Back up camera quality

Recently drove a corolla rental on a trip. Backup camera was really sharp and crisp and clean, much better than my 2021 SR5.

On a side note the damn thing was getting 60MPG at one point.

On another side note I felt like my azz was gonna scrape the pavement - couldn't wait to get back into my Tacoma.

 

It’s crap resolution compared to other Toyota’s, but you can see objects before you hit them. It’s not for reading after all.

 

Yep . Its definitely lackluster. My gf’s 7 year old sedan has a much cleaner display in reverse then my ‘21. But it is what it is…
Oh well , something to look forward to on the new 4th gen.

 

Hello all, it is tough to take when you go from a '15 to a brand new '21 Limited and see this difference in quality. Many folks say "so what" or "it doesn't matter" and I get that everyone is different regarding their expectations. For me I would feel that way if I paid $50 for this vehicle... For the amount of money shelled out for a top of the line vehicle it is unacceptable. Even if I didn't use the camera I would want it to work as expected to allow me to see clearly when used. I have the same picture as @abesinVT. To hear that Toyota is not responsive is disheartening. Wish there was a fix

 

There's always a fix. In this case it's either going to be a new head unit with a higher res screen, a new, higher res backup camera, or both. You can start with buying a higher res camera, plugging it into where your current camera is and seeing if that improves things. If it doesn't or only a tiny bit, then you're heading off into new head unit land.

 

Reply appreciated. I will definitely look into a higher res camera. Wondering if that is a DIY replacement. Any idea?

 

I have a 2018 and find the backup camera quality only mediocre but adequate. It was when I was adding a front camera, well, after the first front camera died, where I found the camera quality made a huge difference, and weirdly enough, even though the stock head unit is not anywhere close to hi-def, a hi-def front camera, as opposed to a standard def, made a visual difference. At least I got the front to more or less equal the back and it works well enough to see what's going on, but still nothing like the comparatively crystal clear backup on my wife's 2020 Forester. This issue, while annoying is not super high on my list of current annoyances and once I reached a certain level of acceptability, that was good enough for me. I have not been in a new truck to see just how back the new screens are, but I have no reason to doubt what you all are saying. All of these cameras are so inexpensive now, and at the quantity Toyota buys them at, it's hard to imagine (well maybe not) that they are making this decision based on a couple of cents per unit. Or maybe they found a better price/reliability ratio with a lower quality camera but there's no way for us to know.

If you pick up a replacement camera that'll fit in the OEM mounting, let us know how it works. That could be so helpful to so many and, if it's a forty or fifty dollar upgrade, well worth the cost for eternal happiness.

 

Did turning off the fish eye help?? I have a hard time making out objects in the backup camera in my '21. Especially in not mid day sun conditions.

 

I can just picture the entire service dept. running and hiding when they see you walk thru the doors, lol. You’re seriously going to “upgrade the complaint to the State of California resolution process” over the picture quality of the camera? That is some final boss level Karen shit right thar.

 

I think it’s the head unit screen on the newer trucks. I have an 18 and had a 21 as a rental. The newer ones look like there is some sort of anti glare built into the plastic face whereas the 18s were clear. It looks like those cheap plastic cell phone screen protectors that were around before the glass ones. Makes it looked washed out and grainy

 

My camera is terrible as well. I was curious if potentially there is a film or something on it that needs to be peeled off. I have an August 2021 built TRD Pro. I am going to try the non wide angle view option. The top down view I actually do find useful, but the back up camera can't be this blurry.

 

Seems my 2021 TACO Pro screen is lower resolution than my 2019 Sport and my 2019 Camry.

 

I had a 2018 and never noticed poor resolution. Upgraded to the 2020 and complained right away. It's really noticably around the backup lines. The pixels nearby flicker. I was told it matches the other 2020's.

 

So, can anyone say for certain if it's the cameras or the screen. I want to say it's the screen, but I have no idea what the cameras are outputting natively.

 

the screen is not great but if you view cover art in Apple CarPlay the picture is decent enough.

The cameras are analog so “HD”, 720, “4K” are not applicable. The cameras used are NTSC which maxes out around 500 lines iirc although cameras with higher TVL can be had and especially those with better sensors can provide a better image even if they don’t have a higher “resolution” so to speak

 

I'm fairly certain it has to do with the head unit since they changed it in 2020. There have been threads about upgrading the camera but the head unit is ultimately why the resolution doesn't get any better. Also, I believe someone mentioned that the cameras are actually the same between pre and post 2020 models.

 

They are not from everything I have seen. I know those with the 360 cameras do not use the same camera since the new one also communicates by canbus

 

I figured the 360 cameras would be different. But it appears you are correct. The 2017 uses part number 86790-04030 while the 2021 uses part number 86790-04040. Almost the same, but not the same.

 

As others have said, as long as I can see what's behind me, I'm happy; I don't need or want to be able to count all the blades of grass, just need to know where it starts so I don't drive onto it!

Remember that a lot of our trucks have the beeping back-up sensor (Park Sense or something?) which, well beeps when you get too close to something in reverse. Maybe the Karen who wants to waste time complaining to the state can have someone turn that feature on for her

On a related note, last weekend my GF and I picked-up an 11 year old Corolla for her 16 year old son to drive. It has no back-up camera so I offered to put one in. She said no, she wants her son to learn how to back-up without relying on one. I think there's something to be said for that.

 

Shoulda bought a Mercedes I guess.