I own an use a SEEK Compact Pro series Thermal Camera / IR Camera / Infrared Camera.
This my review: the camera works well, pairs right to my phone, takes clear pictures and video.
It comes with a little carrying case that’s waterproof dustproof and rugged. Very nice.
I find it hard to use the images in reports however: unlike the Flir models, there’s no black and white camera, so the pictures come through without context. You just see the heat signature, not the structure.
I dont know what model you have, but on mine there is an option to overlay a regular image. There is a sliding scale to get the intensity of the regular image.
I’m willing to take compromises for the form factor: about half inch thick 1 inch wide, 2 inches deep. That way I can take it along always in my bag, and on days when I want to travel light, or am using a bicycle to avoid parking hassles.
Note how with the Flir the IR resolution is actually quite low,
the magic is in the black and white image and the edge detection done in software. The net effect is quite good.
In different, non-inspection work I do, the IR resolution is more important, and the Seek beats the Flir there.
Okay, how about you write us a narrative of the issues or conditions that you observe in this thermal scan?
I am semi retired and all I do is analyze infrared thermal imaging scans on a daily basis, and write narratives about things I have never seen with my naked eye. I’d be interested in your analysis of what you see here from a home inspector’s perspective.
I bought a Flir One Pro a couple of months ago mainly for my own home testing and just to get familiar with IR cameras. I have used it on many inspections just as an extra tool in my tool bag for checking heating registers, GFCI receptacles, electrical panels and just to see what I can see. Not doing full blown IR thermography but I think this can be a good tool for just about anybody. The images are easy to see, include background details, and for the price, around $400, I think it’s worth it.
I’ve read some negative reviews about the software and battery life (around 45 minutes - who needs more than that?) but so far no problems with either. There is a big difference in image quality between the “pro model” and the others so definately go for the pro.
First is my dog - nose is cold, good boy!
Next image is a heated garage floor for a friend. We were trying to decide where the heating loops were and didn’t want to drill any holes where the loops were. It was easily apparent which areas of the floor were heated.
Other images are from under a kitchen sink and you can see that the heat for the register below the bottom of the cabinet is pouring into the cabinet. In the normal pic you can see that the base of the cabinet is severely deteriorated and the heat is going through the base.
The Flir merges a visible light photo, with a smoothed version of the IR sensor.
The SEEK is just raw pixels. But there are more of them per the specifications.
I purchased my SEEK for inspecting electronic circuits, not home inspections, and the extra resolution is very helpful when inspecting tiny things a few millimeters in size.
I’m still happy with the seek in that it’s so small I can carry it in my bag all the time (e.g. when I bicycle to a job, and only bring basic tools).
No visible light with this image. This is a hacked FLIR E4 image of my coffee maker. Notice the resolution of the spacing between the tile on the wall behind the coffee maker. Can you say smooooooth!
Cool. Or is that waaarmm.
Could you post the same photo with and without the second camera B&W overlay?
Maybe something similar to what I could take with the phone plug in camera?
