Purchase Question on Back up Camera
 

I have ordered my new Pioneer Z130BT, XM Sat. radio unit, and Metra steering wheel control this week to replace my OEM Bose unit. While installing this, would like to add the back up camera. Looked at all the posts. Was wondering if anyone has bought this particular camera. Since people thought the CCD version would be good, found that. Don't really know what that is.
And would this camera unit go into the backup light also. Description lists rear of car. Any suggestions would be helpful with pics or links to buy. Like the clean look of this one without the bulb look to the side.
Thanks for help.



NISSAN 370Z CCD NTSC Car Rear View Backup Camera | eBay

Laurie

Never seen that one, you may want to look at the kenwood camera it's very stealth looking.

Would this possibly be the Kenwood Cmos-200? If not, please give me the # I am looking to find. One more question. Does this need to have a hold drilled into the back of the car to get the wiring through? I know, my husband will not go for that.

Thanks again.

Laurie

The only hole that was drilled when I installed them was a notch, off the side of one of the licence plate lights so the wire would not get pinched. And yes that is the camera I am talking about.

If you you want to really get him a gift, fly me there to do his install. Was just flown to California to do 6 370z's and I have at least 30 370z's under my belt.

:D Wish I could...but, probably won't be able to. But.... if you just happen to be going by southeast Ohio soon, that will work! :tup:
He just did a whole upgrade on my Vette I show, so he probably won't really mind the job.

Thanks for the info. Will order tonight.

Laurie

the name brand cameras can be pretty expensive; to me, the minor additional features weren't worth the money. there was no way i wanted to drop over a hundred on a tiny rear camera.

some of us have gone with e-bay cameras that work perfectly fine and are built into an assembly that snaps into one of the rear license plate lights so that no bumper drilling is needed. your linked camera looks to be of that vintage, but i think you can probably find a cheaper one that's of similar quality. search e-bay for "livina rear camera" and you should find plenty of options. nissan livina rear cameras are compatible with our z's.

nissan livina rear camera | eBay

also search our forum for livina, and a few worthwhile threads will pop up. in my build thread, i've got a few pictures of this type of camera installed on my last z.

they are probably not as reliable as a name brand camera, but at $20 a pop, you could go through five of them and still be saving money. night vision is not great with these, but it does the job.

I've seen those cameras, I dont know, Im not really a big fan of them, I think the Kenwood looks the best and its the closest look you'll get to factory. My personal opinion.

have you seen the livina license light cameras in person? they're less obtrusive and there's no drilling required.. that seems closer to a 'stock' look to me.

the big question though is whether someone wants to drop one to two hundred bucks on the rear camera.. for the part, it seems unconscionably expensive; a fifth of the price of a really nice head unit. a twenty dollar alternative that works fine seems like a no brainier to me; I'd rather get a nicer amp or components with that extra coin.

The kenwood you only use double sided tape to stick into place, the only notch you have to make is in the light housing.

this is not a knock against any previous installs, but i still think double-sided taping a $180 camera to the exterior of the car after wiring it through a notch made to the light housing is twice the effort and ten times the money for a less elegant solution. why not just buy a twenty dollar plug and play part (that's been tested with success) for a fifth of the price? if it fails, it can be replaced cheaply with no trouble (and without having to peel tape off car).

i'm kind of surprised anyone would point a customer toward such an expensive rear camera that tapes to the bumper when there are less expensive and more utilitarian alternatives out there.

if the driver places a high premium on clarity of rear camera picture or extensive head unit control over the camera, i can understand the kenwood, but otherwise the kenwood seems like a misuse of resources to me.

butdamnbrian- you dont own a Z anymore... so who cares? :icon17:

the tape is sufficient to hold the camera. :) i speak from experience on my Z and other cars ive helped or done installs for.
it's a clean effective solution.

You have to literally use all of your might to pull the camera off when using 3M double sided tape. We use this stuff at work to hold usb pods to desks which usb sensors get plugged in and pulled out all day everyday. The tape really is probably better than screws. And done more than 30 z's and over 10 cameras with tape I have never had a complaint.

Also the tape comes with the camera ready to install.

May want to watch this video, around 1:20 seconds in.

Yessir, when in doubt, go to the tape!

haha.. i'm sure the tape will hold, fellas. it's just not as elegant as a plug'n'play part designed to snap right in, that's all i'm saying. plus, if camera fails and needs to be replaced, good luck removing and replacing that mighty tape of big's with a fresh strip.

and kenchan's right.. i don't own a z (neither do various other folks on this thread), but i figured OP would care to hear about it, since he asked questions. ultimately, the camera choice comes down to cost in my opinion. personally, i was stoked to find out on the forums that there was a good alternative out there at a good price. i was not as thrilled as some of you at the prospect of taping parts to my bumper. i'm OCD about installs, so it's just not for me.

but tape and notch away, fellas.. if you've got the coin, might as well spring for the pricey gear!

or there's always this solution:

http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/x...tickk/jpeg.jpg

aaaand... updated signature, as kenchan has a good point. i also noticed that OP is a she, not a he.. my bad OP.

Goo Gone and WD40 really help with removing the 3M tape. ;)

Thanks for all your opinions. I am upgrading the head unit to a Pioneer AVIC Z130 with XM and steering upgrades. I chose the Kenwood camera because I like the OEM look and fit. I would not want to have a problem with a unit that cannot be warrantied at this point. But, this is just what I liked. I have a similar head unit in my Corvette we mod and I show. As far as the 3M tape, it is a great product and it will come off with a simple combo of goo gone and fishing line or dental floss. It is used in lots of OEM applications. My bodyside mouldings on the Vette were installed by the factory with that tape. They have since easily been removed for a cleaner look. Also, my very special Carvagio rear spoiler, held on with 3M tape. Wouldn't even think of any drilling or screws. But, again, I am a newbie here and want to thank everyone. I am sure I will need more help.

Laurie

http://images52.fotki.com/v643/photo...973/156-vi.jpg

Congrats on the new deck and camera.

nothing wrong with that.

You are right, absolutely nothing wrong with that. Although I would question the integrity or a post from someone (demi2011) who has posted 10 times and every single one of them is a link to the same company. Actually there appears to be a lot of account with 1-10 posts pushing that company.

I've actually purchased a number of the cheaper cameras to take a look and some are better than others but I've stuck with the Kenwood CMOS-200 because I have sold/installed hundreds of them and never had a single problem.

I think someone else mentioned factory look doesn't always mean better. The 2012 GT-R now has a factory camera as an option
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-i...8/IMG_0994.jpg

The camera isn't as good as the kenwood (in my opinion) and is more off center than it needs to be and stands out more.

vs the Kenwood
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G...8/IMG_2137.JPG

It is a shame there doesn't appear to be a happy medium between the cheap cameras and the Kenwood which I agree is expensive.