I must say I quite like my mirror cams now. The biggest issue was rain on the lens obliterating everything, but I’ve tried rain-x and so far it eliminated any problems.
Actually, I haven’t tried it on the cameras but on a visor, nikwax is vastly superior, so if you haven’t already got some rainx, buy this instead.
The problem I’ve found with mirrorcams is that being long sighted, I can read road signs half a mile away without glasses, but need to wear READING glasses to look at something closer than one yard from my face.
With reading glasses on, I would then not be able to read a number plate at 50 yards, meaning I’m unfit to drive WHILST wearing such reading glasses.
My reading glasses are also rather expensive, so I don’t have a spare set. If I were to risk using a mirrorcam vehicle, and I accidentally broke my reading glasses - I would then be unfit to drive clearly rather than trying to blag it upto that point by squinting through reading glasses, which is actually wrong to do as well of course.
There’s even a note on the back of my licence about it.
So I do neither wear the wrong glasses, nor try and peer about between the huge six legs, trying to find myself [a] dishonourable grave.
I simply refuse to drive a mirrorcam vehicle on account I cannot do it legally AND safely.
If that means my assignement at a work location comes to an end - so be it.
I’d rather be healthy, alive, with clean licence but out of work temporarily again - rather than busted, or likely to come a cropper in short order.
I was working at F&W across Christmas, but they de-hired their non mirrorcam tractors on 31st December leaving them only with Cullina mirrorcam ones, which I cannot drive.
Thus “No new year’s day premium shift” for your’s truly there, then!
“A disciplined approach” might cost me money sometimes - but I am happy to live all the longer mit clean licence, for it. 
Winseer, I have the same problem, get a good eye test , and take your prescription to goggles 4 u and get varifocals, 50 quid-ish plus your eye test, worth every penny.
I’ve never had the dubious pleasure of driving a vehicle fitted with mirror cams but I can only think of our nearside London compliant cameras, great view when dry but when subjected to rain and spray absolutely terrible. I’d hate to think that I was attempting to manoeuvre using only that in the rain.
Mirror cams are ok for trunking work,any multi drop where it’s tight and your screwed,they play tricks on you and you have to get out and check to make sure,can’t beat normal mirrors,you miss things with the mirror cams that you’d pick up with a normal mirror,the picture is too grainy…
the maoster:
I’ve never had the dubious pleasure of driving a vehicle fitted with mirror cams
My truck has mirrors. I started driving trucks fitted with mirrors in 1986 and I’ve never looked back.
Badum tish 
Winseer:
The problem I’ve found with mirrorcams is that being long sighted, I can read road signs half a mile away without glasses, but need to wear READING glasses to look at something closer than one yard from my face.With reading glasses on, I would then not be able to read a number plate at 50 yards, meaning I’m unfit to drive WHILST wearing such reading glasses.
My reading glasses are also rather expensive, so I don’t have a spare set. If I were to risk using a mirrorcam vehicle, and I accidentally broke my reading glasses - I would then be unfit to drive clearly rather than trying to blag it upto that point by squinting through reading glasses, which is actually wrong to do as well of course.
There’s even a note on the back of my licence about it.So I do neither wear the wrong glasses, nor try and peer about between the huge six legs, trying to find myself [a] dishonourable grave.
I simply refuse to drive a mirrorcam vehicle on account I cannot do it legally AND safely.
Some years back when just got my vari-focals I asked the optician the same question and she explained that even on a screen you should use the distance part of the lens for distance viewing.
I still can’t explain why, but it works
Casting my mind back, I asked which lens should i look through to see the mirror in focus and she said the same lens as if the mirror wasn’t being used ie long distance viewing long distance lens
Yorkielad:
Mirror cams are ok for trunking work,any multi drop where it’s tight and your screwed,they play tricks on you and you have to get out and check to make sure,can’t beat normal mirrors,you miss things with the mirror cams that you’d pick up with a normal mirror,the picture is too grainy…
We’ve just got 20 new daf xf with mirror cam and nearly everyone detests them , we do multi drop work mostly retail parks but still get the odd bad one to deliver too as I have tomorrow in London , got 10 drops and I’m
Basically dreading going in there with them !
