Flir b Series vs. i Series?

[Scott Gilligan, CMI]

I am looking to finally break down and buy a camera in the next couple of months and am pretty set on getting a Flir. I am looking at 4 different models and haven't decided on what major features I want. I am a little confused about the i Series and b Series. They specs look like they are exactly the same cameras except in a different color casing. I am not seeing any real decernable difference between the two series.

For the record I am comparing the ThermaCAM SD vs. the InfraCAM SD and the i40 vs. the b40 models.

Can someone please tell me what the differences are between series that would make one better than the other for building envelope diagnostics?

Thanks

[Dale Duffy]

Hey Scott....you should talk to John McKenna before buying anything, he has a lot of good information, some he cannot post here (prices for cams).

I am going to finally buy one to....heck, they are half price compared to a year ago....kind of like our home prices here (half price compared to a year ago)----

[John McKenna]

Scott... I sent you a PM.

[Scott Gilligan, CMI]

I have been researching Fluke cameras too. I have to decide what features I want and weigh the two manufactures over one another. I am still trying to decifer the difference between the Flir series though. Closest thing I can see from the spec sheets is the built in alarms the b series has that the i series doesn't list in the spec sheets.

I like the Flir 40's because of the built in visible light camera, but I think the Flukes have a better thermal sensitivity if I am not mistaken. I have used both and thought the Flukes provided a better picture and more information compared to the Flir.

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by sgilligan1

I have been researching Fluke cameras too. I have to decide what features I want and weigh the two manufactures over one another. I am still trying to decifer the difference between the Flir series though. Closest thing I can see from the spec sheets is the built in alarms the b series has that the i series doesn't list in the spec sheets.

I like the Flir 40's because of the built in visible light camera, but I think the Flukes have a better thermal sensitivity if I am not mistaken. I have used both and thought the Flukes provided a better picture and more information compared to the Flir.

Sounds like you are doing some good homework.

[Dale Duffy]

Originally Posted by sgilligan1

I have been researching Fluke cameras too. I have to decide what features I want and weigh the two manufactures over one another. I am still trying to decifer the difference between the Flir series though. Closest thing I can see from the spec sheets is the built in alarms the b series has that the i series doesn't list in the spec sheets.

I like the Flir 40's because of the built in visible light camera, but I think the Flukes have a better thermal sensitivity if I am not mistaken. I have used both and thought the Flukes provided a better picture and more information compared to the Flir.

I am going with Fluke myself Scott...even though I have not had both manufacturer models in my hand...from what I have heard from MANY people who have had the opportunity to use, or have both brands, 95% of the folks I spoke with all said Fluke...

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Scott -

Major diff between B and I

B has better thermal sensitivity / I hits higher temps

[Scott Gilligan, CMI]

Originally Posted by dbowers

Scott -

Major diff between B and I

B has better thermal sensitivity / I hits higher temps

Thanks Dan...Exactly what information I was after.

[Michael A. Ruffing]

Scott
I had the same concerns on B or I I call Professional Equipment for the anser.
B cam betters for Home Inspection. I cam is best for equipment inspection
But I tried both Flir and the FLUKE. The FLUKE was much better and at a much much better price. Contack Tom Black at
www.tomwblack.com

Michael Ruffing

[OJ Utter]

Scott-
Here is a break down on the differences between the cameras.
ICam and BCam SD cameras don't have a built in digital camera. These cameras are the equivalent of an i40 or b40 respectively only no digital camera.
i Series- Higher temperature range. There are actually 2 different temperature ranges settings- -4 to 248 (which actually tops out at 302) and 32 to 662 (which actually tops out at about 698.)
b Series- only has the -4 to 248 range. Major key in these cameras is the insulation and dew point alarms. Left image shows the Insulation and the right image the Dew point.

There is no sensitivity difference between the i and b Series cameras per specification on all models 0.1C at 25C.

40 Series- 120x120 resolution or 14,400 pixels, No Laser Pointer, Fixed Picture In Picture (PIP) Fusion Size, 0.6M pixel built in digital camera with lighting
50 Series- 140x140 resolution or 19,600 pixels (which is the same as the FLUKE cameras), Laser Pointer and 3 step resizeable PIP Fusion, 2.3M pixel built in digital camera with lighting
60 Series- 180x180 resolution or 32,400, On screen marker for Laser Pointer, High and Cold Temperature markers for the HOT BOX square or on the entire screen, 2.3M pixel built in digital camera with lighting

These are i40 images (b40 image would be the same)



These are some b60 images


You can see the box temperature measurement but on the last image you can see what the hot/cold marker is and also the laser marker dot.

Also all FLIR Cameras have built in LEDs, field replaceable batteries, and a pouch (additional accessory) for which comes in very handy when climbing ladders which are options that the FLUKE cameras don't have.


Also all FLIR Images are standard radiometric jpegs so that means you don't need another software (which the FLIR cameras have for free) to make reports. So that means you can put them into emails or whatever without ever going into another software. Files sizes are about 80-300kb (80k for a standard infrared and just over 300k for a Fusion image)

The images here came directly off the camera and made even smaller with a standard picture processing software so they transfer easier through the internet.

There are quite a few other things that I would be happy to share with you about the differences if you want to contact me.

OJ Utter
Level III itc Certified Thermographer
www.utterprecision.com

[Mario A. Kyriacou, CHI]

Scott,

If you decide on the BCAM SD I will ship you (no charge) a camera/visor mount that I invented.

Let me know, send me an e-mail.

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Mr Utter -

I'm glad you clarified the Thermal Sensitivity of the I vs B series.

Many of us mistakenly believed what we read on Flir's Spec Sheets on the Cameras - Such as the B-60 having a 0.08 sensitivity and the I-60 having a 0.1 sensitivity. Thanks for helping us with that.

[David P. Valley]

I own the Flir B-2 (with the wide angle lens) which has a better resolution than the B-Cams.

If you're interested in comparing the two cameras, I can email you a .PDF with comparisons on the B-2 and the B-Cams.

[Scott Gilligan, CMI]

Great answers guys.

Next question I have is what camera has a better frame refresh rate. I can't seem to find this information on any of the Flir data sheets. I found the information for the Fluke cameras though. I am looking for an inexpensive ($5000.00ish) camera that has good thermal sensitivity and a fast refresh rate so that I can do large area scans such as roof tops and moving objects such as bearings and motors.

[Scott Gilligan, CMI]

Found that both the Flir and Fluke lower end models have a 9 Hz refresh rate. Guess that means it will take a little longer to do a large flat roof.