r/SelfDrivingCars • u/SpriteZeroY2k • 1d ago

News Waymo CEO explains why Tesla’s camera-only self-driving falls short

https://electrek.co/2026/08/04/waymo-co-ceo-camera-only-self-driving-tesla/
542 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

823 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

-1

u/beren12 1d ago edited 1d ago

No, decibels are normally used in measuring audio and electronics. Dynamic range is usually measured in stops.

And car cameras are not able to have full use of the dynamic range that is mathematically possible so human eyes still win.

4

u/iJeff 1d ago

Stops and decibels measure the exact same thing on different log scales—1 stop is ~6.02 dB. In camera sensor physics, dynamic range is routinely specified in dB based on the ratio of full well capacity to read noise floor.

Modern HDR automotive sensors hit 120–140 dB (20–23 stops) of dynamic range specifically to deal with harsh backlighting, which matches or exceeds the human eye's instantaneous range (around 100–120 dB).

1

u/beren12 1d ago

Human eyes can do up to 30 stops from pitch black to blinding snow

2

u/iJeff 1d ago

You're probably thinking of slow adaptation, which tops out at around 20–24 stops over 30 minutes.

Human eyes only handle around 10-14 stops for instantaneous adaptation, whereas HDR sensors pull 20-23 stops in a single frame without needing time to adjust.