From what I gather they turn as you’re turning when reversing so they always have the back of the trailer in view as much as possible, is that right? The trouble is that the people who thought of that don’t realise that we have mirrors set to have a bit of the rear edge of the cab visible on the inside edge of the mirror so we have a point of reference of where the cab is in relationship to the unit. I know that when I was shunting and using a tug I used to find it quite hard to do any blindsiding off the nearside mirror precisely because there was nothing there, no point of reference. I could blindside infinitely better in a standard unit than a shunter for this very reason.
Yep that’s right , I switch that feature off , and as for reversing they make you look like a newby , went to great bear at Chorley with it the other week and it took me 6 shunts to get it on a bay which is a straight forward manoeuvre , where as when I’ve been in the past when I’ve had mirrors it’s gone on in 1 shunt , bloody horrible things they are. , and they call it progress 
peeej48:
Winseer, I have the same problem, get a good eye test , and take your prescription to goggles 4 u and get varifocals, 50 quid-ish plus your eye test, worth every penny.
I already use three sets of varifocals for driving.
I have just the single set for “computer screens”.
(I don’t take these to work any more, as to not risk breaking my only set of these, and I don’t do an admin role, so don’t need them anyways!)
Neither is much good to me for reading other people’s handwriting at close quarters in poor light, as I’m dyslexic on top.
The top third of my varifocal view - is pretty much “straight through lens” - since my unaided eye is so far-sighted as to make me like Steve Austin looking into the distance…
The middle third of vision - is for seeing things in focus between a distance of about five feet to 100 feet away - my unaided eye means I struggle to see fine detail when I reverse or go around a tight corner, and is the reason I must be wearing glasses to drive, as indicated on the back of my licence.
The bottom third - allows me to glance down, and read printed instructions, and I can also use this section to look at the mirrorcams BUT I’d have to be literally looking down my nose or raising up my glasses to do this - hardly practical when in the middle of a reverse in the rain, back on topic there!
If I were to try the “computer screen” varifocal set for driving, I’d have a massive headache pretty quickly - because everything ahead of my windscreen - is now out of focus!!
No one should be forced to perform a task that makes them feel unwell, so I simply ask for the keys to an older tractor…
There’s not ever really been a problem with that, unless the transport yard I’m assigned to - happens to have only tractors that ONLY have mirrorcams.
The other difference betwen my different sets of varifocals - is that one has reactolite, another has anti-night headlamp glare, and the third set - sharper focus for reversing into tight spots, which I’ve not had to use since collecting farm produce during the lockdown, two years back…
I always have to carry a “spare set” in my bag, lest I accidentally break the ones I’m wearing, and render myself “illegal to drive”…
Conor:
From what I gather they turn as you’re turning when reversing so they always have the back of the trailer in view as much as possible, is that right?
No, not exactly.
There is one auto option that you can switch on and it will do as you say, only when going forward. So going round a mini roundabout for example you can always see the back of the trailer. But when that option is on and you select reverse, it just zooms out to give a wide angle view in much less detail.
You can switch this option off, but I find it good for forwards and initial reversing, then switch it off to finish the manoeuver.
(I’m talking about Mercedes, no idea about DAF)
If that’s the case then it may not be as bad. The videos I’d seen online from the manufacturers had the auto option on in that case, trying to sell it as a positive which it is when you’re going forwards but not back.
I don’t want them and i doubt very much if they’ll appear where i work.
I note above that they can be programmed, or not, to turn with the vehicle, somehow i doubt this is via the joystick of whatever type most of us are familiar with on our mirrored vehicles, which presumably means going into menus and sub menus.
This might be fine for those issued with one vehicle assuming the manual is still lurking about, but for those cab hopping and agency drivers swapping trucks as often as their Y fronts actually trying to workl all this crap out in the dark in a typical yard before going out on a run will add yet more pointless faffing to an already busy and involved enough day, how many drivers manuals can be found ina typical fleet wagon, i know mine is there and i leave it sticking up on a shelf so any stranger needing it will find it easily enough, but how many trucks does that apply to.
