The best thing is to actually try the set-up in real world conditions to know what you'll be able to achieve.
That looks great TonyM.
I am trying to get some mounting wedges 3d printed so I can get a slight forward facing tilt for my blackvue rear cams (that go on the rear side windows). Mega busy with work though (more than pre-lockdown!)
If you're still looking for a supplier, I had my ABS wedges 3D printed by https://markembling.info/I did get some 3d printed from a place I found, unfortuately I realised the material was tpu so cancelled the order, however there was a bit of a mix up and I got my money back and they had already sent them out. Despite being TPU they are still quite hard because they are so small. I may give them a try, there is a tiny bit of flexing but there will be slight movement with any dashcam because of the sticky pads.
Yes I've seen them although I would prefer something 3d printed as gluing several shims together and then cutting them to size ends up with a messy result.
@joe384 Do you mind if I ask why the dashcam lens looks like this? Is that just a fingerprint?
@joe384, I'm afraid I have to disagree with your conclusion that cutting down commercially available nylon wedges and mounting them side by side "ends up with a messy result". Like any other DIY project, if done carefully and skillfully the results can look quite professional. In fact, in all of my installations using such wedges you'd have to look very closely to even see that they are there. I would argue that they look quite similar, but less obtrusive than the photo of your 3D printed version which seems a bit shiny.
My most recent use of these wedges for a rather challenging rear facing camera mount where I need an angle I couldn't otherwise achieve for my pick-up truck involved a custom made DIY 5mm aluminum plate mounted to the headliner, two trimmed, side by side nylon wedges and a custom cut two inch square of plate glass. The project involved some PC7 epoxy paste, and some 2 inch wide VHB tape. The whole thing was carefully spray painted satin/matte black (with the exception of the glass surface which was masked off). The result was rather slick and professional in appearance and provided exactly the results, angle and rock solid mount I was looking for. If I can make some time, perhaps I'll post a photo.
Perhaps, it comes down to skill levels, creativity and dedication but ending up with a "messy result" should not be assumed.
Yes, just a fingerprint
Fingerprints are quite acidic and shouldn't be left on lenses for long periods of time, otherwise they can leave some subtle marks in the lens coatings that can't be removed.
Quite some time ago, another member created some very similar graphics which led to a debate about what is and what is not possible regarding 360º four camera dash cam coverage. I've learned from my personal experience that the FOV coverage one can actually achieve will in all likelihood be different than hypothetical graphics like this may suggest. There are many optical variables involved that really can't be verified with an on screen hypothetical graphic. For example, one thing I learned is that tilting a wide angle camera lens downwards, which will always be required with dash cams, will provide a view that will be rather different from the perfectly horizontal orientation implied by the graphics. The wider the lens, the more this is so. Of course, there is the size and height of your vehicle, the available options for placement, window frame design and the fact that FOV specs reported by manufacturers may in fact be inaccurate or estimated (often).
The best thing is to actually try the set-up in real world conditions to know what you'll be able to achieve.
Yeah, I just realised that the rear side window is quite curved, and the curve changes quite a lot down the length of the window.
So I've basically had to go back to experimenting with the live view anyway.
I need to find a carpark that is level to experiment though as the car is normally parked on a slope and if you try to align the image horizontally it doesn't quite work