Nextbase Rear View Camera Review

Introduction

The Nextbase Rear View Camera is an add-on for selected models in the company’s dash cam range.

It’s a great idea: instead of running a cable from the dash cam to a rear-window camera, this module plugs straight into your dash cam, and uses a telephoto lens to zoom in on what’s going on through the back window. Unfortunately, the reality doesn’t quite live up to the promise.

Design, features and video quality

• A simple slot-in upgrade
• Hard to aim
• Disappointing video quality

This module is compatible with the NextBase 322GW, 422GW, 522GW and 622GW dash cams. It slots directly into the camera body, so there are no extra wires to fit. Depending on which dash cam you have, you may find that using it reduces your forward-facing resolution. The 622GW is unaffected, while the 322GW will support only 1080p forward and 720p rearward video. The 422GW and 522GW will offer a choice of 1080p front and back, or 1440p front and 720p to the rear.

While NextBase’s Cabin View Camera uses a wide angle, 140° lens to capture the cabin and windows, the Rear View Camera has a tight, 30° telephoto lens to fill as much of the frame as practical with the car’s rear window. Sadly, this throws up a few issues.

This camera’s very sensitive to the positioning of your dash cam, and the direction you’ve aimed it in. Its lens assembly can be moved through a small range to let you fine-tune things, but if your dash cam’s significantly off-centre, you may find part of your rear view is obscured by your car seats or headrests.

Even when properly targeted, it’s inevitable that you’ll film some of your car’s cabin. Your friends or family might not like it, but they’ll be underexposed and slightly out of focus anyway. On bends or undulations, you’ll find that following traffic is often cropped out by the narrow field of view, before reappearing as the road straightens out.

Another issue with the telephoto lens is that video is far more susceptible to camera shake than the wider lenses more typically used in dash cams. Bumps and ridges that barely registered on my front-facing 622GW were headache-inducing on the Rear View Camera connected to it. The narrow angle also has the effect of exaggerating the closeness of traffic behind – making it look more like you’re being tailgated when you’re not.

This camera coped quite well with low light conditions, continuing to record useful footage well into dusk. At night, however, it compared less well to rear window-mounted alternatives.

But more than anything, videos just weren’t especially sharp, even in broad daylight. While I could often make out details including the number plate of following cars, this could be tricky unless I was driving in a straight line and there was little comparative movement between our two vehicles.

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