Usually when we hear the word “camera” we think of this definition:
Camera: A usually portable device containing a photosensitive surface that records images through a lens.
That’s not what the backup cameras on newer cars are. They are video cameras:
A camera that captures moving images and converts them into electronic signals so that they can be saved on a storage device, such as videotape or a hard drive, or viewed on a monitor.
Backup cameras don’t save images, they show them on a screen on the dashboard. I answered comments last night after it was dark, but Andy and I went out to take these pictures.
Andy had to sit there with the car in reverse (he had his foot on the brake) for the images to appear on the screen.
This video shows you a fellow with a slightly different system using his camera to back into a parking spot.
We’re not about to get that fancy!
April 16, 2024
driving a modern vehicle is so much more now.
L here has a new car, the other week when she saw me, she stopped wound down the side window. When she tried to get started again, the car wouldn’t start – turned out she needed to close the “window” – I guess once the car is moving you can wind down a window
but it’s so complex looking.
They’re a lot more complicated now. We were hoping to keep the old Jeep going, but it had 213,000 miles on it, a lot of them on rough dirt roads, so it finally gave out.
I do not want one of these in my car, and I have often wondered how many accidents are caused by the destruction of glancing at it while driving. I rode with my cousin a couple of times and it was distracting Me in the passenger seat and she kept looking at it, punched her phone and talked to her daughter a moment and I thought no wonder our city has such a high traffic accident rating. as for the man backing up, that is just crazy, and if he does it here, it is against the law to back into a parking spot. I found that out at the downtown parking lot when I watched a meter maid putting tickets on every car that had backed in. I did not know about no backing in. we have very few parallel parking here and I doubt I could do it now if we did after 40 years of never having to do it
Andy has tried to make his screen as simple as possible. He liked the old one a lot more, but it finally gave out. I’m with you about parallel parking!
Wow, on the guy backing in. I had not thought about looking it up. My car has it but I never use it…and the screen…would much have preferred the standard knobs and stuff to the thing my car has. I tell everyone, I wish they would let us women design stuff. The thing on mine, it is a struggle to see what I am punching, even when parked. I just want to shout at someone.
Andy agrees with you!!
I use the backup cameras on our vehicle all the time but ours are on the back, not on the wheels.
Ours is mounted on the back of the car. See the next post.
Watching that video, I’m even more confused — “Where the blue line on my Taos?” Actually yesterday at the VA, I backed into a parking space for the first time ever … only because there were no other cars in my lane.
I agree with Rose!
Different cars show different things. We don’t have that blue thing either.
And the car company has permission to save them and use them against you. Lots of articles of what the car companies now know about you everytime you use bluetooth or wireless with your car, etc. I think I will stick to a car without all the wires and gadgets.
Lots of luck with that! We didn’t have a choice. It would have to be something before 2018.
I do use the backupcamera t help me when backing into a parking space. I don’t totally rely on it, but it does help to know if I am withing the proper lines.
Good for you! I’ve never tried backing into a parking space.
We have one, and they are amazingly useful, and help safety!
Good, I’m glad you like it. 🙂
I don’t really use the one on my car. I found it confusing. The guy in the video makes it look so easy.
We would never try something like that!
I don’t have one on my car since it’s a 2008 but I think they are pretty nice to have. My husbands car has one.
I’m glad he likes it. Andy finds the screen distracting, and we have big side mirrors which are great for backing up. If we had little kids playing in the parking lot the camera would help a lot, but we don’t.
The thing I like about the one in our car is that it warns you when someone or something is about to cross behind you. When backing out of a spot in a grocery store parking lot, that’s a very useful things to know.
That would be good for spots where our big side mirrors don’t help. My main concern in parking lots is the big vehicles that park next to you…you can’t see if anyone is coming from the side so you have to inch out.