FLIR one for iPhone

[Blaser6.5x55]

Has any one tried the FLIR ONE First Generation for iPhone 5/5s ?

I am expecting for the price it's probably no more than a gimmick but wondered if it may have a use searching for shot deer in low light when you have a rough idea where to look?

 

[Buggadifino]

Never used one but did read a couple of reviews recently. The PC mag one said this about it; "It works in complete darkness, letting you find heat sources (like hidden people) even when there's no light at all. However, because the VGA camera can't function in darkness, MSX image processing won't improve the thermal picture. With no light, you'll get big blobs of heat on the screen at a much lower effective resolution than 528 by 396. It's still useful, but you'll need to learn how to read the thermal-only image."

So it will probably assist you in finding a grassed deer (a heat lump) but not help with census work as it will not give adequate resolution to identify deer from other heat sources, thats even if it will work at an adequate range.

Full review here:
Review Flir One Thermal Camera (for iPhone 5/5s): Flir One Thermal Camera (for iPhone 5/5s)


Hope this helps.

Regards,

Andy

 

[Blaser6.5x55]

Thanks for that info, I had a read of the review and someone recommends an alternative but it's about the 3 times the price.
I guess the dilemma is it's very cheap for a thermal imaging camera but a lot of money to blow if it's useless.

I need to get a demo from somewhere really

Thanks anyway

regards

Marc

 

[nedman]

Marc
Have you seen Seek Thermal. Less money, i have one here for android but it doesnt work with my phone, im waiting for a new one. They advertise the XR version as being used for finding game.

MA

 

[Gaothead]

I see Rapid have the One for 159 inc Vat.

 

[Blaser6.5x55]

It's actually only £129.99 directly on the FLIR website. The First generation one actually looks ergonomically better but its probably not as good as the new one for IOS, which looks like it will get knocked off and knacker your lighting connector plus that one is £199

 

[mealiejimmy]

Guys,
Please don't waste your money on thermal addons for smart phones - they simply don't cut the mustard for shooting or census purposes.
The bottom line with these is that they all have small, short focal length lenses which produce a very wide field of view which translates to very short range detection with poor resolution.
They are cheap because the lens is far and away the most expensive part of a thermal imager, and small lenses are much cheaper than the larger lenses needed for the sort of ranges we typically want.
Obviously, the size of the animal you're trying to spot/count, and the range at which you're trying to do that are major factors in deciding the type of thermal needed for the job, but my experience with 5 different thermal imagers over the last 4 years leads me to the conclusion that anything with a focal length of less than 38mm is a waste of money.

Cheers

Bruce

 

[Blaser6.5x55]

Your right Bruce, not going to bother. You get what you pay for it was wishful thinking

 

[hybridfiat]

I used a Thermal Sight in NZ and it worked very well. Wasn't a Flir. But the thermal sights are pretty good. Total darkness, at 100m could even see the antlers.