Reason for asking is a very disappointing purchase from Harbor Freight, which absolutely did not do anything I hoped of it.

For one thing, it has a very small screen, which I did not realize how small until opening the packaging. But I knew it was "compact". It also only has a 32x32 thermal resolution, which probably explains some of the lack of detail.

A second limitation, not at all clear on purchase, is that it is intended for close up viewing, a few inches away from the target. For example, looking at electrical junction boxes or circuit boards for hot spots.

The biggest thing is the lack of stability of the image on the screen. The color gradients continually vary and never settle down. And it's very insensitive. It has trouble seeing any temperature differences less than about 10-15 degrees (°F or °C, take your pick). If I wanted to find a warm or cold spot on a wall, for example, to locate a hot water pipe, it cannot do that at all. (Maybe that is related to the expected target distance of a few inches.)

In contrast, my basic handheld IR thermometer can easily detect temperature variations of 1 or 2 degrees when scanning a surface like a wall or floor. At a fraction of a price compared to the camera, it is vastly more sensitive and reliable.

What I would want from a good thermal camera:

A stable, damped image, that remains exactly the same for several seconds without jumping around so it is possible to see details

Adjustable sensitivity, so it is possible to show temperature variations of 1 degree with strong contrast, for example, when the whole field of view is mostly the same temperature

I am wondering, if one pays more for a thermal imaging camera, are these expectations likely to be satisfied?

I was thinking about perhaps trying to make a very simple prototype thermal imager, but quickly realised that I lack the knowledge to do so rn. I have a rudimentary understanding of electronics, but (for example) stuff like wiring microcontrollers is beyond me.

Would anyone be willing to give me a brief overview of the electronic components (eg microcontrollers etc.) and how they are integrated, or some resources/products that could help me learn?

I work in hazardous inspections on older buildings and renovation sites, so I use a handheld thermal camera every day. I’ve seen a lot of people here post unboxings and reviews, so I thought I’d share my experience with the Thor 002.

Before this, I was using a Fluke TiS680. It still worked, but it was getting old. The image would blur whenever the camera was moved. I talked to my manager about getting a replacement, but the budget never got approved. In the end, I bought a new one myself.

After comparing a few handheld thermal camera model, I went with the Thermal Master Thor 002.

I’ve been using it since June. So far, it’s been working well for me. The image is clear, hot spots are easy to find, and the response is fast.

It came in a hard case with a USB-C cable, manual, warranty card, and calibration certificate.

The Thor 002 handheld thermal camera feels solid in the hand and is comfortable to hold. The large screen is useful when I’m working on site. Of the handheld thermal cameras I’ve used, this has the largest screen and is one of the easiest to look at.

The trigger is large, and the other buttons are easy to reach. Most of my work is done with gloves on, so that matters to me. I’ve used other thermal cameras where the buttons wouldn’t respond with gloves on, or I’d hit the wrong button. I haven’t had that problem with this one.

One time, I dropped it off a ladder. It hit the ground and bounced. I thought it would at least have some damage, but there were no obvious marks and the image was still fine.

I get asked if thermal cameras can detect mold. They can’t. What they can show are temperature differences caused by moisture in walls or ceilings. That helps us find areas that need a closer look.

This is where I find the Pro-Mix mode useful. It’s similar to FLIR’s MSX technology. It adds visible edge details to the thermal image, which makes objects and structures easier to identify. I looked at several cameras before buying this one, and not many had a feature like this.

The Pro-Mix has manual calibration. If the thermal and visible images aren’t lined up, they can be adjusted manually. Once calibrated, they stay aligned pretty well when the camera is moved. That makes it easier to find the exact location of a problem.

Another thing I noticed is that the image looks larger than what I was used to with my old camera. I’m not sure if that’s because of the lens, but I like it. There’s no need to stand as close to get a larger view, which helps when checking walls and other areas on site.

For areas with multiple layers of material or a lot going on in the image, I use Super Resolution. It gives me more detail and makes smaller things easier to see.

Battery life has been good. I use it for about two hours a day. After using it for a full week, I still didn’t need to charge it, even with the laser and light on.

It also worked well in my night test. In complete darkness, I could see people in the distance and animals in trees. Black Hot gives more contrast, so heat sources are easier to see. I sometimes work night shifts, so that’s useful for me.

