1. A method for generating a final exposure setting, comprising: selecting an initial exposure setting for a solid state camera having a camera imager from a plurality of predetermined exposure settings, wherein the initial exposure setting has a longer integration time than a median exposure setting in the plurality of predetermined exposure settings; using an iterative automated search methodology to find the final exposure setting by evaluating sample scenes captured by the camera imager at each trial exposure setting starting with the initial exposure setting, wherein the iterative automated search methodology is used until a captured sample scene is neither underexposed or overexposed, wherein the captured sample scene is grossly overexposed or grossly underexposed if there are few pixels in the captured sample scene, using a current exposure setting, that have at least a noise value, or there are many pixels in the captured scene that have a maximum value; and performing a binary chop search methodology if the captured sample scene is grossly overexposed or grossly underexposed.