Anyone ever use these?

Photobuster

Saw these for sale at the local Kragen for about $20 each, and upon inspecting them I guess they DO work - the license plate is obscured from any angle other than head-on. These would work well for places that use photo radar or those red-light cameras that take pictures of your car if you run a red at an intersection.

I'm just wondering about the legality of these things. Anyone have any experience with them?

 

Illegal, but work.

 

There is a device on the market that you can just change the red light to green. That seems like a much better, and even more illegal, solution to me.

 

Don't work at all. It's a complete scam. I saw a show and thoes things are useless because on a regular picture, yes the license plate is covered, however when you digitally inverse the colors, you're caught.

Basically it's like if you take film and look at it, all the black is white, vice versa. Same exact thing with the cameras. All they do is digitally inverse and you're caught. Only way around cameras are to blow through them at 80mph. I was told that the camera is not quick enough(not set up) to respond at that speed. Illegal so I wouldn't try that.

 

Just leave your dealer plates on.

 

you'll get a ticket for it. You can't cover the plate with anything. even if you put a clear plate guard to protect the plate you still gonna get a ticket.
Has anyone thought of a camera slave? basically its a flash that goes off when a camera flash is detected. That way all that shows up on film is a bright light (hence covering the plates and/or your face) A few celebrity use it in caps to cover their face if someone tries to take their pic.

 

alphared:
where can u get a "camera slave"? how hard would it be to hook up?

 

I don't see how 'inversing' the colors would make the plate readable. The screen is very much like the "privacy screens" that people put in front of computer monitors when they're working with sensitive information. Basically, what the screen does is heavily restrict the viewing angle of the monitor to only a few degrees, so unless you're sitting straight in front of the monitor, you can't see what's being displayed on it.

The same thing applies for this license plate screen. The picture taken of the plate will be at an angle and as a result the letters on the plate will not be seen at all. Inversing the photo will not make it any more legible.

Heh...I think I'll pass on this too

 

I've read about those slave units. Although they do work, they won't help in all circumstances, i.e., during the day when there's enough ambient daylight that a flash unit wouldn't obscure the plate. Also, they're getting smarter with these photo units - the flash on them doesn't necessarily go off every time - only when the camera's light meter determines there's a need for additional light.

Regardless, thanks to everyone for their input. I was never planning on buying one of these things, but I just saw it in the store and was curious about them.

 

Check a camera shop or try looking for it on ebay. I think it should be a simple setup, all it need is power. it works when it detects a flash.

True, it won't work during the day, but who whould run a red light during the day? If they did they deserve the ticket.

Other option is to use electric tint. Those sheets that are clear when theres power and white/black tinted when theres no power. But that'll be the same as the Photobuster screen, still illegal to put anything over the plates.

 

the laws vary from state to state. You can cover your plate in MD (not tinted) and Mass (tinted).

 

Just shoot the camara with a 9mm. Hit it right in the lense. That will guarantee no picture. That should allow you to blow through the red light at 80mph without either the license plate cover and camara slave.

Seriously...the camara slave seems like an intersting option. I bet they could be wired into your reverse lights and you can use it to blind tailgaters (Neons, Civics and the such).

I smell Spyhunter.

 

Check out this stuff - it sprays on, so nobody will know its on there. Check out the videos - some cops did tests and it works.

http://www.phantomplate.com/photoblocker.html

 

LOL, I love it. A product that you can't tell it's there, and won't know if it's working or not unless a ticket shows up in your box...by then it's too late

 

I hope this is all in jest although I see it almost everyday. My response would be "why not use those great breakes and "stop" for red lights". I slow and start stopping on the yellow lights but have seen this is a dangerous act in itself.

 

Well, if you live in an area like I do, they put white vans in the neighborhoods run by robots with a cop sleeping in the back to raise revenue off the people who live there (never mind that this is a money losing proposition - documented by the very government running it). They do it in the name of "traffic calming".

Anyways, the speed limit is 25 mph (even though the streets are wider than a Pennsylvania highway) and they will photo-nab you for going 27. That's BS - and THAT's why you use this type of product.

On a side note, the funny part of it all is, they must have the cop sleeping in the back. Part of California law is, you have to be able to confront your accuser. If you accuser is a robot, and not a person, by law, it can be thrown out (since how can you confront that which does not live?) Remember that when you get nabbed by a photo-only system. Its worth a shot.

 

That's not really true. I got popped at one of the phot red-light intersections in San Diego when Lockheed Martin ran the program. When I took it to court, my "accuser" was a policeman who's sole job was to explain the photo system in court. According to the judge, since the cop was an "expert" in photo surveillance and his job was to prosecute offenders, he was acceptable and the ticket legal.

 

There is a great book out there that talks all about California Traffic law. I suggest everyone pick it up. There are things you can do, like plead not quilty and ask for discovery. That means that they have to provide information about the last time it was calibrated, whether the signal has enough yellow time in compliance with Section 21455.7, etc.

If there is a defect or the mechanism is outside the time alotted between calibrations, you are clean. Even if there isn't a defect, if they do not provide you all the information you requested, then the case must be thrown out by default.

NEVER take a ticket lying down - NEVER just send your payment in. 95% of people do that, which is why tickets can make money for governments. If more people fight it, then that becomes a burden on the court system, which makes it much less profitable.

 

I like my idea, couple the detector from the slave camera setup to the electric tint film. Get flashed, plate goes out near instantaneously for a 1/2 sec. Would have to beat the shutter but would work. Very stealthy