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I should probably stop reading this thread....complaining about the BU camera? I do not think cars would have them, at all, except that the US mandated them and several years before some brands made them available or included them.
I have had aftermarket and OEM cameras from different brands for about 7 years and each generation of camera is better than the previous. But so what?
I went 45 years without a BU camera and never did any damage backing. They are nice, not essential, and should not be the basis for judging a car.
Larry
With all due respect, Larry, the reason for the existence of the backup camera here in the US (or elsewhere) is irrelevant and I don't believe anyone here is judging the F-Type based on the quality of the backup camera. I think most/all here are enthusiasts and are big fans of this car. That being said, these cars come at a premium - JLR is not exactly giving them away. Hence, I don't find it at all absurd to expect that features of the car are held to a standard which reflects that premium.
Last edited by woodturner; 11-14-2017 at 03:17 PM.
I can confirm the camera on the 2015 is tragic compared to other vehicles. Glad I spend 99.999% of my time going forward, so I really can't complain. It does what it is supposed to.
Woodturner, I would be more inclined to be sympathetic if you complained that there is no HUD. That has a lot more to do with enjoying the car than if you can read the license plate on the car behind you with the BU camera.
Larry
MY18 is an improvement over MY15 but it's a really wide angle which means - even if the camera could be swapped - the infotainment unit wouldn't know where to put the yellow lines and the distance markings - plus the new touchscreen is a much higher resolution.
I like the wide lines representing the tyres and dotted yellow representing the outside of the vehicle.
FWIW: my camera developed a flare a few months ago - seems like condensation or such as I have tried cleaning it to no avail. Car is in for annual service and they are replacing it. Quality Seemed ok before the flare.
Got car back today. Service advisor said there are two lenses in the camera and the inner lens developed a crack. Replacement camera is clear and quality seems good to me. I’m not taking portraits through it, just navigating in reverse occasionally
I suspect strongly that the problem is one of differing expectations for image quality. All of the people who think theirs are fine would probably look at mine and think it's fine. I would probably look at theirs and be horrified.
Woodturner, I would be more inclined to be sympathetic if you complained that there is no HUD. That has a lot more to do with enjoying the car than if you can read the license plate on the car behind you with the BU camera.
Larry
Uuuhhmmm....well I use my F-type coupe as a daily driver in LA. Backing out of parking places is a common task. Backup camera of good quality is a must to avoid getting nailed by someone tearing through a parking lot Try backing out of a space with an SUV parked on either side of you. Even with a good camera and cross traffic sensors....I guarantee you will say a small prayer that you make it out safe. People who only drive on country roads, never park anywhere but on a side street or plush garage would of course not relate for the need of good rearward vision. To insinuate that I am not enjoying this car because I'm worried about reading plates on the car behind me is absurd .
CRS
Yep, I am absurd. I wonder how people drove cars, any cars, but especially expensive cars before we had BU cameras. They are a nice addition but not a benchmark for quality.
Larry
Yep, I am absurd. I wonder how people drove cars, any cars, but especially expensive cars before we had BU cameras. They are a nice addition but not a benchmark for quality.
Larry
Well....I've been driving the mean streets of LA since 1972...didn't even own a car with a backup cam until 2009. Just saying.... if your going to put it in a quality car.... why not do it right?
CRS
It's plenty good to avoid hitting what you don't want to hit. Just because 3D IMax quality is available on other cars, doesn't mean I want to pay for it. lol
I agree that it is pretty bad, and I never even had another car with a b/u camera to compare too. Thinking about get a 360 degree system, I was hoping to put in an improved b/u camera too. Some people alluded that this wouldn't work? I'm guessing a different b/u camera would have it's own reference lines?
Well this solves my problem. I searched out this thread to see not only if other folks thought the camera image was low quality, but also to see if there was a fix. Looked at the NAV-TV site but this seemed more for folks who had no camera. They did say the image could have lines though. I was hoping you could just swap to a better camera but alas it looks like the answer is no. Has anyone found a fix?
I recently picked up a 15 F-type R and i agree. The camera Sucks!! MY 2012 c63 had a better backup camera and my wife's 17 BMW X5 camera ***** all over this cars camera. I will try cleaning the lens but i doubt that is the problem. The resolution like people have mentioned above looks like its 480p. Does it do the job? Yes
But it does make me say "wtf" how can a 2015 car with a sticker price of 100k+ have a camera this mediocre.
EXACTLY the same thing here. My '12 BMW X5 Diesel's camera is FAR SUPERIOR to this crappy POS camera that is in my '17 F-Type R. Wish it was simply a camera swap but as others have pointed out, the "problem" may well simply be in the head unit in the dash.
In my case, the camera in the Jag simply seems to be blurrier, fainter with poor color representation. It really DOES seem as though one is looking through a thin film of plastic when viewing the Jag's image whereas the same camera in my BMW is crispy, clear and sharp and I can easily adjust the contrast in the BMW whereas the Jag's only allows me to make that same poor image a bit brighter or darker with no enhancement in image quality.