When I climbed into our 2011 Honda Odyssey earlier this week the rearview camera was set to the 'wide' angle you see above. I didn't think much of it until I tried to back up.
In a car with as big a rear blindspot as a minivan, I typically utilize the mirrors and camera rather than relying solely on the over-the-shoulder technique. In my opinion, this wide angle view is more disorienting than helpful when the car is moving. I prefer the other options...
The 'normal' view above is the best option for me. If neither of these two work for you, there is another, the 'overhead' view.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 20,035 miles
legacygt says:
05:47 AM, 01/26/12
Is there anything optically going on here or is Honda just digitally manipulating information from the same camera?
greenpony says:
07:35 AM, 01/26/12
I have the same question, legacygt.
cjasis says:
08:03 AM, 01/26/12
Quick question for you IL editors. I love the back up camera in our 2012 Ody Touring Elite BUT I find that there is poor illumniation for it at night. Do you have a similar experience?
carguy622 says:
09:21 AM, 01/26/12
My guess is that the camera rotates slightly. Who knows it could be digitally manipulated. They can do crazy things nowadays.
blueprint1 says:
09:42 AM, 01/26/12
We operate traffic cameras that have a weird 360 degree view with no mechanical or optical movement. The images are "unfolded" by software into something normal, and this is probably what Honda is doing.
bassrockerx says:
10:26 AM, 01/26/12
wow that last camera angle is where it is at! just because of that feature the honda i the best minivan hands down i cant even count how many times that camera angle would have come in handy on other mini vans i have driven!
legacygt says:
10:50 AM, 01/26/12
The reason I asked is that the "overhead" image seems pretty useful but I don't think it's showing a different angle than either of the above shots. I don't think there's any additional information in this view but it is a bit easier on the eyes because it's less distorted.
bmwzimmer says:
11:41 AM, 01/27/12
The Wide View is the best feature of the camera. Comes in handy when Sandwiched between two large SUV's and backing out of a packed parking lot with cars coming by left and right. Notice how you can see the trash can on the left of the screen? That could be people or cars walking by.
tama80 says:
09:08 AM, 02/ 3/12
Just wondering if you all you Odyssey owners have a clear picture, or is i slightly blurry? Slightly out of focus? Took my van back to Honda and compared it to another van in the show room, both have the slightly out of focus camera. The service department said the screen looks normal (this is the clearest its going to be).