Back up camera quality

Has anyone actually upgraded their camera? Other than a Natika? I'm looking for something that work in hotter weather. These Natika's heat up too often in AZ. Camera just starts blinking on and off or freezes or is just all black. I turn it off for a while or get out of the sun and then it starts working again.

 

I seriously think it is a screen resolution problem. Maybe the cameras too, but definitely screen resolution.

if I am using CarPlay and Google maps, and set Google maps for satellite maps, then do the same in my Subaru, the resolution is vastly better in the Subaru. It isn’t even a comparison. Same with the backup camera, the Subaru is extremely crisp (Day or Night), whereas the Tacoma Limited is very poor.

New cameras might help. Maybe even a lot. But the display on the head unit suffers no matter what.

I found this post looking for how to calibrate the 360 cameras. Has anyone figured that one out without using tech stream?

 

Got a new 2003 TRD Sport and screen and or cameras are worse that my 2014. Has anyone seriously figured out if there is a fix, new head unit ( would have to make sure it is compatible with all sensors or whatever on the truck) new cameras, is the JBL Head Unit any better???? Seems a 2 year long thread and no answers?

 

New aftermarket head unit. I used to think there was no difference but I definitely wasn’t paying enough attention. Mine is pretty clear on my Kenwood, I can share a pic later. Good enough that I don’t feel like improving it further with an aftermarket camera.

 

Did you lose and of your Tech. package items or any other items going to a different head unit? So you feel worth the swap out, center screen better too? Not to mention the software is grappy but Res. is better?

 

Everything functions as normal. I actually have more functionality than I did before. My instrument cluster before the audio swap only had 4 pages, not 6 (non-Nav non-JBL premium audio 8”). By the time I was done with the aftermarket radio, the nav compass and the “now playing” screen added themselves to the cluster. The compass is blank though.

The trick to making everything work is utilizing a Maestro RR2. It adapts the important stuff from the truck to the aftermarket head unit. I can still make all the truck setting adjustments I need to (auto headlight sensitivity, air conditioning ramp up, door locks, etc). The Maestro also allows for fully programmable steering wheel controls allowing 2 functions per button (click/click + hold).

The setup is better in screen clarity/brightness for sure and just overall is a much better unit than the factory deck. My audio sounds significantly better as well and I have done nothing but the Subaru tweeters. I used the Kenwood DMX958XR. I’m happy with it for sure.

 

In this day and age there's no excuse for that poor resolution except toyota cheaping out somewhere in the process. My work involved allot of rental car use and the OPs pic is one of the worst I've seen on any recently produced vehicle. Yeah you can see shapes and likely avoid backing onto something but when the 8YO model of the same vehicle consistently produces a better and clearer picture it's obvious toyota screwed up.

I also use a Kenwood/Maestro combo to get live OBD info and other capabilities from the vehicle. It's camera system while basic is light years ahead of the OPs image quality using $30 cameras. It's kind of screwed up that it requires a head unit change to fix in the latest models and you'd likely loose the 360vision offered by the stock system. Defiantly a poor choice on Toyota's part, esp on a Limited.

 

Yea, the back up camera SUCKS greasy ASS, but most of the Tacoma fan boys will say things like I dont need a clear camera because…

 

I had a 2017 Taco, backup cam picture was crystal clear. Got a 2023 and the picture is still clear, not as sharp, but the problem I have now is that it seems to meter the light up higher or something. I used to be able to see my hitch when I backed up to my trailer, which is silver. If my hitch is facing north, it vanishes in shadow now, and it's back to hopping in and out of the truck to line up the hitch. If I am ass-end into the sun, it's bright and clear... I don't recall that problem with my 2017, I could always see my hitch even in shadow. Maybe it's part of the fish-eye effect?

 

How much did this set you back to fix something you shouldn’t have had to?

 

Well, I didn’t do it for that. I did it because the CarPlay on my stock head unit was god awful. I could have lived with the camera fine although I like it better now. I had a head unit from my previous truck that I swapped in so it cost me around $300 or so in adapters to make that head unit work.

 

In most video system's there's some level of processing, mostly to handle differing lighting conditions and/or color tones. If you look at the difference in the OPs first 2 pictures you can see one is noticeably better. It sounds like you're seeing the same thing, in one lighting condition it's ok, in another it's not so ok. That speaks of a poor algorithm in the processing stream, it's auto adjust is rather poor. Sometimes things like that can be improved in an manufacturer's update and has been on many camera platforms, gopros and drones are great examples. It's not always possible but if it is and enough people bitch that might prompt them.

 

Man I hate to jump on the bandwagon but I rented a gladiator on a recent trip and was blown away at how clear camera was. Being I got locked into a JBL rig, I'm pretty sure I'm assed out on upgrading but will research this natika camera some more.

 

What settings are these?

 

My bad, that’s something I adjusted with the Carista app. The only climate setting in the radio is auto AC on/off. That’s all that was there stock, and all that the Maestro adapted.

With Carista, there was an option to tell the AC to ramp up the blower speed more quickly on startup, although I honestly feel like mine is still really slow. It is what it is.

 

Thanks! I was hoping I missed something like that in the factory menu. One of the more annoying things for me about the truck is how long it takes for the blower to start.

 

FWIW, I just upgraded my 2018 head unit to the 2021 oem one, and it is considerably worse. I think everyone is right about the larger screen size but same camera or hardware leading to distortion

 

I think the screen switches to a lower resolution when it switches to the camera view.
If you have the 360 cameras, there is a setting that lets you change the color of the truck on the screen. The moment you go into this setting the screen resolution noticeably decreases. I think it has to do with low resolution cameras in the mirrors, and the rest of the system needs to drop to the lower resolution to stitch them together for the 360 view.