Comparison Phantom CA-2307 vs Phantom CA-2301UN

Regular method and installation location provided by the camera design.

— Universal. This method of installation can be called "outdoor" — the camera is placed on a stand screwed to a particular surface, and the body is completely outside. This option is generally universal and can be used regardless of the brand of car, although there are standard cameras (see below) with such an installation.

— Mortise. Cameras installed in specially made sockets for them. Usually they have a round shape, and for installation it is enough to drill a hole of the appropriate diameter in the body of the car. Also, usually, they are universal.

— Screw. Cameras designed for screw mounting (hence the name). They are quite simple and easy to install — it is enough to make a hole for a screw in the case, and the required hole diameter is noticeably smaller than for mortise models. Most often they are universal.

— License plate frame. Devices that are license plate frames with built-in reversing cameras. They are convenient in that they do not require special installation work — the structure is simply placed instead of the standard frame, on the same mounts. At the same time, note that frames for numbers can have a different format and, accordingly, the size and configuration of fasteners; this point must be clarified...before buying.

— In the license plate cover. Cameras mounted in the license plate light. Often they have in their design not only a camera, but also a lamp for illuminating the numbers. License plate shades on different cars have a different design, respectively, models of this type are made mostly standard (see below).

— In the boot handle. Models that are a boot handle with a camera installed in it and mounted instead of a complete handle. They are made only regular (see below).

— The emblem. Models of this type can represent both separate cameras built into the "shield" and emblems supplemented with cameras and installed instead of the factory emblem. By definition, they are only regular (see below).

— In the grille. In the vast majority of cars, the engine, and, accordingly, the radiator is located in front; accordingly, this option is typical for front-view cameras (see "Type of view"). Most of these models are standard (see below).

— At the stoplight. Optics is made in the form of a brake light. Usually, such cameras are made for a specific make and model of a car. The device itself is installed in place of one of the regular brake lights (right, left or centre). At the same time, during the installation process, it is not necessary to make holes in the body elements or turn off the license plate light. The camera in the brake light housing does not violate the integrity of the design of the stern, concisely blending into the image of the exterior.

The physical size of the photosensitive element of a camera. It is usually measured diagonally and is indicated in inches — more precisely, fractional parts of an inch. The larger the sensor, the larger the size of each individual dot (pixel) on it, the more light enters each pixel, and the easier it is to ensure high image quality with a minimum of noise (especially when it comes to shooting at dusk). However you need to remember that only matrices of the same type and resolution can be compared with each other in size. And a large sensor is not always a guarantee of quality — a lot depends on the rest of the hardware of the camera, the quality of its installation and other factors. However, the large size of the sensor usually indicates a high class camera.

Although modern electronics are dominated by digital standards, car reversing cameras still use an analogue signal transmission format. This is due to compatibility requirements: such video allows you to use fairly simple screens. And although its quality loses to digital, it is quite enough for most of the tasks facing this class of auto electronics.

An analogue video signal has a size in horizontal and vertical dots. But since the number of vertical dots has a strictly defined number of 625 (in the PAL and NTSC colour system), resolution is usually indicated only by the number of horizontal dots (TV lines).

In fact, this parameter describes the quality of the image that is displayed directly on the screen connected to the camera. There are models with a value of 480, 500, 520, 540, 560 TVL and even higher resolution in TVL. This is important for models with wide viewing angles (see below). On the other hand, in order to use all the features of a camera with numerous TV lines, a screen corresponding to these features is also required; For more details on compatibility with the screen, see specialized sources.

The colour system refers to the format in which colour information is transmitted in an analogue video signal. In modern reversing cameras, the European PAL system or the American NTSC are most often used. It makes no sense to describe them in detail — suffice it to say that for the normal operation of the camera you need a radio tape recorder (or other device with a screen on which the image is displayed) with support for the same colour system. However, incompatibility in this parameter is not fatal — with such a connection, the image will only turn from colour to black and white (in extreme cases, its overall quality will slightly deteriorate).

This parameter describes the total amount of interference in the video output from the camera. The higher the signal-to-noise ratio (that is, the ratio of the useful signal level to the level of extraneous interference) — the better the image will be, the less distortion it will have. The minimum level for modern cameras is considered to be 40 dB — with it, the “picture” is reproduced with minor noise that does not significantly affect its perception. And in the most advanced models, this figure can reach 48 – 50 dB — such an image for the human eye is almost indistinguishable from the perfect one.

Of course, in fact, the quality of the image also depends on the capabilities of the screen on which it is displayed, however, even the best screen will not save a “noisy” camera.