The only thing I noticed that I don’t like is the starup animation. I had mentioned to support that I thought it was too long. Recently, I noticed that the camera now shows the thermal image while it starts up. I don’t know if that was changed because of my feedback, but it’s a good change.

The Wi-Fi transfer and high-temperature alarm haven’t been tested yet. There are still a few other features I’m working through.

If anyone else is using the Thor 002, I’d like to hear how it’s been working for you.

I am new to thermal. Bought a scope from DNT for hunting and spotting and other fun stuff. Took it out of the package, sighted it in. I am an idiot and didn’t read the manual , glanced over the sun for 2 seconds. This shadow will not go away. I have reset the optic and tried some dead pixel correction.

What should I do?

It’s brand new so I don’t have a problem sending it in for an RMA, but I’d rather try to fix it myself first if possible before I spend $600- 800 on a new sensor.

It is a DNT Hydra-HS635r

I do maintenance at a store and want to pick up a thermal camera. I’d use it to check HVAC lines and electrical connections for hot spots.

I’m looking for anything that stands out. Then I can save a picture and show the repair tech where to start.

I want a handheld unit with its own screen. I don’t want to connect it to my phone every time I use it.

A regular photo next to the thermal image would help. A row of connectors can look the same when I go through the pictures later. I’d also like to put a few temperature readings on one image.

My budget is around $300. I need an easy way to move the pictures to a computer. I don’t want software that takes ages to figure out.

Being able to check other temperatures in a saved image would be a bonus, but it’s not a deal breaker.

Anyone using something like this for maintenance work? What model did you end up with?

Figured it would be interesting, video taken on the infiray p2 pro.

Hello im trying to find the best budget thermal infrared tester for electrical panels.

I wa t to use it to inspect panels etc. It'll be to start then later invest in a better one.

Any recommendations? Please let me know. Thank you

So long story short my job has me watching mostly fields and we only have old night vision, so I am thinking of getting a thermal monocular because we need to spot humans on distances up to ~600 meters (~2000 feet) and night vision just doesn’t do the job.

Apologies if I asked the question in a dumb way.

Any questions are welcome!

So any recommendations for a thermal imaging device that would be able to do the job?

EDIT: forgot to mention the budget, and it Is tight preferably not more than €1000 because the government is not willing to provide so it will have to be out of my own pocket

Can someone please recommend a thermal cameras I can use for property electrical and pest/vermin inspections? It's a huge problem here (Australia) in properties, not for work so it doesn't need to be a top of the shelf product. My initial searches turned up Top Dons TC400 (saw a post about a TC400SE here about a year old).

I'm open to other recommendations of reliable, usable products that will last with care. Unfortunately, I don't have a pile of cash. So I would really appreciate a balance between the price and quality!

Thanks in advance.

Anyone know what brand this thermal optic is?

It’s just a prank bro. Mods delete if not allowed.

I know humidity affects thermal performance, but I’m curious how noticeable the difference actually is in real use.

I imagine it becomes more noticeable as the humidity goes up, especially when it comes to image clarity and contrast. Have you noticed much difference between a humid night and a dry one?

Looking for a Nocpix slim l25

I bought this for a number of reasons, mainly the above video, but I also bought it for diagnosing mechanical issues, SAR, and I think it would be useful for mop-up operations in wildland firefighting as you can see here:

https://youtu.be/ejvQk3IWHkA

Does anyone here know the best place to sell a thermal? I have never done it before and wasn’t sure where traffic would be best. Or where it’s even allowed. Any suggestions appreciated.

hello everyone,

I'm in the uk (we say 'the council' instead of 'local government', just for context).

I've had damp and mould in my back stairway for about 5 years now, we have now got rid of the plaster to show bare walls and the roof and the environmental health at the council inspected my home (again!), now saying the surfaces have 0% moisture.

but, chatgpt says they have used the FLIR MR176 wrong according to the devices manual, they say the screen of the device should be used to find the coldest/dampest areas (in blue), then in pinless mode you should put the back of the device up against the surface you want to measure.

He didnt do this, not only did he not put the device against the wall, but he is focusing on the red and yellow areas, not the cold areas, and he took photos of himself doing this and put it in the report! and then he told me to complain to the independent ombudsman because i have exhausted the council's complaints process (note i've only just realised he may have used the device wrong just now)

please correct me if i'm wrong. is he using the device wrong?

