Thermal Imaging for smartphone, $349

[DaveABQ]

I think the technology for thermal imaging is going to be booming, and costs going down.

This is just plain interesting:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fl...r-smartphones-2014-01-07?reflink=MW_news_stmp

 

[FrankT]

I wonder what the range is?? Pretty interesting!

 

[DaveABQ]

here is a link to their site which includes a video:

http://www.flir.com/flirone/

 

[FrankT]

video does not play for me

 

[DaveABQ]

plays

video does not play for me

Update your adobe flashplayer

 

[DaveABQ]

I wonder what the range is?? Pretty interesting!

my guess, not far, as that is more than a function of the imager, also a function of the lens, however, think about if you shoot a hog at night and it runs off, may be a great tool, only time will tell, I've said it before that thermal/flir are going to be hot and heavy now and the resolution will keep getting better and the cost coming down and will make normal tubed NV units obsolete

 

[Wassman]

Would make tracking animals after the shot easier. I wonder how much range you can get out of it. For $350 it is worth a try. I may get one.

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

I love thermal!

 

[FrankT]

Hope they make an android version!

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

Very nice find Dave thank you!

 

[DaveABQ]

Hope they make an android version!

they said and android version will follow shortly after for certain android phones

 

[FrankT]

Thanks Dave!! I guess it all would depend on the range that can be had then

 

[Itsazonik]

I know what just went on my birthday list

 

[Brian Shaffer]

Would make tracking animals after the shot easier. I wonder how much range you can get out of it. For $350 it is worth a try. I may get one.

The video was awfully scant on showing useful application, especially at distance. Even worse, the disclaimer in the video says that the images in the video are not taken by the phone. So the notion of capabilities is completely open, but I would be willing to guess that for that price, you are looking at a fairly low resolution unit intended for primarily short range applications. It would still be cool, but maybe not all that helpful for hunting if that is the case.

By and large, thermal will not help you track wounded game. Thermal 'prints' disappear from the ground very quickly. Even blood cools to ambient temp within minutes, so unless you are right on the animal, even blood tracking may be untenable. It may help you spot where your wounded game has dropped (for which I have used my FLIR quite a bit) but not actually for tracking it.

Here you go, Frank. This is the video on Youtube...

 

[FrankT]

Thanks Brian, I should have looked there. I am still going to have to see the real deal and the distances before I get too excited..time will tell.

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

I also doubt it will be very useful in a hunting situation, but I think it's a very good indication that thermal is advancing and will be affordable sooner than later. I keep hearing that there will be some nice affordable thermals released at shot show this year.

 

[DaveABQ]

I believe it will be better than you think, thermal electronics are small, optics are the large part which will limit my range, but I can take my L3 X150 which is rated to range human activity to 1000' (305m), I can see stuff much further than that.

At $349, you can't expect it to do what a $4000 unit does, but can expect it to do certain things, mostly close range stuff, we'll see, technology of thermal is at a quick pace.

 

[FrankT]

Dave, I have no doubt you are right, just like everything else, advances are made, things get smaller and cheaper. I believe we are on the edge of NV and Thermal being as available with attractive price points where the common man can afford.

 

[Brian Shaffer]

As pointed out on another forum, it has 80x60 resolution.
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/08...ermal-camera-case-for-iphone-5s-and-iphone-5/
The magic happens in the blending of the thermal image with the optical image from the phone's camera in order to give the illusion of a higher resolution thermal camera. Cool. In daylight, that will be nifty. At night, that will be virtually useless.

80x60 resolution with a 1x optical lens means readily useful distance of maybe 40 yards for recognition purposes.

If I was buying a new house and going through that mess again and did not have a thermal scope, I would buy one of these in a heartbeat for the purpose of doing my own preliminary inspection...looking at insulation, hot wires in the walls, heat/cool losses around doors and windows, etc. I would have no doubt that it would be a valuable tool in this regard and well worth the money.

I think they will sell a lot of these to hobbiests, hunters, and ghost hunters. Then I figure that after the novelty wears off, the hobbiests and hunters will be selling them at a greatly reduced price on ebay.

 

[DaveABQ]

I was reading their facebook page, they said 100 meters range, here is a video at the snow, watch the video and where it shows people further away in the background, looks pretty damn good to me. I don't care that it has a resolution of 80x60, i'm not trying to see if a person is holding a gun, only if hogs are in a field or at my feeder and finding them if they run off after a shot.

We are talking about $349 here, not $4000, of course its not going to be a 640x480 and a 1000 yard range....its $349...!!!

http://ces.cnet.com/1606-35299_1-50161469.html