Backup camera flicker

[gearchruncher]

Does the backup camera flicker for anyone else? Any time I'm somewhere illuminated by artificial light (my garage, parking lots at night) the image on the backup camera flickers. It's not the whole image, it's just elements in it, but it's very noticeable and distracting.

Does anyone else's do this?

 

[mbman81]

Mine does this, exactly the same way. Somewhat annoying, agreed.

 

[pavankp]

The only flicker is see is daytime running headlights on some cars behind me. It doesn't happen with all cars.

 

[MosquitoFloss]

I'm guessing this is camera flicker caused by the cycle of a particular light source. It happens to even the latest and greatest digital motion picture cameras in certain instances. Not a sign of inferior quality, just the way things get out of phase between particular light rates and frame/shutter rate settings in a camera. LED and fluorescent sources are common troublemakers. No real way to fix it unless you could get into the camera settings and monkey around with frame rates or shutter angles to dial it out, and even then you may see trouble from other light sources that were fine before.

 

[nvx1977]

perfectly normal. your phone cameras will do this as well. The camera has a really nice and wide range of exposure settings so that it can give you bright pictures in the dark. To do that, the exposure time of each frame of the video can vary based on the amount of ambient light. For any light source that is not incandescent, you run a chance of the refresh rate of the camera not playing nice with your light source because that light source is actually blinking. The flicker is the camera sometimes capturing that blink. In some instances where the camera refresh rate is the same as the light source's refresh rate, the light can appear completely off when it's actually on. You see this with cars with LED DRLs all the time.

If you want to geek out on this more, check this out:

Flicker-Free Video Tutorial

 

[gearchruncher]

Shame they had to cheap out on the Model 3 backup cam so much. My model X doesn't do this, my BMW doesn't do this, and none of my cell phones do it in the garage. I'm aware of why cameras do this, but I also know it's possible to avoid 50/60 Hz and harmonic frame rates.

 

[MosquitoFloss]

Shame they had to cheap out on the Model 3 backup cam so much. My model X doesn't do this, my BMW doesn't do this, and none of my cell phones do it in the garage. I'm aware of why cameras do this, but I also know it's possible to avoid 50/60 Hz and harmonic frame rates.

I'm sure there are sources that would make any of your other cars do this. It might not be the same sources, but no camera is immune to this. The $85,000 cameras we use at work do this, and I don't think anyone cheaped-out when they chose them.

 

[lemketron]

Am I the only one who gets a black screen with the two white tracks on it? Happens about 10% of the time. A reboot usually cures it.

This was on 17 and 18.1. I got 18.2 this morning so it will be interesting to see if it still happens...

 

[gearchruncher]

I'm sure there are sources that would make any of your other cars do this. It might not be the same sources, but no camera is immune to this.

I've literally never noticed it on any other backup cam I've used, and the Model 3 does it at least 50% of the time I use it. I'm aware of how a camera works and that it's possible with any camera, but the Model 3 camera is really sensitive to it, which I assume was a trade-off they made in picking a cheaper camera. I know it's possible for Tesla to build a car that doesn't do this because the Model X doesn't in the exact same situations.

 

[MB30]

I dont get the flicker but i have a redish/maroon line down the middle of the picture. I dont remember it doing that on the software that i picked the car up with but the new one (2018.18.2) is doing it.

 

[paulvinh]

I dont get the flicker but i have a redish/maroon line down the middle of the picture. I dont remember it doing that on the software that i picked the car up with but the new one (2018.18.2) is doing it.

I was using auto park today and noticed a flickering redish light on certain areas of a wall that was in view