I am seeing the Flir C5 selling for $599. $100 off. What are your thoughts on this camera? Planning on taking a IR class in the future.
Hey Kurt,
Most people here will tell you to do the training first and then decide on your camera choice.
I have been using the FLIR c5 for several years to take photos of heating and cooling vents as well as photos of the cooktop/broiler/oven elements and water temp.
I put these in my report simply as documentation of said items to prove they were operational at the time of inspection.
But beyond that, the c5 isn’t really capable of assisting with much more. If I see water staining or suspected leaks, a moisture meter (Protimeter for me) is the tool to use.
If it’s a very high ceiling or something out of reach the c5 occasionally picks up the moisture, but not reliably.
Good luck.
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Thank you Patrick. That is exactly the the feedback that I wanted. I use infrared thermometer and a moisture meter regularly and was considering taking advantage of the sale price to expand my arsenal.
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It depends on what you are going to use it for and taking the classes first helps you define that. There can be big $ made doing commercial/industrial roof, etc., but you would need to be at least a Level II Thermographer
( https://www.infraredtraining.com/view/index-id=40026.html ) and use the minimum of 240 x 360 pixels.
You’d be surprised how much imagers of that caliber have come down in the last several years. My Flir B-400 with high temperature option cost me 17,000.00 when I got into it. They have more bells and whistles now for less , too.
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Thank you Larry. Sounds like a class should be next on my list.
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Good man, Kurt. You will be happy you did it that way.
160 x 120 (19,200 pixels). Surpasses RESNET 120X120.
Wide FOV. 54 x 42°
Slow refresh rate. 8.7 Hz.
NEDT <70 mK. I can imagine noisy at times combined with MSX on.
It is a tool. We all start somewhere.
Pro’s. If/when combined with the right ancillary inspection equipment, recognized moisture meter, can help you find and define problematic issues more accurately when operated with intended education models.
Help you decide if you want to get really involved with thermography.
Cons. Liability issues. Don’t promote this equipment as professional. It is entry level ‘at best’ when combined with ancillary equipment.
I have a Ti100 Fluke. General Use IR equipment.
160 x 120 (19,200 pixels)
FOV. 22.5 °H x 31 °V. Narrower.
9 Hz refresh rate.
NEDT <100 mK if I am not mistaken.
Germanium lens.
I paid $4,000.
Got some great thermograms.
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I have a Flir b60 made me allot of dollars over the years and still does, but I’m retiring so if you want to buy a used good condition unit at a used price PM me or call 816-665-5346 David once upon a Time b60 was the best you could buy but like everything else new models keep improving and improving. Spec out specs on the net
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Thank you Robert. At this time I am looking at it as another tool. Defiantly NOT to market as a thermography scan.
Thank you David. I think that is a bit beyond my budget at the moment. But you might be hearing from me. Thank you for the feedback.
Sale already over, says full price?
Why have a discount page if none work?
Why have a sale page if none are on sale?
We sure advertise the Inspector Outlet discount as a selling point to membership, but in my experience it’s never really available and should be removed from all advertisement on the interNACHI pages…
Only two out of seven items on the sale list are actually on sale?
None of the Flir discount codes work?
None of the discounts on the Exclusive Deals for Clients discount page work?
5% discount page don’t work either?
No Inspector Outlet Discount?
https://www.nachi.org/benefits.htm![Capture|690x486]
Does anyone have experience with a C5 not powering on? The camera sat for a week or so and now won’t power on. Has been charging for nearly 1 hour. Tried the 7 seconds holding the power button, 5 seconds off the button then attempting to turn it on again. Very little if any detail online regarding this particular camera and issues, and the only reset option detailed is through the menu once powered on.
SOunds like you did everything possible, still under warranty?
Try another charger and cable?
Hi Jim, yes still under warranty - just 6 weeks old. I could not get any answers out of FLIR when I contacted them, and in all honesty, are quite pissed off with their lackadaisical and non-helpful attitude toward my problem - especially considering I had an inspection that afternoon.
However, after leaving it plugged in for several hours it mysteriously started working. I can only suspect, perhaps I left it on and the unit has a safety issue preventing power on when the battery gets below a certain level. Now, do I want to take that risk again? Not sure. All I can say is despite everyone knocking on Home Depot, I can’t thank them enough for having one available I was able to rent for the day. Also can’t thank Heather and the team at Inspector Outlet enough for overnighting an E5 to me.
I found the clarity of the C5 is far superior to the E6 I rented. But I’m still annoyed at my overall experience with FLIR, and I hope they read this forum. I’m not one to rip on people or companies but rest assured my review of their crap will be far from positive. I get stuff happens, and components fail even prematurely. But, it’s the attitude and how you deal with said problems when someone is in a pinch.
My overall review: I likely will be calling Inspector Outlet to return all FLIR equipment and seek alternatives. Maybe FLIR is at the top of most inspectors lists, but the attitude and overall experience are enough for me to tell someone to piss off.
For about the same money you can get a SeekPro, very compact and much better resolution.
Do you use a SeekPro Dave? If so, how long have you had it and have you had any issues with it?
I’ve had one for about 5 years… a couple years ago it died on me… I sent it in to them and they replaced the motherboard… no issues before or since… I use it for attics. FWIW I also have an e6, e8, e60 and a Cat 61 and a (first one i bought) seek cell phone attachment which was quickly determined to be insufficient for my needs.
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I too had a support issue that I was not inpressed with FLIR on. For one of the top companyies, I expected more…
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Kurt - take a certification class first. They typically let you try different models out during the class, though some classes are just online only right now. I recommend the CRT class from Monroe Infrared. If you get serious about infrared, you’ll probably want something better than the C5. Consider the E6 or E8XT. I use the E8XT. Once you take the class you will understand the resolution differences and be able to make a good decision about which one to get. My advice in general with most of the equipment in this industry is to not go cheap.
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