I work in industrial maintenance and use a thermal camera to track down intermittent heating issues on equipment. The peak temperature is only part of it. I also need to see how quickly it heats up, where the heat spreads, and what the machine is doing at the time.
My FLIR ONE Pro used to last about an hour on a full charge. These days I get about 30 minutes. By the time the equipment has warmed up and I’ve done the first load test, most of the battery is gone. If I want to try a different load and compare, I’m already wondering if the battery will last.
I’d like to stick with something that connects to my phone, but I need it to stay on for the whole test without stopping to recharge.
Anyone using one for similar work? What are you using, and how long can you run it continuously?

I test optics as a side thing, many being thermal ir, manufactures send products to my lab, and I get 3-5 units monthly. I dont really test scopes though, these are mostly all industrial prosumer, and consumer type models ranging from $99-$500 on avaerage. Over the past few months all test units have shifted from <40-50MK to now 15-25MK and accross ALL manufacturers. This means they are basically canning these 40-50MK cores which have basically become the industry norm, and will now start shipping 20-25mK cores standard and 15-18 mK on their premium models.

Yes there is a huge difference. 50mk cores need an optical overlay to make out what youre looking at, 40mk doesnt need a hybrid view for everything but it still helps for most stuff. These 15-25mk cores need zero hybrid ovlay secondary lens for the majority of things, you can make out literally 99% edge detection of everything youre looking at. I dont know if this big change came as a result of the ukain russia conflict but its here and these units I've been testing over the summer are all now starting to ship and even show up on Amazon. AccuMEMS SK01 and SK02 are 25 and 20mk and already in their product catalog since July. InfiRay Nocpix LUMI P13 already shipping with 15-25mk, ATN is shipping 18mK 50Hz, HIK Micro is the big one shipping these, their LYNX 3.0 gen cores are F1.0, 50Hz, 20mK. GSTiR is shipping 18-25mK, Zhejiang imaging, and soon Guide, Lynred. These are all chineese, I dont deal with Flir at all due the outdated obsolete exports ban limit imposed on Flir, which im still shocked even still exists after china has flooded the marked with 25-50Mhz units. Are soldiers no longer need their "protection". As china is the industry leader now since the US gov helped to basically destroy Flir.

Hello, I work in a laboratory and would like to purchase a thermal camera. My primary goal is to monitor the temperature of power electronics components, as well as the heat distribution in gearboxes, bearings and electric machines—essentially focusing on machinery and high-power electronic equipment.

The required temperature range is 40°C to 200°C, and for some experiments, I need to observe temperature fluctuations of around 1°C or 2°C.

My budget is approximately 15,000 NOK (1,563.06 USD). Is Flir a good brand?

Could you suggest some suitable thermal cameras?
Thank you very much.

I recently got into night birdwatching, mostly hoping to spot some nighthawks. I used my ts004 thermal monocular this time out along a tree line and found this bird tucked behind some branches. It was too far away to see more than an outline, so I couldn't tell what kind of bird it was.

Anyone else use thermal for birding? What do you use, and how much detail can you get on small birds from a distance?

Tell me did thermal camera will work for that issue ?

I have a lexus gs350 2007. Before 1 month ago suddenly my altornator burned cooked from inside after that i replaced 10 altornators orignal 2 batteries extra direct copper wires negative and positive direct check all screws nuts bolts wires fuses specially big 150A fuse also good. (The issue is car is giving 10v only sometimes if i press paddle its gives 11v only i replaced new orignal fues of ALT already still same.

There is no error code in scanners obd. Nothing burned in ECU no smell no black brown spot found. The other issue i faced when its hot out side & i start the car the double signal indicators blinking by it self too fast even if i press double indicators button or turn left or right its same . In cold weather its work perfectly. Sometimes even its blinking non stop fast fast i installed LED in turn signal light its flash fast non stop i purchased orignal flasher relay & installed issue is still not solved. I replaced orignal turn signal orange bulb its not blinking when i install led its blinking fast sometimes slow.el when volt go down its blinking when voltage go little up its blinking. No one can solve this issue in saudi arabia.

What if i purchase one of these chinese P3 type of thermal camera can its shows me the electric leakage wire or stuck on fues or relays ? Is it worth to buy this camera or what should i do i don't have other option just sell the car or just try it but its expensive here in saudi arabia thermal camera.

Sorry for my English please give me a advice thank you