Merc DriverCam. Vision problems?

Hi, I’ve been driving the Mercedes with Driver Cameras for a couple of months and find I’m struggling with problems with my vision, particularly in my right eye. I’m beginning to think this is caused by the screen that is close and always in my line of sight. What I’m noticing is that after a shift, I work nights, the vision in my right eye seems darker than my left. Anyone else having similar issues?
I wear glasses for distance and find the right hand screen too close to view without peering over the tops of my specs, not ideal.
If you want to answer off forum feel free to message.

Cheers folks

There was an article by Bob Beech on this published by Commercial Motor a few years back.

Some older drivers who wear ‘distance’ glasses seem to struggle with the MirrorCam.

I can’t say I noticed a problem with it at all (and I’m quite old, with distance glasses), but I only drove the truck in daylight. Also, because I don’t drive a truck very often, I found it easier to adjust to than some folk who drive trucks more frequently.

I’ve only shunted one in yard a couple of times,.and I hate em…that and all that electronic dog ■■■■ you have to negotiate on the dash,.and the facilities on there for those who can’t drive, slowing down on roundabouts etc. , I really can’t be arsed with all that. :unamused:
Dreading it when my motor is due a change, considering asking one of the guys on 68 plates to swap for the new one I’m offered.

You need that self-driving stuff to take over the plot while you navigate through the screens to find out how to turn the heating down a tad.

“It’s progress, Jim, but not as we know it.”

GasGas:
There was an article by Bob Beech on this published by Commercial Motor a few years back.

Some older drivers who wear ‘distance’ glasses seem to struggle with the MirrorCam.

I can’t say I noticed a problem with it at all (and I’m quite old, with distance glasses), but I only drove the truck in daylight. Also, because I don’t drive a truck very often, I found it easier to adjust to than some folk who drive trucks more frequently.

The mirror image is a direct reflected 3d image so your distance perception and sight focus stays the same as though you were looking at it ahead in the distance.
The TV image will only be focused by the eyes at the range that the TV screen is from your eyes.Even then it contains no distance information because it’s not a 3d camera set up.
It’s not rocket science the nerds who thought up this stupid idea should all be sacked with extreme prejudice.

Carryfast:

GasGas:
There was an article by Bob Beech on this published by Commercial Motor a few years back.

Some older drivers who wear ‘distance’ glasses seem to struggle with the MirrorCam.

I can’t say I noticed a problem with it at all (and I’m quite old, with distance glasses), but I only drove the truck in daylight. Also, because I don’t drive a truck very often, I found it easier to adjust to than some folk who drive trucks more frequently.

The mirror image is a direct reflected 3d image so your distance perception and sight focus stays the same as though you were looking at it ahead in the distance.
The TV image will only be focused by the eyes at the range that the TV screen is from your eyes.Even then it contains no distance information because it’s not a 3d camera set up.
It’s not rocket science the nerds who thought up this stupid idea should all be sacked with extreme prejudice.

Have you actually driven one? :unamused:

Mick Bracewell:

Carryfast:

GasGas:
There was an article by Bob Beech on this published by Commercial Motor a few years back.

Some older drivers who wear ‘distance’ glasses seem to struggle with the MirrorCam.

I can’t say I noticed a problem with it at all (and I’m quite old, with distance glasses), but I only drove the truck in daylight. Also, because I don’t drive a truck very often, I found it easier to adjust to than some folk who drive trucks more frequently.

The mirror image is a direct reflected 3d image so your distance perception and sight focus stays the same as though you were looking at it ahead in the distance.
The TV image will only be focused by the eyes at the range that the TV screen is from your eyes.Even then it contains no distance information because it’s not a 3d camera set up.
It’s not rocket science the nerds who thought up this stupid idea should all be sacked with extreme prejudice.

