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Backup Camera Upgrade?

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64K views 81 replies 37 participants last post by  tmolina  
Yeah for some reason Nissan cut corners in several areas on the gen 3. At least on some models they added a front camera. At least its there. It gets the job done. But does it look like my 47k dollar HD 1080 back up cam on my bimmer? No. Does the frontier cost the same? Yeah unfortunately lol. My bimmer loaded with Xdrive (AWD), panoramic sunroof, upgraded leather, padded dash/everything, nav, harmon kardon stereo with two subs.. etc... loaded. Yet a Pro 4X will likely cost me more. Yeah, I think they could have should have not gone so cheap. But at least its there. Personally I would not worry about it. Its functional. A backup cam will likely be a big *** hassle to harness into the head unit. But if you want to pursue that one this is the site to ask.
 
So, if the image quality was crisper...will that solve any problems? Are folks wanting to read the morning paper using their rearview camera? Just seeking to understand what I'm missing...as I simply want to see what my sonar detectors are letting me is already w/in 6' of my bumper.
Well its not just the resolution differences. I know on my Bimmers cam it does much better at night, and really never suffers from glare etc... I mean the picture/colors look really good. Almost like its HDR tech or something. But a higher grade camera is going to improve on allot of things, not just the rez. Also, on my 2019 Frontier the back up cam can be rather useless with certain conditions of sun glare. Hopefully the newer HU's have sorted that out. Because that would not be ok at the new price point. But I did not have enough time to test that on my short test drive on a loaded Pro X. I'll say it seems functional enough. And the added front cam was a welcome feature.
 
My 2022 Pro4x backup camera has horrible quality. Can this camera be replaced by simply ordering a better and taking the tailgate cover off to swap out?
Honestly can't understand where Nissan cuts corners. I just installed a bunch of security camera's around house and they all produce 2K resolution. For a doorbell, a garage spotlight cam, and a backyard cam I paid less then 500 dollars. I mean the technology is cheap at this point. How much did Nissan save using 480P? At most 50 bucks. I can't see using anything with such poor quality except maybe on the base S truck. The SV's and up should definitely have higher resolutions considering price points. Which makes me think the display itself in the truck might be low resolution.
 
It may not be cutting corners though.... could be a level of durability that is required is different. Durability usually comes at the cost of image quality because of price.
Maybe so but really the only difference would be the sensor. It's like comparing the sensor on your phone. Is a 200 megapixel less reliable than a 20? If you drop your phone will a mid-range 625 Snapdragon break quicker than a flagship 888? Just about every other SUV or four wheel drive truck have much better optics than the frontier and they can off road as well. No I think it's 480p for the same reason that the Dimming mirror is no longer standard equipment on p4x and that the passenger side can no longer have power seats. It's either saving money or increasing margins. I'm not dissing nissan for that it's just what it is.
 
If we can consider durability, that reminds me that even something simple like a camera would still go through a process in order to be able to sell. Change it, and you kick off that process again.

That is one of the theories as to why cars were still using "old" tech chipsets in cars when the shortages hit. "Why not use something current?" was the question. Not so easy apparently.

But that doesn't explain why the aftermarket hasn't filled the gap.
because the wafers are so big and it's very wasteful to make chips for Auto manufacturers because of the waste.

That is, the chips used in cars are a mature process using analog chips at 90 nm size or bigger. And from what I hear the demand for these older chips will continue to rise. Meaning the supply chain will continue to be knackered.
 
And a change in chips means recertification. Not sure about cameras specifically, but that is what I was referring to.

I agree. But dang at some point they need to bite the bullet and update the silicon. Some of these chips date back to 2005. And some are up to 300 nano meters in size. Just crazy. I really don't see how the camera would be affected by the processor. Other then the display in the cab might need to support higher resolutions (which might be the real reason here). But there is no shortage of cars/trucks that already have high rez camera's. I know my BMW X3 display/camera makes the nissan display look like a 80's radio shack PC display. Its embarrassing.
 
My guess it might be possible but highly doubt any plug and play options. In fact it will take a miracle to retro fit a hi rez camera to the HU on a oem Nissan. It will be easier to toss out the whole HU for a new HU and then run new wire to the camera. But then you lose most of the functionality for usb ports, gps, etc.. and allot of that will also need to be retrofitted with new harnesses and wiring. And you got to be careful about speaker inpendance. Since you have a Pro 4X i'd just leave it well alone. You already spend big bucks for the premium package with the fender system. It sucks I know but for whatever reason (who knows) Nissan completely knackered the back up cam on a very expensive truck.
 
I was curious to compare the back up cam between Rogue and P4X because I couldn't believe there would have been that much difference. Looking at a couple of YouTubes I snipped a few images. And to my surprise, the Rogue does appear to be spanking the P4X. I'd say there is quite a difference here. Really a shame Nissan could not have at least provided the same specs. Not only does the resolution look higher but the lighting seems to be superior. That is less Blown out or washed out. This means less glare which is very important when your trying to see under less then optimal conditions when the Sun is hitting the lens.

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Where is the source of the second part number? So who's going to try it? P4X has others camera's as well but the back up one is the one that gets used mostly. Hope somebody takes a jab at this. I can see allot of folks doing this mod.