object, so you need a dash cam with a "sports mode" (fast shutter) or you need more Frames Per Second (fast shutter speed is a given). 60 is reasonable with the technology available today - 120 would be better. Why? Well... the point of the dash cam (other than fun) is to record incidents - and incidents get played back frame-by-frame when fast-moving objects are involved. The higher the frame rate, the sharper the image at slow or freeze frame. When we start recording 4K images at 120 FPS, the storage is going to be the thing. We're talking terabytes of imaging data in a single tank of fuel.

 

https://www.orlaco.com/

If you want some really nice cameras, look at Orlaco. This is what most of the OEMs use on the construction equipment. I know CAT and Volvo both use these cameras. They are heated to get rid of any condensation or water on the lens. Probably pricey compared to what you are seeing on EBay.

https://parts.cat.com/en/catcorp/wor...-vision-system

The base kit for the display and the camera is $1700.

Nice thing is when I worked at CAT I never had to worry about the cost on these. I strapped 4 of these cameras to the bottom of a scraper to get some video of the tires for a traction control system I was working on. They actually lasted a while before some of them got knocked off and ran over.

 

No screen, I just have a factory radio

 

Ordered this one due to rating on the link by Tugly.

G1W-CB Full Black 2.7 inch 1080P Full HD Car DVR 4X Digital Zoom Video Recorder 12.0MP Resolution 120 Degree Wide Angle Lens (Capacitor Battery) | Everbuying Mobile sale

Still need reverse camera

 

This was was installed on old green:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The screen has two inputs so you can have two cameras. I installed it on backup to come on in reverse. It works really well.

I have debated adding a front facing camera for tight spots, but it hasn't been much of an issue so motivation is low... lol