You have a 2014 CX-5? Reason I ask is that my friend's 2019 Mazda 3 has a great back up camera, much better than the one on my '18 CX-5. Dealership says cameras from the two cars are not compatible. It also seems like other CX-5 cameras I have seen (at the dealership) have cameras that look the same as mine. Crappy!

 

Mine on my 2017 is fine. No complaints on resolution. I did tweak the brightness and contrast a bit. Made a bit brighter and contrastier.

 

Thanks. Your camera is probably the same as mine. Is it me or is it Memorex? I'm going back to the dealership!

 

Final thoughts here--the dealership agreed I had a problem and they updated/reflashed my software. The backup camera is better, still not great. I actually accosted a poor woman in a parking lot this morning...she had pulled in with a 2019 CX-5, also in Soul Red, and she allowed me to look at her camera as she sat in the car with it running and in reverse. Pretty much the same view as in my '18!

So, good thing we don't buy these cars for the quality of their back up cameras! Lot's of other stuff to love!

Thanks to all for weighing in on this.

Carl
2018 CX-5 GT in Soul Red

 

Agree. The resolution of my 2016 VW Golf rear-view camera is much better. Plus, it is interesting indeed that the rear-view camera on the CX-5 is not more protected. In my 2016 VW Golf, the rear-camera retracts into a housing when not in use, which prevents it from getting dirty or wet during rain. It's a pretty simple design. On the CX-5 on the other hand, we need to constantly clean the lens.

 

Amen Brother! My son has a 2016 VW Golf Sportwagen and his camera is great. On the other hand, the CX-5's camera is far superior to my 2012 GTI...(it doesn't have one!)

 

I have very poor resolution on the backup camera at night. Very grainy. When it rains, drops form on the camera lens very quickly. Daytime resolution is good but too bright even after customization. I brought the car to the dealer since it is only a month old. They redid the software. I see no change though. Hope others can weigh in on this issue. My car is a 2019 CX5 Touring. Thanks in advance.

 

I noticed as well that it is grainy at night. Unfortunately, it looks like Mazda put in a cheap camera into an otherwise great car.

 

Yes Mazda has put in a cheap camera with poor resolution. Even after market cameras (I put one in my daughter's Hyundai Accent recently) have 10 times better resolution and width. Mazda camera has poor night visibility, with grainy picture. The other problem with CX5 camera is that it gets coated with rain, mud and dust very quickly and then the bad image gets worse. During rain the water droplets collect on the out side of the lens making the rear view completely out of focus. They should have used a better camera with better night visibility and tucked it in little more so that it did not get sprayed with rain and dirt. The only redeeming thing is that its active (dynamic) reversing lines work very well.

 

Actually, I can deal with the low resolution. It's the lack of active trajectory that I find most annoying. This feature has been around for 10+ years now, it should be standard on every CX-5 and not just in the 3d camera view. Trajectory allows you to place the car perfectly every time.

It's a pretty minor complaint, but really, all Mazda needs to do is link the displayed trajectory with the steering angle. It could even be accomplished in a software update, but that isn't happening.

I did apply some RainX to the lens today, we'll see if it improves the view in rainy conditions.