Brian, thats what I was gona say…
OK, I’m gonna do my best to keep this thread on-topic for a day or so. I’ll keep repeating the list until there are no other items suggested to be added or thread drift hijacks it.
The thread topic is: What spec’s are most important when comparing IR cameras?
So far the important item list is this (I’ll sort it later):
a. Image Sensor (i.e. 160x120)
b. Thermal Sensitivity (i.e. 0.2°C at 30°C)
c. Spectral Range (i.e. 7.5 - 13 µm)
d. Display (i.e. 3.5" VGA)
e. Field of View (i.e. 25x25)
f. Memory (i.e. SD)
g. Focus (i.e. auto, manual)
h. Temp Range (i.e. -10°C to 350°C)
j. PIP (yes or no)
k. Est Battery Life (i.e. 5 hrs)
l. Laser Locator (yes or no)
m. Weight (i.e. 1.2 lbs)
n. Price (i.e. $3800)
p. Spatial Resolution (i.e. 2.5 mRad)
I do not see jpeg Michael, is under something else?
Software compatability perhaps?
From FLIR field surveys, it seems most inspectors charge approx 50% extra for an IR scan with the normal home inspection. It can take from 15 min to 1 hr, depending what you find.
Yep, I do need to add photo storage formats. I thought about s/w and after looking at a couple of example brochures I think most mfg’s have a proprietary report writing package. I’ll add that as well.
List is now:
a. Image Sensor (i.e. 160x120)
b. Thermal Sensitivity (i.e. 0.2°C at 30°C)
c. Spectral Range (i.e. 7.5 - 13 µm)
d. Display (i.e. 3.5" VGA)
e. Field of View (i.e. 25x25)
f. Memory (i.e. SD)
g. Focus (i.e. auto, manual)
h. Temp Range (i.e. -10°C to 350°C)
j. PIP (yes or no)
k. Est Battery Life (i.e. 5 hrs)
l. Laser Locator (yes or no)
m. Weight (i.e. 1.2 lbs)
n. Price (i.e. $3800)
p. Spatial Resolution (i.e. 2.5 mRad)
q. Storage format (i.e. jpeg, bmp, etc)
r. S/W (i.e. ThermaCAM Reporter 8.3)
Zoom yes or no
Wide angle lens adaptable yes or no
Dang, this list is getting longer than I hoped:
a. Image Sensor (i.e. 160x120)
b. Thermal Sensitivity (i.e. 0.2°C at 30°C)
c. Spectral Range (i.e. 7.5 - 13 µm)
d. Display (i.e. 3.5" VGA)
e. Field of View (i.e. 25x25)
f. Memory (i.e. SD)
g. Focus (i.e. auto, manual)
h. Temp Range (i.e. -10°C to 350°C)
j. PIP (yes or no)
k. Est Battery Life (i.e. 5 hrs)
l. Laser Locator (yes or no)
m. Weight (i.e. 1.2 lbs)
n. Price (i.e. $3800)
p. Spatial Resolution (i.e. 2.5 mRad)
q. Storage format (i.e. jpeg, bmp, etc)
r. S/W (i.e. ThermaCAM Reporter 8.3)
s. Zoom (i.e. Yes/No)
t. Wide angle lens adaptable (i.e. Yes/No)
[RIGHT]
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Charley,
I’ve got the wide angle lens and the only way a camera will come with it, is if the lens is requested upon purchase. I don’t think the BCams have the wide angle lens option.
I got a wide angle lens for my FLIR B2. Got off EBAY. 500.00 Used but it in perfect shape. a new one from FLIR 3,500 Ouch.
Best
Ron
Dear Mike:
Selecting, Specifying, and Purchasing Infrared Imagers is an article that may be of interest to you. It contains a spreadsheet like the one you mention along with other improtant information regarding the purchase of an infrared camera. Since Infraspection Institute does not sell infrared equipment, it is written with a purchaser’s needs in mind.
This article can be found at the follwing URL: Selecting, Specifying, and Purchasing Infrared Imagers.
It is also available as a free PDF file.
