Also, I'm curious what current FSD cameras do around sunset. Are they blinded? Can they vary aperture?
Yes, if you drive on the 105 Freeway in LA in the Hawthorne area (heading east in the morning or west in the evenings, into the sun) you'll notice a lot of Teslas driving erratically, like teenagers learning to brake for the first time. It's not so noticeable in rush hour traffic, but it's very noticeable when traffic isn't heavy. My coworkers that drive Teslas no longer use AP or FSD as they are terrified of it.
They have impressive dynamic range, but can be blinded. I wonder how much of this is related to camera window cleanliness though.
https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/i5usdv/fsd_low...
https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/5zxnoj/autopil...
Perhaps areas with cameras should have special coatings and/or dedicated wiper devices.
Yes, of course. Autopilot will disable itself.
Here's how race cars do it. A reel of plastic film, to always allow a clean view. A broken camera, showing the reels: https://imgur.com/a/Hzxg7pt