What's the best Infrared Camera

[RAY THOROMAN]

For the least amount of $$$?


I'm seriously pondering getting into Thermal Imaging & Energy Audits.

So what's the minium camera I'll need?

Extech i5 - $1995
Flir i 7 - $2995
Fluke TiR - $3495 (guessing)

Or ANYTHING else under $3500???

[Greg Bell]

Hi Ray,

I can guarantee that you will want a higher resolution camera within a month of buying one of the low end cameras.

[RAY THOROMAN]

Originally Posted by gbell

Hi Ray,

I can guarantee that you will want a higher resolution camera within a month of buying one of the low end cameras.

Hey Greg,


Thanks for the info, could you please explain in detail why this is important? And what's the minium camera you'd suggest?

[John McKenna]

After you search out the options and decide what IR camera you
want... check with me and I will get you the lowest price in the USA.
Just ask my students.

[Ron Bibler]

You may think Energy Audits. is what you want to do. but if you are like anyone Else on this or any other IR Information board you will find new things you can do with one of these Cameras. So if you start off with a cheap peace of crap. In 6 months you will be looking at a $ 20K ... So what to do.

I just saw on ebay the other day a FLIR B2 For $ 1,500 This was a $ 12 K Camera NEW 4 years ago... OUCH...

I have one of these camera as a back up. Nice Camera. 160X120 RES.

So if you buy something new look at it 4 years down the road.

Some people in sales don't want you to known this info but these are the facts.

Thats about all I can say to you. If you have a game plan and can get to working with a new camera in 6 months you may Be able to pay a low end one off in the first or 2nd year. then you have a working dead horse.
Because you want the new toy that is now for sale for less. HELLO

Best

Ron

[John McKenna]

I paid for my IR camera in just two months, from new income.

[Mark E. Northrup]

Originally Posted by jmckenna1

I paid for my IR camera in just two months, from new income.

Hey John I sent you a email about what class you offer. I am interested in getting started in thermal imaging. I know a little about it when i was in the AF I worked on a Plane that had flir. I want to know what can you do with this new toy. I plan on using it alot.
Is the one Nick is offering a good camera or not?
Thanks mark

[Marcel Gratton]

Originally Posted by jmckenna1

I paid for my IR camera in just two months, from new income.

John,

Was that new income from teaching IR...

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by mgratton

John,

Was that new income from teaching IR...

I do home inspections every week with my IR camera.
It paid for itself in a couple months.

[Nick Gromicko]

http://www.nachi.org/forum/f58/why-f...members-42955/

[Donald T. Belmont]

Originally Posted by rthoroman

For the least amount of $$$?


I'm seriously pondering getting into Thermal Imaging & Energy Audits.

So what's the minium camera I'll need?

Extech i5 - $1995
Flir i 7 - $2995
Fluke TiR - $3495 (guessing)

Or ANYTHING else under $3500???

And the answer is. It depends.

Your use decides how much resolution you need. as others wisely observe that use will likely increase as you get more skilled at using and interpreting what you see. So having a camera with some room to expand your use is probably wise.

I settled on the TiR1 from Fluke as the optimal solution to get me started and keep me going for a while. Got it for a great price when I took John McKenna's course.

I choose it as an adequate resolution for what I contemplated at the time with some room to grow as well. And I was right. I can only imagine how I'd be feeling if I went with an 80 x 80 (Extech i5) or even a 120 x 120. Likely very frustrated.

The issue around resolution is being able to see something useful. Like any sort of camera the coarser the image the more difficult to extract meaningful information. For HI I find the 160 x 120 on the Fluke to be more then enough. When I'm scanning a horse it's also adequate but closer to the line IMO. As I said it depends on what I want to do.

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by mnorthrup

Hey John I sent you a email about what class you offer. I am interested in getting started in thermal imaging. I know a little about it when i was in the AF I worked on a Plane that had flir. I want to know what can you do with this new toy. I plan on using it alot.
Is the one Nick is offering a good camera or not?
Thanks mark

Yes...

[David Sorge]

Originally Posted by rthoroman

could you please explain in detail why this is important?

Thermal sensitivity minimizes the negative effect of poor Delta-T environments.

Resolution gives you power in the feild to make spot decisions.

Both increase the speed accurracy of your decision making in the field without the need for image manipulation or software use.

When it comes to the minimum camera, the industry is a bit backwards in the sense that a skilled thermographer can actually function with a lessor camera, whereas a rookie really needs as much camera as he can afford. Most IR rookies cannot afford the high end stuff though.

Of course these rules are changing by the second as technology emerges. and competition by the manufacturers heats up. My 1st camera cost 6K...that same camera is now under 4K.

[John McKenna]

Contact me for the lowest price on FLIR, FLUKE, Razir, Pemboke, etc...