You can also find several topics related to imager purchase in the Tip of the Week section of the IRINFO.ORG website. A sortable list of Tips can be found at: Tip of the Week Archive List - IRINFO.org. Access to all Tips is free.
Be careful when comparing objective specifications such as sensitivity and resolution between imagers. Due to a lack of standardization among imager manufacturers, these results can be very misleading.
Once you have narrowed your choice to a few imagers, be certain to try the selected imager before you buy. Ideally, such testing should be done under the same conditions you are likely to encounter in the future.
Please fee free to give me a call if you have any questions. I wish you the best of luck in your search.
Thanks Jim, very good information available at your site. Now, if that spreadsheet were just populated with data then I’d be all set :). I’ll compare your feature list to mine to make sure I’ve not left anything important off. I think I still want to move forward with collecting the 3-4 top manufacturer’s data on their HI targeted models and making that populated spreadsheet available for preliminary comparisons.
Thanks for the compliment on my marketing skills; let me respond to the other issues.
The model 4010 is a good balance between performance and cost. 160 X120 is not high resolution for military night vision but it is more than enough to get across the finish line for most home inspection applications and at $3700, it is priced to sell. I have seen 80 X80’s for similar prices to our 160 X 120 and 120 X 120’s priced more than our camera which has higher resolution.
320 X240 resolution thermal cameras would cost more than twice as much as our camera. From the feedback I have gotten from HI customers spending $8,000 is priced way beyond their reach. We believe we have an excellent, affordable solution.
IRISYS is not the market leader but like Avis, they try harder and they have an excellent camera with a dynamite sensor under the hood and supported by excellent software for analysis and reporting.
A 320 X 240 (price $8400) will obviously have superior image resolution than ours which is 160 X 120 (price $3700). What I’m saying is ours is good enough for probably 95% of the home inspection apps out there. If the customer told me they needed 320X240 resolution I would direct them elsewhere but I have yet to hear from any prospect this is the minimum they need. Most HI customers want enough to get across the finish line and keep costs down, no big surprise in this economy.
I have yet to meet a potential TI camera buyer that will pay $8400; indeed, many are seeking financing for cameras in our price range. Let me also point out that FLIR still heavily markets 80 X80’s for HI.
Leslie…which Pembroke models do you recommend for HI applications? Obviously the 4010 but which 2-3 others might also be considered?
I am concentrating on collecting data for the following brands/models. Should any of these be excluded for HI work or are there others that should be included?
Pembroke - IRI 1010, 1020, 4010, 4011, 4040, 4041 & 4030
Fluke - TiR, TiR1, TiR2FT, TiR3FT
FLIR - BCAM SD, InfraCAM SD, ThermaCAM B2, b40/50/60 & Extech i5
Yes there is alway someone out there willing to sell to someone that does not have a clue what is needed or what they want, most are just looking at the price. I have the 120X120 and a 340X320 and the 120X120 stays in its case for backup only. I would be ashamed to place a 80X80 in one of my reports but that is just me.
David that would be correct the standard B-cam to my knowledge does not have the capability of wide angle think one has to step up to the SD and or BX
I think the Pembroke camera 4010 deserves a hard look. I look forward to the completion of Mike’s spreadsheet comparison.
Leslie has posted helpful information but yet members are giving neg rep to him. Doesn’t make much sense.
Leslie, thanks for posting your product information here, we need good equipment, with good back end support at decent prices.
Mike, if you can somehow include metrics for ongoing support, repair, etc…I think a disadvantage of Pembroke is that the product has to be shipped overseas for repair and I’m not certain that there is a strong presence in the US for support of this product. I could be wrong about this, perhaps Leslie can elaborate?
I like the Mikron line of portable thermal imagers
I think another consideration for your list is LCD view screen size. (i.e. 3.5" or 1.5")
The bigger the better in MHO to assist with in the field image analysis.
I personally find it difficult to analyze thermal issues on a “cell phone- sized” screen as compared to the larger viewers that are available.
Bill, I’ll look at the Mikron offerings. Do you know which of their models are most appropriate for HI applications?
Item “D” on my list is screen size.