FLIR BCAM SD vs. Fluke TiR

[Peter W. Bennett]

Originally Posted by jwisecup

Hi David,
I got to play with my TiR, finally. I really like it. The ir picture within the pic is great, 2 year warranty, very east to use.
The pics can be saved as .bmp files or radiomatric files on SD card- between 1200-3000 images.
Also, got mine for 3995.00.
Hope this helps,
Jamie

which model TiR?

[David A. Andersen]

I'd like a show of hands that store 1200-3000 pictures on their IR Camera?

.jpg is the photo standard?

I got to use an iR5 last week.
At first glance, it look good! It can do a lot!
It does the handprint and handwriting on the wall thing just fine. The clarity of the screen is excellent, better than most cameras.
It's simply about doing the mathematics. 80 x 80 equals what?
The unit has a fixed focus, which means restricted use.
The unit can not be tuned to reduce temperature span, which means restricted use.
It is a point and shoot camera.
It has its place.
It's up to you to determine how you're going to use it.
Everything in this industry is about understanding what you're going to use it for. The misnomer in the industry is that all the great things you can do with the infrared camera, cannot necessarily be performed by You, with one camera!

I can only recollect seeing three people in nachi that have purchased a camera, well in excess of what they use it for, in preparation of what they intend their future to ba and went there.

By the time you guys figure out infrared thermography, work out a marketing plan and find the real need for a real thermal imager there will be many to choose from, well below the price that you paid for a basic camera. So it's my humble opinion that you simply by what you can afford today that will fille the intended purpose and begin learning with the worst piece of crap in existence so you understand what it is that you really need. You will learn how to make it work and you will better understand where you're going with it.

For all you guys that watch the evening news and see a white in color infrared thermal imaging camera on the front of your traffic helicopter, it is not a fluke!
Let's multiply pixel resolution!

Is 120x120 the same as 120x160?
No, the spatial resolution is likely the same. However, you have a rectangle versus a square! You have more pixels, granted! That may improve photographic composition for your application, but that is about it. Compare apples and apples! Most of us crop that out.

In the computer world, no one likes to buy proprietary stuff. However, when the infrared company buys all its components from other people, they have no control over their output. They must rely on someone else for their product. They have to work with what they own. If nothing else, when you buy one brand of equipment over another, your not compromising with somebody else's component.

When it comes to the bottom line of your initial investment this will not be an issue. You can only afford what you can afford. Why else would anyone shop at Wal-Mart?
Basically the bottom line is to buy the camera that fits your needs. If you can't make it work for you today, and pay for itself, you may not be here tomorrow to use those additional benefits.

What's the difference between pixel count and sensitivity? What does spot size ratio have to do with anything? But I can store 3000 pictures!

[Darren Spencer]

Originally Posted by dandersen

Low battery life 3 vs 7 hrs. would be my concern.

I get about 3 inspections out of my battery between charges. That is over 9 hours of use.

Never push the battery beyond the warning indicator.

I charge mine in my van between inspections if I need to. Never have but to but the option is there

I also use FLUKE and @ $3,900.00 can't be beat!

[John Evans]

Check out Berg Engineering for the Fluke TiR @ $4115.00. Great Service!

[Kevin Luce]

Originally Posted by jevans

Check out Berg Engineering for the Fluke TiR @ $4115.00. Great Service!

That's where I got mine earlier this year. They are down the road from me a little bit so I saved on shipping.

Battery life is not a factor for me. Screen size is great. PIP is great. Software is great. Size of IR camera is fine. Because of PIP, focusing is really easy.

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

I got to take a Flir B-60; Fluke TiR; and Fluke TiR1 home for a weekend.

The Flir has 32,000 pixels, the 2 Flukes have 19,400 pixels +/-.

The flir is lighter; smaller; has lights; a laser pointer; PIP; a 1 year warranty; and a changeable battery.

The Flukes are 1 lb heavier; their batteries aren't interchangeable; they come with a 2 year warranty - don't have lights or laser pointer.

Amazing as it sounds, in my opinion both Flukes showed defined conditions more clearly WITH all 3 cameras set on same palette and scale.

Each camera has pluses AND negatives.

I like the Flirs size best - I like the TiR1 best for clarity - I like the TiR best for cost. I like the Flukes software and warranty best.

[Kevin Luce]

Originally Posted by dbowers

I got to take a Flir B-60; Fluke TiR; and Fluke TiR1 home for a weekend.

The Flir has 32,000 pixels, the 2 Flukes have 19,400 pixels +/-.

The flir is lighter; smaller; has lights; a laser pointer; PIP; a 1 year warranty; and a changeable battery.

