FLUKE releases new IR camera for inspectors... low price!

[John McKenna]

Here is the new FLUKE TiS Infrared Camera

FLUKE TiS
120x120 resolution
100 mk
List Price = $2495.00
(meets RESNET requirements)

Note...I use a 120x120 camera every day at my inspections.

Contact me for price... john(at)infrared-certified.com

Special Deal

Buy this the new FLUKE TiS (no delays) and get our IR training
for a combined price of only ....

$2570.00 ... (TiS Camera and Live IR Webinar - for our students only)
(no delivery charge or tax).

The normal price for this package would be $3000.00

See our Website for details about our monthly Webinar IR class.
http://www.infrared-certified.com

Sign up today for our class and order your camera without delay. Become a
INFRARED CERTIFIED thermographer. Hundreds have taken our IR class and
are now operating their IR business.

I do not sell cameras, but find good deals for my students.

[John McKenna]

Hey, I posted this item and one hour later my post shows up on Google. Wow.

[Darin Redding]

Financing available?

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by dredding

Financing available?

Yes... contact me at john(at)infrared-certified.com

[Brian K. Smith]

Is this the same deal Nick was posting about the other day????

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by bsmith2

Is this the same deal Nick was posting about the other day????

NO... not the same at all.

[John McKenna]

Here is the new FLUKE TiS Infrared Camera

Our News Release

[ltack]

This model has limited tempurature. range: -2C to +100C and accuracy of 5% is not very good. Battery life: only 4 hours. They have cut price but they have also sucked out a lot of performance.

John, you keep suggesting cameras and pricing based on price without any careful examination of the specs.

[Andy Selfridge]

This looks like a great entry level imager. Manual focus and same rugged enclosure as the Tir? Looks like win to me, especially over the Flir I7. Only thing I would have liked to seen is an identical palette selection with the TiR. 3 palettes is kindof weak.

I'm surprised that Fluke went this low in sensor resolution, but I think they recognize the market for cheaper units for quick scans and such. I am anxious to see some pics from this camera, I wonder how the sensor stacks up against flir's 120x120.

best regards
Andy

[ltack]

Originally Posted by ltack

This model has limited tempurature. range: -2C to +100C and accuracy of 5% is not very good. Battery life: only 4 hours. They have cut price but they have also sucked out a lot of performance.

John, you keep suggesting cameras and pricing based on price without any careful examination of the specs.

The TiS also lacks PIP and even a laser pointer. Poor thermal accuracy, low battery life. If the camera were $1800 it might be priced so it is aligned with performance.

It is misleading to recommend any camera based solely on sensor format, thermal sensitivity, and price. The sensor format alone does not tell you what grade sensor it is and the camera engineering may be lacking. The whole is not always equal to the sum of parts, especially for thermal imaging camera.

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by ltack

This model has limited tempurature. range: -2C to +100C and accuracy of 5% is not very good. Battery life: only 4 hours. They have cut price but they have also sucked out a lot of performance.

John, you keep suggesting cameras and pricing based on price without any careful examination of the specs.

The temperature range of +100 C (212 F) works fine for needs
of a home inspector.

The TiR is very popular among inspectors also and is listed
with a accuracy of 5% as well. I talked to several techs who
work on the FLUKE and they said if you point the spot
temperature indicator at high emissivity materials, such as
the plastic on a breaker or rubber on romex wires, the
accuracy is down to less than 2%. This level of tolerance
is the same as IR thermometers used by master electricians
all the time. The TiS and TiR do not have emissivity
adjustments, but can be adjusted when the photo is
moved into the software. Thousands of users are happy
with the TiR and I think the TiS will have the same success.

I recommend that inspectors use common sense and do not
point these camera at high reflective materials, unless they have
dealt with the reflection issue when measuring temperatures.
This can be done very easily, if you know how.

Also... just for those who say that more expensive and
higher resolution is better.... you are correct. More is
better. We all agree on that.

Can you do quality home inspections and energy evaluation
with these entry level cameras? YES. I use one every day
and so do thousands of other people.

It is no shame to save money while trying to make it in
today's economy. I try to find good deals for my students.

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by ltack

The TiS also lacks PIP and even a laser pointer. Poor thermal accuracy, low battery life. If the camera were $1800 it might be priced so it is aligned with performance.

It is misleading to recommend any camera based solely on sensor format, thermal sensitivity, and price. The sensor format alone does not tell you what grade sensor it is and the camera engineering may be lacking. The whole is not always equal to the sum of parts, especially for thermal imaging camera.

I use an IR camera without PIP and with 120x120 resolution.
It works fine for me. Picture within a picture (PIP) usually
adds about $1000 to the cost of a camera. Not everyone
needs it or wants it. For the low price, a person can live
without a laser pointer. Some bells and whistles are going
to be left out for a lower priced camera.

