Rear view mirror cam, lens on RIGHT side?

[grimm78]

Hello. Ive been looking into getting one of the rear view mirror models, but ive ran into a problem.

Most seem designed for left hand side steering vehicles, and have their lenses on the left side of the device. This becomes a problem when you want to mount them in a car with right hand steering. I will most likely soon own such a car, and ive seen reviews on youtube, where the reviewer has mounted them in such a car, and had complaints about the lens angle having to be quite extreme, with the result that the actual original rear view mirror obstructs the full angle of the lense, blocking some of the view.

I do not want this to be the case, and i have only found two types of variations to combat this. One is the Abeo HDRV-150, with lense on the left side, which has gotten decent reviews but almost everyone mentions license plates are not easily visable (which i want), the other option are devices which have a camera, or two, below the actual device. These i cant find many well done reviews of, and no mention if video quality of license plates at all. Also i do not like these as the "pods" stick out like a sore thumb in my opinion.

I need some help finding good options to combat the limitations of using left hand side designed devices, whilst keeping good enough quality for reading license plates.

Since im looking for an as discrete and non obtrusive option as possible, the wind screen or dashboard type of "traditional" cameras are not an option for me.

Thanks and best regards,
grimm

 

[jokiin]

are you looking for the clip on type mirrors that go over your original mirror?

 

[grimm78]

Yes that is correct. Preferably also recordings in 1080 at 30fps.

 

[jokiin]

ok, those types are predominantly for left hand drive markets, there are some around that have the cam center mounted, can't vouch for how well (or not) they work though, they're typically fairly low end solutions used in those types of mirrors

 

[grimm78]

Yes this is what i am starting to find, which is why i came here looking for possible alternatives...

I may have to settle for the Abeo untill a better alternative arrives.

 

[jokiin]

they're out there, a couple of other types shown here

 

[grimm78]

Thank you, but all of those (which provide pics of the lens) show them on the left hand side.

 

[jokiin]

Thank you, but all of those (which provide pics of the lens) show them on the left hand side.

center
right side
there are other designs around if you want to go searching on Aliexpress, very much an unknown as far as quality goes though, most of the mirror cams are pretty low spec

 

[grimm78]

I missed the center one. The right side one had the cameras in pods like i described above i dont like..

I did find this though, that is also right side. but the MOV format, is that comparable to AVI? Im not good with different formats.

 

[jokiin]

a quick look on eBay found a couple of center mounted type, as I said they're out there but not as popular as the left side cameras, this type of monitor isn't as popular in RHD countries as they're generally not legal so wholesalers tend to avoid buying them, no demand, no supply

MOV is superior to AVI when it comes to car cameras

 

[grimm78]

It seems superior yeah, i googled it and educated myself a bit. Hum.. how would the mounting of the camera affect the law? I suppose i will have to ask the police and see what they say about the case here in sweden.

In the meantime, what kind of search did you do to find center mounted ones? I have had no luck on ebay. Only found the Abeo models on Amazon.

What do you think about that 5000c i linked to? Are you at all familiar with it or who makes it?

Alibaba as you mentioned earlier is no option to me. Ive had varied experiences with alibaba and aliexpress and will not buy electronics from there. Only cheap items where it doesnt really matter.

Edit: I just realized you can actually buy units that replace your existing mirror alltogether.. This would make the lens placement almost irrelevant.. I have more to investigate it seems.

 

[jokiin]

I just typed Mirror DVR into eBay search and flicked through the first 200 listings and saw 4 or 5 models, I'm not familiar with the 5000c model at all, @billknow would be the one to ask if you have any questions about the product, I don't get involved in these clip on mirrors at all as they're not legal to fit in any market I supply anyway so not something I have looked into too much

legality issues are due to the glass, there is no E Mark approval for automotive use, none of these would ever pass either, you can get complete replacement mirrors with built in DVR that do carry the right certifications and are legal to fit, a lot more expensive than these and not suitable for all vehicle types

 

[grimm78]

Ah i see. Yes E-marking is a must here as well.

Are you more involved with the full replacement models, if there are E-marked models there?

 

[jokiin]

There are replacement DVR mirrors that are E-Mark approved, lens is on the right side also, I'm not sure if there is an agent that you can buy from closer to home but I can ask, I know the manufacturer quite well, would still depend if a model was available for your vehicle type as well though

 

[grimm78]

The car in question would be a Nissan Skyline R34 GTT. I am unsure of what kind of mount the original mirror has. I have found several different models and makes of complete replacement dvr mirrors in swedish e-shops. But yes please ask your contacts for confirmation. The car is quite rare here, as they were only officially released in Japan, and i think Australia and New Zealand. But maybe there are mounting adapters if it doesnt use some kind of Nissan standard mount.

 

[jokiin]

replacement mounts are available, I'd be inclined to think a Nissan type mount would suit as manufacturers generally use the same type of mount across the product range, a quick look at the application chart suggests that the mount for yours is the same type as the 350z-370z so should be ok, for that kind of car I certainly wouldn't consider a tacky looking clip on mirror, something factory looking would certainly be much more suitable

 

[grimm78]

I agree completely, i just didnt know they existed! I am prepared to pay a bit more for a factory looking unit and installation for sure.

 

[jokiin]

I know they have dealers in Russia, not sure if anyone in Sweden carries them but I'll see if there is anyone closer to home for you

 

[grimm78]

That would be much appreciated. Within the EU would be great.