Therm-App - great quality but worth the price?

[alanpro123@hotmail.com]

I purchased the seek a while back and was not happy wit the quality. Decided to invest in the Therm-App. The difference is night and day. Did anyone else actually compare Androind thermal cameras?

[schlafli]

I had a Flir One G2 for a few weeks and now have a Thermal Expert from i3. Like you mentioned, the difference is night and day.

I think the price is worth it for one simple reason: I can easily recognize things I point it at.

With the F1G2 I could make out things if I knew what I was looking at or there was enough light for MSX to work. While I've never owned a seek, based on the images I've seen it suffers from the same issue (albeit due to the low sensitivity not resolution).

There seems to be a threshold that is passed by the thermal expert and therm-app. It's the combination of resolution, sensitivity and decent optics that puts them in a class of their own. 

An example of what I mean:

[efahrenholz]

I'd love to buy a thermal expert but those cats need to get their act together. They don't have a transaction system at all. They ask you to use a money transfer system, which is fine but it feels like I'm purchasing research grade equipment for a lab. I assumed this was a consumer aimed product and as such they should have spent a little time setting up an online store. I still might try to get one as long as my bank plays nice.

[alanpro123@hotmail.com]

What is the price of the thermal expert. Their site doesnt provide much information. How is their service?

[Fraser]

I agree with comments that these cameras are far better performers than the SEEK and FLIR One Gen 2. They produce good imaging but personally I am not a fan of cameras that 'bolt on' to mobile phones. That is just a personal preference though. I do own the F1G2 out f professional curiosity.

I was pleased to see that the Therm App and Thermal Expert used decent sized microbolometers and lenses. This makes them capable of better imaging than the likes of the FLIR Ex series that are somewhat hamstrung by the small optics and budget microbolometer.

Sadly quality still costs and these cameras do cost significantly more than the SEEK ot F1G2 cameras. Some users may not be able to justify the additional cost for their application.

It should be remembered that many thermal imaging applications do not need a pretty picture, they need an accurate representation of the scene that may be interpreted by a trained thermographer. Sadly with the advent of very cheap thermal cameras, some users expectations regarding how 'pretty' the images are, and how high the resolution is within it. We are spoilt by very high resolution visible light digital cameras..... HD, 4K and all that. Thermal cameras are very different beasts.

Some will buy a thermal imaging camera as a tool and provided the camera matches the task, all is well. Others have a desire for a thermal camera that produces pretty pictures and for this they will either pay more or accept the effects of masses of image processing that adds no useful data, but makes images more pretty. You pays your money, and takes your choice. To want a high resolution thermal camera system is totally understandable, but sadly you need deep pockets for the really nice quality systems.

In time, we may see higher resolution thermal cameras at prices that do not require a second mortgage. Such will be capable of very nice imaging as seen on the BBC's Winterwatch, Springwatch and Autumnwatch wildlife TV programs. They tend to use very expensive industrial FLIR and SELEX Galileo cameras with high resolution and optical zoom.

My final comment is that provided you need the camera for a purpose and it is not just a 'toy', buy the best that your budget can afford. This is just like buying a computer. The one exception to this rule is the famous FLIR E4 camera......you would not want to pay for an expensive E8 when a cheaper E4 can be upgraded to better than E8 spec relatively simply

Most important of all..... Enjoy the world of thermal imaging. I would not be without a thermal camer now.

Fraser