Anyone here had a chance to play with a LAND FTI 6?

[dmills]

Anyone here had a chance to play with a LAND FTI 6? I am considering one and wonder what they are like.

It is an industrial, MWIR + visible light setup, 20FPS @ 256 * 256 with a TEC cooled HgCdTe FPA, video output is composhite with the option to store images to internal flash cards.
It looks like quite a nice package, for all that the lemo connectors will end up costing proper money to make up the cables.

Anyone here used one?

Regards, Dan.

[Fraser]

Sadly not a camera I have worked with.

The datasheet is informative and indicates all control is via a dedicated remote control or via the LAND software running on a PC. You would want to check whether the camera comes with either the remote or the software for a PC.

http://www.lirkorea.com/Landinstruments.net%20Website/infrared/downloads/pdf/thermal_imaging_FTI6.pdf

In general TEC Cooled cameras from AGEMA and LAND are decent performers. Not as good as a Cryogenic Cooled camera in terms of image noise, but acceptable.

These cameras are a sort of half way house between Sterling Cooled arrays and uncooled Microbolometers. They avoided the high maintenance overhead of the Sterling Cooled cameras, yet provided lower noise images than the early microbolometer cameras. A 256 x 256 pixel staring Detector array is decent for most tasks. The TEC is a bit of a current hog and, with age, the detector array can suffer Peltier Element outgassing that contaminates the detectors vacuum capsule. The Vacuum can also suffer leakage over time.

If the camera is cheap and comes with a means of control, it may be a decent buy. If it cannot be demonstrated working consider the risk of detector capsule contamination and vacuum leakage. It is by no means a definite, but if it has occurred, the camera is scrap.

If the camera is faulty, you will be on your own if attempting to repair it. The OEM offers Zero support or information.

All older cameras are a calculated risk and you really need to see a picture of them working. Failure to do so can result in an expensive paperweight.

Finally, the FTI6 was designed for industrial process and area monitoring. As such it is basically a box and not really the most portable of cameras. It will happily sit on a tripod but consider how you intend to use it. Sure a portable power pack, laptop and composite video screen may be fitted, but it will end up as quite a lump compared to say a FLIR E4 or E40 (both of which are very capable cameras and can produce 320 x 240 pixel images) Then there is the current sell-off of the Keysight (Agilent) U5855A 160 x 120 pixel thermal cameras to consider. $620 including shipping to many countries.

Think carefully before buying such an unusual industrial camera.

All the Best

Fraser

[Fraser]

If you were considering this particular FTI 6........

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LAND-Thermal-Imaging-System-FTI-6-/302361723653?hash=item466629c305:g:KikAAOSwFAZTtDCp

I have seen it for sale for quite some time.

I strongly suggest you walk away.

Over priced and sold as seen. No chance of return to the seller as it is sold as spares or repair. It may work but no remote or software. that camera is worth knowhere near its asking price in its present state.

Fraser

[dmills]

Nope, the one I was considering is rather more local then a third of a planet away... It also has the control box (But not the software), think probably more like £400 then £700.
All of that guys stuff is "optimistically priced" from what I can see.

I think I will end up passing on it as one of those Marconi/Airoflex/Cobham SAs is just too tempting as an upgrade for my RF lab if what I want is still in stock come Monday, and I really should not be making impulse purchases of 3 grand boxes.