This camera makes the FLIR i7 look like a toy. FLUKE makes
makes a good product. I had some techs check out the
quality of this product and they say it stands in line with the
other fine products that FLUKE is known for, both in quality of
image and durability of camera body. It has the same kind of
body that can be dropped from over 6 ft and not break.

FLUKE is not misleading us on this fine camera, according to
my very reliable sources.

Many of my students have come to trust FLUKE as much as
the name FLIR. I think both are good cameras.

As you once said...

Customers should buy based on what they need and can
afford, not based on being talked into buying a 10K camera
because the salesman is hyping it.

I do not sell cameras, but I do make all camera salesmen a little
mad at me...

[Andy Selfridge]

I think it will be great for the price. Performance wise, for 500 dollars more it destroys the i5 (which appears to be a hot seller, yet big source of regret, just look at the used mkt), and is on par with the i7. Manual focus and the same rugged design as the TiR series makes it a winner. If only it video capabilities...

As far as nitpicking resolution and sensitivity, remember the price point of this camera. Remember flir/extech sold a bunch of first generation infracams/bcams with crappy thermal sensitivity (at a much higher price). Cameras like this fit a niche, and I don't think that anyone would argue that for larger or commercial applications, you will need more horsepower. I like to think of it as a gateway drug, hehe. I personally am excited to see what comes of this imager, especially user images. I love my b2, but if this had been out, it would have been a tough call.

regards,
Andy

[Kevin A. Richardson]

This seems like a very nice entry level camera at a very affordable price. I don't think we're going to see camera prices get much lower than this price point.

The debate rages on about whether or not these particular camera specs are sufficient for building thermography. The specs for this camera will work just fine for home inspectors doing general scans during home inspections and even some energy work. However, I would suggest that anyone wanting to get into thermography should consider thinking bigger. I started out with a FLIR BCAM SD and used the camera for about a year before upgrading. I convinced myself that this was the only camera I could afford at the time, but after several months of use, I quickly realized that I could have afforded a lot more. This was in part because I was getting more and more business. I ended up selling the camera at a fair price, but did loose money on the whole deal.

I personally would not use anything less than 320x240 resolution for building thermography. I could not imagine scanning a large commercial building or a flat roof with anything less due to the possibility of missing anomalies that may not be detectable. Thermography is very exciting and challenging, especially building thermography. It's one of the hardest applications. But, if you have the desire to be a Professional Thermographer, then I employ you to consider looking beyond just home inspections and look into the possibility of doing much bigger jobs that are in demand. Jobs like building envelope surveys, flat roof surveys, and electo-mechanical surveys.

Once you start using the technology and get "bitten" by the thermography bug, you tend to want to do more with the imager. In addition, it's my experience that once the word got out that I was using the technology, I started to receive leads and referrals for much larger jobs.

I have an HVAC Contractor in my area that uses me exclusively for all there unique jobs and troubleshooting issues. The owner was purchasing a property a few years ago and used me for the inspection. Once he saw the capabilities of the infrared camera, he was hooked. He is very smart and knows he could go out an purchase a camera and have his technicians use it in the field, but does not want to train them to properly use the technology. This is just one example of the relationships I have developed over the last few years.

Bottom line......think bigger!! Get the most camera you can afford and attend professional thermography training from an established institution. At this price point for an entry level camera, in the near future many inspectors will be using them in home inspections. Start thinking about your future and set yourself apart from the people who just want to get the minimum camera and minimum training. Your investment in yourself and the thermography industry will pay off in the long run.

Kevin

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by krichardson

This seems like a very nice entry level camera at a very affordable price. I don't think we're going to see camera prices get much lower than this price point.

The debate rages on about whether or not these particular camera specs are sufficient for building thermography. The specs for this camera will work just fine for home inspectors doing general scans during home inspections and even some energy work.

Good post.

Regarding you other points, you are correct. More is always
better if you can afford it. Your advise of certain limitations
and the need for a better camera regarding certain applications
is exactly what we teach in every class. Thank you for balance
and insight. Your advise bears witness with several other Level III
thermographers I have talked to over the years. Thanks.

For those who do not know it, Kevin is our first inspector from
our ranks of InterNACHI, to rise to the Level III certification,
as well as other fields of thermographic achievement. You can rely
on him for sound advise and balance. He started out just like
everyone here.

I am thankful that we are gathering such a deep well of experience,
with all our other skilled thermographers who visit our forum.

I am just a building science thermographer who helps new guys
get started with IR classes & building inspections, so I need these
other experts to help me sometimes. FLIR offered me a free
Level I certification one time, but I turned it down after seeing most
the material is already taught in my IR class. I get bored very
easily and decided not to attend.