I purchased a FLIR T197306 4mm wide angle lens for use with my thermal cameras, but mainly for my E40(E60+). The price was right and I already knew that the Exx range was not listed in the supported cameras for this lens. Whilst puzzling at the time, because the correct lens mount is present, I now understand the reason for this.
The lens has arrived and I attached it to the E40 camera supplemental lens mount with ease. Now this lens provides electrical contacts that mate with some models of FLIR thermal camera. I believe that these connections provide the host camera with lens ID information, temperature and possibly even calibration correction data. The Exx range do not support these connections to the lens and the lens type is selected from a drop down menu. There are only two choices, 45 Degrees and 15 Degrees.
The supplemental lenses normally used with the Exx series cameras are non inverting Afocal types that only require the Exx camera to apply calibration correction. No other changes are needed. The T197306 is an INVERTING wide angle Afocal lens. When attached to its intended host camera, the camera firmware identifies the lens type via the contacts that I previously mentioned. The firmware then applies image inversion during the image processing stages in order to provide a non inverted image to the user and file system. On the Exx series, this inverting function is not present, or at least, not activated due to the lack of the required communications contacts
The T197306 works perfectly with the Exx series in all respects except the image inversion. I shall investigate whether I can invoke the firmware image inversion process to correct this issue when using this lens with my camera.
This turn of events was unexpected but in some ways forewarned by the absence of the Exx series cameras from the compatibility list. I suspected this was due to the absence of the required calibration correction option or physical loading on the cameras lens mount by this relatively long supplemental lens. I was wrong. Nowhere does FLIR advise that this lens is an inverting type so there really was no way to predict this issue with the lens when mounted on an Exx host.
I now need to take a look at the firmware files that come with the cameras that do support this lens. With that in mind, I am asking here if any kind souls who own a Bxxx, Txxx, Axxx, SCxxx camera will please provide me with the FlashFS folder contents so that I may look for any files or settings associated with image inversion.
My sincerest thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to share such files with me. I shall not share the files or camera serial number with anyone else.
Fraser