# Looking 4 good inexpensive thermal cameras **URL:** \ **Category:** Misc. Discussion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2022, 8:28pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463 "2022-12-18T20:28:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bcawhern1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/bcawhern1/32/408713_2.png) [@bcawhern1](https://forum.nachi.org/u/bcawhern1)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 10:45pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/25 "2022-12-18T22:45:47Z")
> [@dmiller74](#): > > Some of the others seem like they old and outdated I have learned more from them than I can say! Get thick skin and dive in, ignore the bedside manner and listen to actual points being made. They are invaluable. ---
**Author:** ![rkenney](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/rkenney/32/405447_2.png) [@rkenney](https://forum.nachi.org/u/rkenney)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 10:47pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/26 "2022-12-18T22:47:06Z")
> [@dmiller74](#): > > how about staying on point? I did stay on point. you’re putting the cart before the horse. You have insufficient education to determine your needs. Otherwise you wouldn’t be asking for “cheap - good” equipment. An oxymoron if I ever heard one. ---
**Author:** ![mwilles](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/mwilles/32/181480_2.png) [@mwilles](https://forum.nachi.org/u/mwilles)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/27 "2022-12-18T22:49:02Z")
> [@dmiller74](#): > > they old and outdated and probably don’t own a computer And some of us used to build computers, probably before you were born. Your thank you for today’s technology 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![lkage](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/lkage/32/347658_2.png) [@lkage](https://forum.nachi.org/u/lkage)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/28 "2022-12-18T22:49:47Z")
> [@dmiller74](#): > > I asked for a recommendation on a thermal camera…how about staying on point? > [@dmiller74](#): > > How about best bang for my buck? My first imager, that I bought after I completed some weeks long certifications, was a Flir B-400 w/ high temperature option and cost $17,000.00. One can purchase a comparable imager now for about 1/3 of that. The experienced inspectors above are trying to give you good info so that you can succeed. Listening to them is in your best interest. P.S. Infrared does not “see” into walls and competent schooling will help you understand that and many other nuances of the anomalies that you will run into. And, it can help you decide what would be in your best interest (and your client’s) how and what to use it for. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![dmiller74](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/dmiller74/32/292781_2.png) [@dmiller74](https://forum.nachi.org/u/dmiller74)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 12:09am UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/29 "2022-12-19T00:09:33Z")
Thank you for your advice ---
**Author:** ![bcawhern1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/bcawhern1/32/408713_2.png) [@bcawhern1](https://forum.nachi.org/u/bcawhern1)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 12:42am UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/30 "2022-12-19T00:42:40Z")
> [@dmiller74](#): > > Beside finding air leaks, water leaks, and problems with wall or attic insulation, one of the best things an infrared camera can do is document (as near irrefutable evidence) that the water heater or furnace did not have any exhaust leaks, the flue was not overly hot, the oven bake and broil setting worked, the electrical panel did not have any hot breakers or overload wires, and so forth. And, this is the best of all, that the AC condenser was running properly. I do not think a single “fossilized” inspector said they did not use thermal. In fact, most of the **actual thermal experts I know** fall into the “fossilized” category with decades of experience. Did you ask? Many of the things you mentioned above that a thermal can be used for can be; but are often misdiagnosed. And this “irrefutable evidence” you referred to will fall apart immediately when dragged into a court room to face a thermal pro. I am not going to pick apart all of your misuses or pitfalls (such as using the MSX feature), but you are the one who said **“I am just starting out”** That was premise for all the responses. Notably the first two in this thread! (edit, I see now your post is from a private conversation. He/she said the exact same thing as everyone else did in this post. But, chose to malign the experienced inspectors and then chose to feed you candy coated syrupy words to spare your feelings.) ---
