So I happened to catch a story on Fifth Gear yesterday about some car that came with side-facing cameras, it looked like they were mounted at the top of the front bumper just in front of the front wheels. They showed the view from the in-car monitor and they gave a great view when pulling on to a street in front of a parked car etc. that you can't see around from the drivers seat. Since my deck supports up to 3 cameras (already have a rear camera connected) I am considering installing something like this for at least the right-hand side.
Has anyone installed a side-facing camera, and if so, where did you install the lens? I am figuring that a hole would likely need to be cut in the bumper or something similar, I can't really see any other suitable way to mount it.

I think it may have been a new bmw?
Would inside the indicator work of there is a large enough flat area on the indicator lens? Would keep it out the weather.

Not sure if that would work - wouldn't want reflection from the indicator lamp off the inside of the glass causing problems.
Have done some looking around on eBay and having some trouble finding a camera suitable - they all either output a "mirror" image or they aren't designed to flush-mount, or they're like 50mm across. Ideally I'd want the hole to be no bigger than the one for the reverse sensors in the rear bumper.

Could you hide it somewhere just under the guard? make a little mount beneath the splashguard there?
Just throwing ideas around :D

Found this camera on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/COLOR-CCD-FRONT-VIEW-MOBILE-SECURITY-CAR-CAMERA-/170585436023?pt=AU_Security_Equipment&hash=item27b7af2f77
I've emailed the seller asking how big it is. It looks like it's designed to flush-mount in a panel as well.

So I heard back from the seller, the camera above is 23mm diameter and 40mm deep, it comes with a 24mm holesaw.

Did he tell you what framerate the camera shoots at?
It says it's a PAL camera so I'd assume 25fps, but if it's more of a webcam kind of camera sometimes they shoot at 10-20fps which could be something to look out for.

Did he tell you what framerate the camera shoots at?
It says it's a PAL camera so I'd assume 25fps, but if it's more of a webcam kind of camera sometimes they shoot at 10-20fps which could be something to look out for.

I think that to comply with being PAL it has to do 25fps. I don't think it's a webcam-type as it only has a composite video out, there's no USB or anything like that.

True. 25fps it is :D

Not sure how confident I am drilling holes in the bumper though. Knowing my luck I'd drill a spot that didn't have enough room to mount the camera behind :/

So that seller only had the one left, so am now looking at this one:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/300603574354?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Hey mate, it's a great idea if done properly. When you mount the camera, make sure it fits flush against the bumper mate, or else you'd have a nasty silicone job at best. In case you don't know, make sure when you holesaw the desired location that you file it so all the shavings aren't right and damage the housing of the camera. Also make a light bead of clear silicone to be safe.

Regarding the video quality, PAL is a minimum of 26 FPS whereas a NTSC system drops to 23 FPS. Anything that is 20 fps is smooth to the naked eye so whatever system you install should suit you. The only thing (if you're picky) that will define one camera's quality to another is the clarity of the picture and how well it performs in darker situations [IR (Lens flare if placed close to the indicator)]. For your application however, it should be fine.

I personally haven't done an install of this type, but I'm a CCTV technician so I can just tell you about hardware :P

I will however follow your post and try assist you, good luck mate!

Just bought 2 of the cameras. With any luck I will have them by the weekend.
The prime reason for installing is to know if something is approaching, I don't need a high-def pic of it, so there should be fine.

Hi all,
Just wanted to give you an update - I bought two cameras and have so far physically fitted them in to the bumpers:
http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/3549/img0233et.jpg
Closer pic:
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/4757/img0234k.jpg
Camera is in the same position on the passenger side.

I am in the process of working out where to run the wires back to the stereo, but am having some trouble finding a path back. I have been trying to find the grommet shown in http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80032 but have so far been unsuccessful.
Annoying part is I only just had the front half of the front drivers side wheel arch out so I could make sure I had sufficient clearance to mount the camera before cutting the hole. Looks like I might have to take the wheel off again and remove the rear half to see if I can see this grommet from the back.

So I have now run the wiring and hooked both cameras up. Here's some pics of my view from the drivers seat and from each camera as I drive forwards out of my driveway:
Looking right:
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/107/img0235np.jpghttp://img403.imageshack.us/img403/3971/img0236d.jpg

Looking left:
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/1185/img0237z.jpghttp://img62.imageshack.us/img62/4054/img0238tt.jpg

Much better vision via the camera when my own view is blocked.