The Flukes are 1 lb heavier; their batteries aren't interchangeable; they come with a 2 year warranty - don't have lights or laser pointer.

Amazing as it sounds, in my opinion both Flukes showed defined conditions more clearly WITH all 3 cameras set on same palette and scale.

Each camera has pluses AND negatives.

I like the Flirs size best - I like the TiR1 best for clarity - I like the TiR best for cost. I like the Flukes software and warranty best.

Did you try the new 2.0 software for Fluke? It puts almost all the software features on one page and also converts the picture into a 3-D image is wanted (not sure how anyone would use the 3-D feature).

[David A. Andersen]

Flukes showed defined conditions more clearly WITH all 3 cameras set on same palette and scale.

I have noticed that also.
I have also noticed this between Flir cameras. My BCAM is better than my BX320 (on the camera screen).
I believe that it is due to the Palette in the camera. I never use a scan right out of the camera. I always run it through the range of the span and change Palette. Things just pop out then!

I think it has to do with the graduation of the palette through the span.I have a dozen palettes that I use. Three or four palettes in the same type palette (Rain, Iron B&W etc). Some times lower res is better than hi.

Some are better when your scanning for stuff, but not always better in the end result.
There is no way my BCAM can outdo my BX320.

[bdoles2]

Originally Posted by Kevin Luce

Did you try the new 2.0 software for Fluke? It puts almost all the software features on one page and also converts the picture into a 3-D image is wanted (not sure how anyone would use the 3-D feature).

I just updated mine to 2.1, I don't see the 3-D feature. Am I missing something?

[Kevin Luce]

Originally Posted by bdoles2

I just updated mine to 2.1, I don't see the 3-D feature. Am I missing something?

When you bring up the EDIT page, go to the lower right box. You should be on the Image Info. Click on the tab "Graph". To the right of that, click on the drop down box under "View". Click on 3D-IR

If you click on the 3D picture, it moves so you can look at it in different ways.

I just downloaded the 2.1. I need to look it up to see what the difference is.

[bdoles2]

Originally Posted by Kevin Luce

When you bring up the EDIT page, go to the lower right box. You should be on the Image Info. Click on the tab "Graph". To the right of that, click on the drop down box under "View". Click on 3D-IR

If you click on the 3D picture, it moves so you can look at it in different ways.

I just downloaded the 2.1. I need to look it up to see what the difference is.

Ahh, interesting...Thanks Kevin...Can't see ever needing this, but a different way to look at images to say the least.

[Dan Bowers, CMI]

Anybody with a Fluke ever seen the Tir vs TiR1 for looking at Thermal Images in the field. Same pixels; same resolution; TiR1 is supposedly more sensitive 0.07 vs 0.1

Would that be any significant difference?

[Kevin L. Luce]

Originally Posted by dbowers

Anybody with a Fluke ever seen the Tir vs TiR1 for looking at Thermal Images in the field. Same pixels; same resolution; TiR1 is supposedly more sensitive 0.07 vs 0.1

Would that be any significant difference?

I limited my use to residential inspection only so I'm not the most qualified to answer your question so I'm going to respond in a general way.

The IR camera can be a great tool to help detect many existing or developing problems. While I think the TIR is fine for doing residential inspections, I feel the TIR1 is really needed if you are planning on expanding your services into the commercial field. If you plan on doing IR for the Industrial area, I feel the TIR1 would be least you would want to buy. In other words, the knowledge needed and the amount of information wanted from your IR camera can very depending on what you plan on doing with the IR camera.

I did my research and understood what I wanted and didn't want to do with an IR camera. I stayed away from the "what if" questions because those cameras were more expensive and I was very unlikely to go in that direction.

I hope this helps a little.

[Kevin L. Luce]

Originally Posted by dbowers

Anybody with a Fluke ever seen the Tir vs TiR1 for looking at Thermal Images in the field. Same pixels; same resolution; TiR1 is supposedly more sensitive 0.07 vs 0.1

Would that be any significant difference?

To answer your question directly, these are the two things I feel are important between the two.

The TIR1 camera has these two items which the TIR does not.
- No need to carry pen and paper—record findings by speaking into the camera. Voice annotations can be recorded with every image you take. Voice comments are saved along with individual images for future reference.

- Reflected background temperature (reflected temperature compensation).

[Kevin L. Luce]

Originally Posted by bdoles2

Ahh, interesting...Thanks Kevin...Can't see ever needing this, but a different way to look at images to say the least.

Attachment 25633

The only thing I can think of is if somebody is trying to compare an item (such as a processor board) that is sensitive to temperature to determine if a problem exists - the height of the spikes.

Just a guess.