**Author:** ![mwilles](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/mwilles/32/181480_2.png) [@mwilles](https://forum.nachi.org/u/mwilles)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/32 "2022-12-19T01:26:42Z")
> [@dmiller74](#): > > My rule of thumb is to also to always verify using a second more-reliable method. So, if it looks like the wall is wet on the infrared camera image, break out your humidity meter to verify, 🙄 I wonder if the old dinosaurs on this forum have caught on to this little sparkling nugget? David, please keep us posted with more helpful hints 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![dmiller74](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/dmiller74/32/292781_2.png) [@dmiller74](https://forum.nachi.org/u/dmiller74)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 1:31am UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/33 "2022-12-19T01:31:34Z")
Lol …. Thank you 🙏🏻 ---
**Author:** ![dmiller74](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/dmiller74/32/292781_2.png) [@dmiller74](https://forum.nachi.org/u/dmiller74)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 1:38am UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/34 "2022-12-19T01:38:08Z")
Yes, I miss spoke. All i asked was about a decent good camera. ---
**Author:** ![mwilles](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/mwilles/32/181480_2.png) [@mwilles](https://forum.nachi.org/u/mwilles)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 1:41am UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/35 "2022-12-19T01:41:32Z")
> [@dmiller74](#): > > All i asked was about a decent good camera. And responded 11 times. Good luck with your search for the right camera. ---
**Author:** ![jspencer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/jspencer/32/172267_2.png) [@jspencer](https://forum.nachi.org/u/jspencer)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 2:05am UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/36 "2022-12-19T02:05:00Z")
Come on, fossils, cut the guy a break. You too knew more than the experienced guys when you were first starting out. ---
**Author:** ![jdepiero](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/jdepiero/32/356888_2.png) [@jdepiero](https://forum.nachi.org/u/jdepiero)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 2:30am UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/37 "2022-12-19T02:30:14Z")
David, I am curious what infrared courses you have taken? ---
**Author:** ![lkage](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/lkage/32/347658_2.png) [@lkage](https://forum.nachi.org/u/lkage)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 9:18am UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/38 "2022-12-19T09:18:09Z")
> [@jspencer](#): > > Come on, fossils, cut the guy a break. You too knew more than the experienced guys when you were first starting out Some of us tried… 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![srechkin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/srechkin/32/180448_2.png) [@srechkin](https://forum.nachi.org/u/srechkin)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/39 "2022-12-19T15:52:35Z")
> [@ruecker](#): > > This is the one I have and consider to be the best bang for the buck. It’s an E8 dressed in E4 clothes What about Chinese brands in the same price range, still suck? I see many gravitate toward HIKmicro and HTI. They have improved tremendously in the past few years. ---
**Author:** ![lmorrison](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/lmorrison/32/58376_2.png) [@lmorrison](https://forum.nachi.org/u/lmorrison)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/40 "2022-12-19T17:32:31Z")
A $4,000 Flir is not worth the $200 (inspection price of a cheap home inspection) if it is used by someone untrained. Training is important and Then REAL World Experience is what makes for a good to professional Inspector/Thermographer. You need to Know What you are “seeing”. I do not believe you need to pay over $500 (Not “Flir”) for a Thermal Camera capable for use while performing A Home Inspection. We are not needing to be that precise or diagnose the electrical panel’s cause for apparent hot areas we might discover…or diagnose the enflamed knee joint and what associated tendons are involved with that Triple Crown contender (not what we do). Yes I know you are not going to find a decent and capable “Flir” Brand for less than $1,500 (way over priced because of name brand). You can however find others such as SEEK or HIKMICRO. The HIKMICRO B-20 has 256x192 res, with WiFi and sells for about $550, I just purchased one for about $440 on a cyber Monday deal. It is comparable to a $2,000 + Flir…With the savings, (Not buying the name “Flir” name (IMO)), you can also purchase a nice Moisture detector/meter which is a must when using Thermal Imaging while doing a home inspection…otherwise you will be seeing water, water everywhere. You need to understand house science while using a thermal imaging camera or you will be degrading the quality of the home inspections, not enhancing the inspection and reporting value to your clients. ---
