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Backup camera image quality

Discussion in 'Prime Audio, Electronics, and Infotainment' started by ricomtl, Feb 19, 2019.

  1. ricomtl

    ricomtl Member

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    Just got my hands on my new Prime last night. Spent hours configuring and playing around. Love everything so far....

    I upgraded from a Prius V Technology to Prime Technology and noticed a drastic change in the quality of the image of the back-up camera.

    I played around with brightness/contrast settings, but everything appears to be blurry when backing up (like it was a cheap camera lens). I did cleaned the lens and ensure there were no protective plastic film stuck on it.

    Compared to the V, everything was crisp and clear (regardless of day or night time).

    Has anyone noticed or experienced this?

    Thks!
     
    #1 ricomtl, Feb 19, 2019
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    My old car is crisp too. I don’t recall anyone else reporting this (n)
     
    #2 bisco, Feb 19, 2019
  3. dcantat

    dcantat Junior Member

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    It's my first backup camera and it generally looks like crap, figured that's how they all were.
     
    #3 dcantat, Feb 19, 2019
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I felt my Gen 3 Prius (probably the same camera as your v) had a better image quality than my Prime so you're not alone.

    For me, I found the image quality poorer (even with the 1920x1080 11.6" screen) and dimmer. I adjusted the brightness and contrast in both DAY and NIGHT mode for the camera and it has worked for me as a patchwork. I still notice the degradation in quality but at least the image is brighter.
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Feb 20, 2019
  5. prius4-me

    prius4-me Member

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    Sometimes cleaning off the lens helps.
     
    #5 prius4-me, Mar 15, 2019
  6. Dennis_MA

    Dennis_MA Active Member

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    Mine was a huge improvement of by 2012 Prius. Like Prius4-me said try cleaning the lens. If that does not help I would have the dealer check it.
     
    #6 Dennis_MA, Mar 15, 2019
  7. ricomtl

    ricomtl Member

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    It's sparkling clean, trust me. I backed-off from the dealer and noticed it right away, thinking perhaps it was a peel-off protective film.

    Everything looks smudged, like a low quality cam.

    Already got used to it after a month driving my Prime.
     
    #7 ricomtl, Mar 15, 2019
  8. Dennis_MA

    Dennis_MA Active Member

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    Sorry. Love Montreal!
     
    #8 Dennis_MA, Mar 15, 2019
    ricomtl likes this.
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    They must’ve downgraded the camera quality with the midlife update in 2012. (Or it’s the 6.1” Display Audio screen). I haven’t quite gotten used to it. Downsides of parts sharing. (Downgraded the MFD resolution from Gen 2-3 when we shared nav units. Now the backup camera is shared with the Corolla).
     
    #9 Tideland Prius, Mar 15, 2019
  10. will the engineer

    will the engineer Active Member

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    I wish an aftermarket company would come in and solve this issue.
     
    #10 will the engineer, Mar 18, 2019
  11. dimar

    dimar New Member

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    Same issue with Prius Prime 2020 (regular upgrade with large screen). My previous Prius 2017 basic version had pretty good image quality during the day and night. The Prime 2020 image quality is really bad at night especially when the rear car has front lights on. It's blurry during the day too.
     
    #11 dimar, Feb 12, 2020
  12. pghyndman

    pghyndman Active Member

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    Our 2020 camera is every bit as clear as the one we had in our 2018. Just last week we remarked as to how bright and clear the night time image was (the dark parking lot seemed almost to be illuminated with headlights).
     
    #12 pghyndman, Feb 12, 2020
  13. dimar

    dimar New Member

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    Do you have the huge Tesla like screen? Or 7" horizontal tablet like screen with physical buttons for ac? Does rear camera look sharp with good image detail? I'll post some images tomorrow.
     
    #13 dimar, Feb 12, 2020
  14. pghyndman

    pghyndman Active Member

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    Large screen (rainy day today but...)


    RevCamera1.jpg
     
    #14 pghyndman, Feb 13, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2020
  15. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Just tossing it out there- any given camera will appear to deliver fuzzier results when they are viewed on a sufficiently large display. What looked okay on a 6" screen is not going to look as good on a 12" screen.
     
    #15 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Feb 13, 2020
    Make likes this.
  16. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I don't use the rear camera. In our local, the rear camera lens get dirty every time I drive even in nicer weather. That said, even when the lens is clean, I can't say it is better or worse than other cars with a rear camera. Would say same quality as our Nissan Pathfinder or my son's Honda. It maybe better than my old Gen3 which had a monochrome screen.
     
    #16 Salamander_King, Feb 13, 2020
  17. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    True. But if the same camera on my Prime is used as the one on our 7” MFD in our 2016 Touring, the quality has degraded over my 2010’s camera and its WVGA screen.
     
    #17 Tideland Prius, Feb 13, 2020
  18. dimar

    dimar New Member

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    I actually tried Prius Prime 2020 with 7" screen, and it had the same fuzzy or blurry picture. So strange, because my regular Prius 2017 had decently detailed image quality on its 7" screen.
     
    #18 dimar, Feb 14, 2020
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  19. PiPLosAngeles

    PiPLosAngeles Senior Member

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    That does NOT look like the image I get from my 2018 Prime. I have the OP's issue. It looks blurry like the lens is dirty or something, but it's not.
     
    #19 PiPLosAngeles, Apr 17, 2020
  20. Dennis_MA

    Dennis_MA Active Member

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    There was a segment on Motorweek recently about cleaning camera lenses and they said be careful what you use. Paper towels can scratch the lens.
     
    #20 Dennis_MA, Apr 23, 2020
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