Have you actually driven one? :unamused:

Carryfast hasnt driven a truck since the late 80’s

Mick Bracewell:
The mirror image is a direct reflected 3d image so your distance perception and sight focus stays the same as though you were looking at it ahead in the distance.
The TV image will only be focused by the eyes at the range that the TV screen is from your eyes.Even then it contains no distance information because it’s not a 3d camera set up.
It’s not rocket science the nerds who thought up this stupid idea should all be sacked with extreme prejudice.

Have you actually driven one? :unamused:
[/quote]
Are you saying that anything I’ve said is incorrect.

The guy who invented the Merc mirror cam has made a lot of money out of it…he hasn’t looked back since.

(Yeh I know, used it before :blush: , promise not to use it again. :smiley: )

The-Snowman:
Carrtfast hasnt driven a truck since the late 80’s

1999 actually.
If I was still driving trucks I might just be inclined to refuse to drive one of the things on grounds of road safety.
In that firstly anyone with bi focal lenses can’t possibly use the things properly and it is a 2d camera system providing no distance information.
A bit like trusting loading bay traffic lights.

For the OP.
Is it possible to turn the brightness down, same as you would with an internal ‘dipping’ mirror in your car, but probably a bit more sophisticated than that, maybe the offside might needs to be a shade less bright than the nearside for obvious multiple reasons.

I haven’t driven one so fitted, and have no wish to, there are obvious gains in lessening blind spots, which wouldn’t be so bad if all makers ‘split’ the huge wardrobe mirror casings as Scania and at last Volvo, who were the worse offenders for this for years have finally done.
However apart from lessening blind spots on the driver’s side especially, my opinion is the same as with electric parking brakes, an answer to a question no one asked with more complication likely to prove expensive to fix as the vehicle ages.

Carryfast:

GasGas:
There was an article by Bob Beech on this published by Commercial Motor a few years back.

Some older drivers who wear ‘distance’ glasses seem to struggle with the MirrorCam.

I can’t say I noticed a problem with it at all (and I’m quite old, with distance glasses), but I only drove the truck in daylight. Also, because I don’t drive a truck very often, I found it easier to adjust to than some folk who drive trucks more frequently.

The mirror image is a direct reflected 3d image so your distance perception and sight focus stays the same as though you were looking at it ahead in the distance.
The TV image will only be focused by the eyes at the range that the TV screen is from your eyes.Even then it contains no distance information because it’s not a 3d camera set up.
It’s not rocket science the nerds who thought up this stupid idea should all be sacked with extreme prejudice.

There is ‘distance information’ in the form of a line that is set to the back of the truck/trailer, and another ‘safe pull in’ line for overtaking after that. It’s very accurate.

Conventional vehicle mirrors themselves distort distance…as the Yanks say ‘objects in this mirror may appear closer than they are.’

GasGas:

Carryfast:
The mirror image is a direct reflected 3d image so your distance perception and sight focus stays the same as though you were looking at it ahead in the distance.
The TV image will only be focused by the eyes at the range that the TV screen is from your eyes.Even then it contains no distance information because it’s not a 3d camera set up.
It’s not rocket science the nerds who thought up this stupid idea should all be sacked with extreme prejudice.

There is ‘distance information’ in the form of a line that is set to the back of the truck/trailer, and another ‘safe pull in’ line for overtaking after that. It’s very accurate.

Conventional vehicle mirrors themselves distort distance…as the Yanks say ‘objects in this mirror may appear closer than they are.’

The US issue was that the DOT didn’t allow convex mirrors for decades and when they finally did they had generations of drivers who only knew flat glass mirrors so they needed the warning which was that objects appear further away not closer.
It doesn’t take the brain long to compensate for that.
Unlike a 2d TV system which contains no distance information at all.
How does a line to the back of the trailer help with judging how far away and how fast something is approaching from around 100 yards + behind.