**Author:** ![dhorton2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/dhorton2/32/178593_2.png) [@dhorton2](https://forum.nachi.org/u/dhorton2)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/41 "2022-12-19T17:46:22Z")
Yes, I have this one: [Amazon.com: Hti-Xintai 384 X 288 High Resolution Thermal Camera Imager with 3.5” TFT Display Screen, Infrared Imaging Camera with WiFi, Built-in 8GB Digital Storage and Adjustable Focus Thermal Camera with 25HZ : Industrial & Scientific](https://www.amazon.com/Hti-Xintai-Resolution-Thermal-Infrared-Adjustable/dp/B089YDQP5G/ref=sr_1_5?tag=nachi02-20) It is very sensitive to temps, and has a 25hz refresh rate, so you arent waiting for it to refresh as you walk around. A single drop of water will stand out like a sore thumb. I have mentioned before, it rivals a $4k Flir as far as sensitivity, just not the greatest background picture (like msx) They also have a cheaper camera at about $600, that is still a great camera for what we use them for. ---
**Author:** ![dandersen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/dandersen/32/59398_2.png) [@dandersen](https://forum.nachi.org/u/dandersen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/42 "2022-12-19T17:49:34Z")
David A moisture meter is less accurate in detecting moisture than a thermal camera if you have adequate training. See recent thread here about moisture meters. Click on this link: > [@Tramex moisture meter, metal screen/corner bead readings](https://forum.nachi.org/t/tramex-moisture-meter-metal-screen-corner-bead-readings/222715/14): > > I’ll try this again. Resistance Meters (Pin Type Moisture Meters) Commonly known as a pin moisture meter, this type used to be the most widely used meter throughout the world. Two or more pins are pushed directly into the wood in two different spots, and a direct current travels from one pin to the other. This process measures the resistance to the current between pins and correlates that resistance to wood moisture content. Electromagnetic Field Technology, EMF (Pinless Moisture Meters) Of… ---
**Author:** ![jsanzone1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/jsanzone1/32/225435_2.png) [@jsanzone1](https://forum.nachi.org/u/jsanzone1)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/43 "2022-12-19T17:52:29Z")
1.) Flir hacked E4 on eBay (I paid around $1,100) 2.) DJI Mini 2 (I paid around $600 for the Fly More package) Inexpensive is a subjective term … those were inexpensive to me, but I also wasn’t just starting out when I acquired those tools. ---
**Author:** ![ruecker](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/ruecker/32/357170_2.png) [@ruecker](https://forum.nachi.org/u/ruecker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 6:23pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/44 "2022-12-19T18:23:36Z")
> [@srechkin](#): > > What about Chinese brands in the same price range, still suck?. Don’t know. Maybe some others will chime in with their experience using those. They weren’t on my radar when I was shopping. ---
**Author:** ![dandersen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/user_avatar/forum.nachi.org/dandersen/32/59398_2.png) [@dandersen](https://forum.nachi.org/u/dandersen)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 6:32pm UTC](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463/45 "2022-12-19T18:32:31Z")
> [@lmorrison](#): > > Training is important and Then REAL World Experience is what makes for a good to professional Inspector/Thermographer. You need to Know What you are “seeing”. 👍 All of us fossils that first started using IR when it came out to laymen started with a 180x180 camera that beat the hell out of pouring liquid nitrogen into the camera to make it run. The guys before us still have the scars that reflects their experience. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/internachi/original/4X/5/9/f/59f4ac48b0fcd1049d330af951ce769c959314b3.png) It took a hell of a lot of training, then experience, to properly use these first 180x180’s to identify what the camera was showing. If you go back into the NACHI Archives, you will find that everyone here just starting out attended formal training first. Blue means moisture did not pan out. Then came a guy that tried to create shortcuts without training. That trend is still on the downward slope, as evident here. Instead of telling us how little it takes too use an IR camera, how about teaching what is needed to accurately use a POS camera. We used the first cameras that came out by looking for temperature differentials that did not belong there (based on knowledge of building construction that many new inspectors haven’t even acquired yet). We then went up in the attic, inside accessible walls, to visually see what was the cause. No moisture meter and call it a day. The moisture meter was the “second opinion” before climbing back up into radially inaccessible spaces (which were outside home inspection standards, and for what you were insured for). That system worked, and it still does. But as we look around the internet, there is evidence of extremely inaccurate diagnosis of the thermal scans people post. So, the argument is not that you can’t use crap cameras, it’s about you don’t know what you don’t know, till you know! [Previous page](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463.md?page=1) [Next page](https://forum.nachi.org/t/looking-4-good-inexpensive-thermal-cameras/223463.md?page=3)