It takes weeks to familiarise intimately with a new to you vehicle, the new or temp or cab hopping driver is already at a massive disadvantage to the regular driver, these things are just one more thing in place to trip up the irregulars, the way they’re going the agency lads will be poncing about for a couple of hours trying to prepare the vehicle for the journey and/or be at further disadvantage at tight delivery spots.
Winseer:
peeej48:
Winseer, I have the same problem, get a good eye test , and take your prescription to goggles 4 u and get varifocals, 50 quid-ish plus your eye test, worth every penny.I already use three sets of varifocals for driving.
I have just the single set for “computer screens”.
(I don’t take these to work any more, as to not risk breaking my only set of these, and I don’t do an admin role, so don’t need them anyways!)Neither is much good to me for reading other people’s handwriting at close quarters in poor light, as I’m dyslexic on top.
The top third of my varifocal view - is pretty much “straight through lens” - since my unaided eye is so far-sighted as to make me like Steve Austin looking into the distance…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OXvkpmiJBIThe middle third of vision - is for seeing things in focus between a distance of about five feet to 100 feet away - my unaided eye means I struggle to see fine detail when I reverse or go around a tight corner, and is the reason I must be wearing glasses to drive, as indicated on the back of my licence.
The bottom third - allows me to glance down, and read printed instructions, and I can also use this section to look at the mirrorcams BUT I’d have to be literally looking down my nose or raising up my glasses to do this - hardly practical when in the middle of a reverse in the rain, back on topic there!
If I were to try the “computer screen” varifocal set for driving, I’d have a massive headache pretty quickly - because everything ahead of my windscreen - is now out of focus!!
No one should be forced to perform a task that makes them feel unwell, so I simply ask for the keys to an older tractor…
There’s not ever really been a problem with that, unless the transport yard I’m assigned to - happens to have only tractors that ONLY have mirrorcams.The other difference betwen my different sets of varifocals - is that one has reactolite, another has anti-night headlamp glare, and the third set - sharper focus for reversing into tight spots, which I’ve not had to use since collecting farm produce during the lockdown, two years back…
I always have to carry a “spare set” in my bag, lest I accidentally break the ones I’m wearing, and render myself “illegal to drive”…
This is why I have always questioned as to why we drivers don’t qualify for free eye test
hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/eye-tests.htm
I do get a free eye test - the local opticians have been doing eye tests that are free for about the past 5 years - providing they issue a new prescription with the test.
Thus, if there’s no change in my eyesight and therefore I don’t need a new prescription yet - I’ll boot it down the road to make sure the test IS free when I notice any change such as “starting to get headaches after driving” suggesting that I actually need a new prescription by that point…
During the lockdown, I also qualified for a £87 voucher off that prescription - which was needed, bearing in mind these varifocals I wear cost me £384 a pop.
My other prescription - had “buy one set, get another for night driving free” - which is how I acquired my “Reactolite Day” and “Anti Headlamp Glare Night” glasses.
Another advantage that Varifocals seem to have - is that as one eyesight changes slightly over the passing months and years - a slight change in head tilt is enough to have one keep on using the same prescription for rather longer than the “Two years and buy another set” the industry seem to pressure people into…
Last time I changed my presciption, there was so little difference between the new and the old - I use the new ones as the spare, as they tend to fly off my head compared to the other ones, which are perfectly good. Hence why I have 3 sets in total for driving. (plus two older sets that I’ve since discarded, as they were giving me headaches…)
You can even get “Cashback” on handing such older unused glasses in - towards a new prescription.
Check out your local opticians for details of the different deals they do, and act accordingly. 
The new dafs arriving at our place have normal mirrors , or the one I saw today did . Seen loads off 22 plate mercs with mirrors not cameras
Juddian:
I don’t want them and i doubt very much if they’ll appear where i work.I note above that they can be programmed, or not, to turn with the vehicle, somehow i doubt this is via the joystick of whatever type most of us are familiar with on our mirrored vehicles, which presumably means going into menus and sub menus…
In this case it’s a dedicated button on the door among the other mirror control buttons. But yes you would need to know about the functionality to go looking for the button.