While unlike a mirror it’s only the short focal length lens of bi focal glasses that will focus on a tv screen on the driver’s side and possibly also the nearside.
But the short focal length lens is only useable when looking down like at the dash instruments, not ahead which is for the distance focal length.
No such problems with mirrors.

I don’t wear bifocals, so can’t comment on whether that’s a problem. It was fine for my distance glasses.

I didn’t have any difficulty judging the longer distances, but as I said I don’t drive trucks very often, so was able to adapt to the mirrorcam very quickly. My colleague, who has driven trucks far more than I ever will and was unlucky enough to be sharing the cab with me, remarked that I was finding it easier than him.

An added bonus was the mirrorcam ‘following’ the trailer through turns…you could always see the trailer bogie in relation to the kerb.

The main reason for installing them was to save fuel, but if you don’t want them but do want a new Actros/Arocs, the conventional teatray mirrors bolt straight on. You get the blindspots back as well…

GasGas:
I don’t wear bifocals, so can’t comment on whether that’s a problem. It was fine for my distance glasses.

I didn’t have any difficulty judging the longer distances, but as I said I don’t drive trucks very often, so was able to adapt to the mirrorcam very quickly. My colleague, who has driven trucks far more than I ever will and was unlucky enough to be sharing the cab with me, remarked that I was finding it easier than him.

An added bonus was the mirrorcam ‘following’ the trailer through turns…you could always see the trailer bogie in relation to the kerb.

The main reason for installing them was to save fuel, but if you don’t want them but do want a new Actros/Arocs, the conventional teatray mirrors bolt straight on. You get the blindspots back as well…

Don’t buy the ‘distance’ lens of glasses focus on a tv screen that’s less than 3 feet ahead.Maybe the nearside is ok in a similar way that I use my close vision bifocals to see the computer screen and the distance lens is ok when looking up for the TV ahead further away.

Having said that the camera following the trailer through turns is a brilliant idea.
I’d guess there’s a place for cameras ‘as well as’ mirrors ‘not instead of’ in that.
Specifically used for that type of close observation with the offside screen at least being set low so that bi focals can focus on it.

I can only report on what my experience was, on the day.

I have a fairly mild lens for my right eye, so perhaps that’s why I didn’t notice the problem that Bob Beech did.

I didn’t drive in the dark, but the mirrorcam did cope well with bright sunshine and contrasting dark shadows. It’s meant to compensate for ambient light levels…perhaps there’s something wrong with the op’s right-hand camera.

Screens are funny things…when I first had an Amstrad computer plonked on my desk it gave me such a headache I considered resigning from the job. Then, I got used to it.

GasGas:
You need that self-driving stuff to take over the plot while you navigate through the screens to find out how to turn the heating down a tad.

“It’s progress, Jim, but not as we know it.”

You know all those buttons underneath the screen?
Press them and it’ll take you to where want you want without scrolling through…

DAF95XF:

GasGas:
You need that self-driving stuff to take over the plot while you navigate through the screens to find out how to turn the heating down a tad.

“It’s progress, Jim, but not as we know it.”

You know all those buttons underneath the screen?
Press them and it’ll take you to where want you want without scrolling through…

Which is ok, but on previous trucks, you could just press buttons or turn knobs and not then have to dab at the screen

GasGas:
on previous trucks, you could just press buttons or turn knobs and not then have to dab at the screen

You mean previous like like 40 years ago big switches and controls which you could use without needing to take your eyes from the road ahead.They call it progress.

Carryfast:

Mick Bracewell:
The mirror image is a direct reflected 3d image so your distance perception and sight focus stays the same as though you were looking at it ahead in the distance.
The TV image will only be focused by the eyes at the range that the TV screen is from your eyes.Even then it contains no distance information because it’s not a 3d camera set up.
It’s not rocket science the nerds who thought up this stupid idea should all be sacked with extreme prejudice.

Have you actually driven one? :unamused:

Are you saying that anything I’ve said is incorrect.
[/quote]
More to the point IS anything you say correct !!