Midwest and other TMrs who are interested, here is a fairly good primer article written by YanLab about backup cameras:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/yanlab...ew_Camera.html
Of course YanLab's hope is that potential customers will purchase their cameras after reading the article. I'm not familiar with the quality of their cameras. There is a wide range in the cost of backup cameras from the cheapies that one can buy at Walmart and eBay to the most expensive cameras usually found on the rear ends of some commercial trucks.
I don't mind giving you the cost details. My installation costs ran approximately $700. I consider that a low cost if the system will help me to avoid an accident. I bought the Jensen VM9312 DVD-receiver with monitor ($399) and Boyo VTL200 camera ($225 sale price) from Crutchfield Electronics. Shipping via UPS Ground was free. A roll of green 16 ga. wire, 25' of 3/8" flexible conduit, wire taps, insulated spade connectors, heat shrink tubing assortment, etc. cost about $50. I had on hand rolls of 18 ga. wire in various colors, bundle ties, insulating tape, and spiral-cut tubing (that I cut from inexpensive polyethylene tubing) so didn't have to buy any of this. One of the pluses about Crutchfield is that they provide unlimited technical assistance to customers via a toll free phone number. I had to phone their tech. experts several times for help. One expert, Gabriel, apparently pored over manuals to find the various color coded wires of my Dodge truck to which I had to connect.
I chose the moderately priced Jensen DVD-receiver because I wanted to maintain an uncluttered look on my dashboard. When not in use, the flip-up monitor remains hidden inside the DVD-receiver. There are backup camera monitors one may select that will mount on top of the dash, in a sun visor, on the ceiling, or over the standard rear view mirror. They range in size from 3.5" monitors to 7" (and perhaps larger) ones and are priced from around $99 to many hundreds of dollars. Having used my system for several days by now, I recommend that you get at least a 7" monitor if you install a wide angle camera. That's because the wide angle view makes an object to the rear much tinier that it would appear in your rear view mirror - if you could see it at all. A 3.5" monitor might have you squinting all the time.
Initially I wanted to install the Sanyo CCA-BC200 camera on my truck. I think that it is the most unique backup camera currently on the market as it allows one to see what's behind his vehicle from several viewpoints. One viewpoint provides a wide angle view, a second provides a normal, undistorted view, and the third a (computerized) view looking down from above. This latter "AirCam" view is unique to the Sanyo camera. It is an aerial view that permits a driver to see how close his vehicle is getting to an object while he is backing up. Here is a brief Sanyo article about their camera:
http://us.sanyo.com/entertainment/mo...productID=1507
After downloading the Sanyo camera's operating manual and reading it, however, I decided not to buy this one. That is because the AirCam is mounted on a bracket that has to be mounted at least 29" off the ground. That's difficult to achieve on a pickup truck without mounting it somewhere on the outer surface of the truck's tailgate. I also wanted a rather inconspicuous camera installation so as not to tempt the many delinquents (both juvenille and adult who frequent our area) with a surface-mounted, Sanyo camera waiting to be plucked off like a ripe fruit. The Sanyo AirCam, though, might be well suited for mounting on the roof of an SUV or truck cap if you live in a more genteel area.
Finally, there are wireless backup cameras with monitors costing around $100 or less available at Walmart and other discount stores. Much of the information I read about wireless systems mentioned that they provide inconsistent performance, perhaps due to interference from other electrical sources. I feel that the Visor View system perhaps may be an effective one - with a smaller, 5.5" monitor installed in the driver's side sun visor. Although the monitor is smaller than a 7" one, it is mounted close to the driver's eyes. Therefore, it may make objects appear about the same size as those viewed in a more distant, dash-mounted 7" monitor. The Visor View was my second choice. It was not my first choice because I preferred not to have to take off interior trimwork in order to run a camera cable along the side posts and into my sun visor.
If any of you have other questions about a backup camera installation, I'll try to answer them - though with only one installation under my belt, I'm not much of an expert on them.
Larry