I was going to stay out of this post but since it popped up again I am just going to say that anybody thinking of getting a Thermal Camera made in China should think again. I have tried three different models and they all suffer from the same issue, which is low dynamic range.
Flir had the market pretty much sewn up, they make their cameras in America but then they went into a partnership with DJI in China to make thermal cameras for DJI Drones with the manufacturing for DJI drone Cameras done in China. Within about two years the typical thing was happening. DJI was evidently making Cameras and selling them on the grey market to other companies. When Flir found out about it they broke off the deal and DJI started to make the Cameras without Flirs help. Evidently there is some secret sauce in the way Flir makes their sensors that DJI and the other Chinese companies it partnered with could not figure out. All three of the Chinese Versions that I tested had the same Dynamic Range issue.
Here is the most expensive one i tried and I put it up head to head against the iPhone Flir One Pro Camera.
HiKMicro B20 (Price $550) (Resolution 256 x 192)
Flir One Pro ($399) (Resolution 160 x 120)
Almost all the Chinese cameras I tried had much more resolution than the Flir, so they should have beat it easily in image quality but they didn't. Add that to the Dynamic Range issue and it makes things a lot worst.
So here is an example with the Visual Light Camera Turned off and all you are seeing is the Thermal Camera image of my Work bench soldering Iron.
HikMicro B20
View attachment 90643
Same Image on the Flir One Pro
View attachment 90645
As you can see the Chinese IR sensor is able to easily pickup the heat at the hottest spots but it cannot detect heat that is radiating nearby. One would say the sensor is blinded by the heat but that is really not the case. I did extensive comparisons on all four models and it is just a case of low dynamic range. It can only see within a limited range at one time.
The Flir not only see's the hottest objects but it can see the heat reflected off of objects nearby as well as the heat going down the handle of the soldering Iron into the stand etc.
Here is the Photos with the Visual Camera Turned on in Overlay Mode.
Flir One Pro
View attachment 90647
HikMicro B20
View attachment 90649
These pictures pretty much speak for themselves.
The HikMicro produced Images that were ever just slightly better than the other two Chinese cameras I used.
All of the Chinese Thermal cams in this Sub $600 Price range seemed to use the same sensor and had exactly the same issue. I even tried a Knock off version of the Flir Pro one that fits under the Phone and it was even worst than the Hikmicro and had the same Dynamic Range Issue.
If you don't believe these Picture I have ones of AC Duct work where you cannot even see half of the cold leaks with Chinese versions but you can see them all with the Flir.
As for those cherry picked review comments. If you look the vast majority of people had no issues. I just push on the Flir to my phone and I know its there so I don't bang around the Phone while it's attached. When i am done taking thermal pictures I take it off and slip it in my pocket.
If your really paranoid then buy one of these and the problem is solved:
Lightning Cable Extender
I bought one after reading those breaking off posts but in the end I never really used it.
I was told that the Water Marks in the Flir are there because the Chinese companies are using Flir Images and then layering their GUI into the picture with Photoshop and then use it when doing adverts for their products.
So it's basically copyright protection by Flir.
. I can tell you from first hand experience that they have very little interest in designing anything if they don't have to. It's much easier to lure American and European companies in and just take the IP than waste a few years trying to perfect their own design.
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