FLIR Personal Thermal Imager for I-Phone 5

[Koshinn]

I'm sure the glass has something to do with it. Same difference between a smart phone camera (fraction of $600 price) and a decent DSLR (thousands). Throw in fine adjustments required for shooting optics, etc and I can see why they're 30x the price.

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That's a completely different operating system though. A better comparison would be a smart phone camera and a point-and-shoot camera.

As far as I know, a small FLIR thermal imager works the exact same way as a large FLIR thermal imager.

The lens is made out of pure elemental germanium, (which is a rare earth element) since glass does NOT pass long wave IR.

Germanium is 1/2+ the cost of a thermal weapon scope.

That makes sense. However, why can't something like (but obviously not exactly) the product in the OP be used for a weapon thermal optic? Not enough resolution? Not enough FOV?

[Kaerous]

That's a completely different operating system though. A better comparison would be a smart phone camera and a point-and-shoot camera.

As far as I know, a small FLIR thermal imager works the exact same way as a large FLIR thermal imager.

I agree somewhat, but the quality of the optic has to be considerably better when you jump from a smart phone gimic device to a full fledged precision optic.



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[SkyPup]

The pixel size of the microbolometer and the diameter of the germanium lens are the determiners of how much resolution and range you will get from a long wave thermal sensing instrument.

For instance, my FLIR T-60 has a 640X480 pixel 25 micron microbolometer with a 60mm germanium lens and is a high resolution device designed about four years ago on mil contract for SOCOM.

My FLIR T-70, is also a SOCOM mil contract device and it has a 640X512 pixel 17 micron microbolometer with a 35mm germanium lens that was designed one year ago.

The functional resolution of the two instruments is pretty much similar because the tighter pixel microbolometer of the T-70 can be used with a smaller (less expensive) germanium lens system, thereby saving money on the germanium.

I just shot this coyote at 225 yards last night with the T-70 and SIG Precision 7.62mm at 225 yards in pitch dark:

[superstratjunky]

That's a completely different operating system though. A better comparison would be a smart phone camera and a point-and-shoot camera.

As far as I know, a small FLIR thermal imager works the exact same way as a large FLIR thermal imager.


That makes sense. However, why can't something like (but obviously not exactly) the product in the OP be used for a weapon thermal optic? Not enough resolution? Not enough FOV?

That is why. If we {Nutz with guns} have this technology, then we'd be a little more of a problem. Put it on an iPhone & it wouldn't last long enough. How many of you have an old video camera laying around with a IR NV function? I've got an old Sony & would love to figure out how to get the guts to work with an AR. But keep it expensive & only a handful will be able to buy it.

[Koshinn]

Interesting how 640x480 is considered high resolution. That's the resolution equivalent of a 0.3 megapixel camera.

I'm hoping the new technology developed to create the FLIR ONE trickles down to the smaller weapon optics market and allows much cheaper yet equally as robust and feature-rich devices.

If not, you might see a kickstarter project by me in the future...

[SkyPup]

The military has some new 1,280 microbolometer cores, but they are way way way expensive.....

[SkyPup]

Here is a shot of the real time image at the CES show in Vegas though the FLIR I-Phone:

[Koshinn]

How does it compare to your weapon mounted FLIR optics besides magnification of course.

[C4IGrant]

Skypup, question for you. Could you use this device to locate a varmint and then switch to nods and IR laser for the shooting part. How far out do you think this device could pick up heat?



C4

[SkyPup]

Skypup, question for you. Could you use this device to locate a varmint and then switch to nods and IR laser for the shooting part. How far out do you think this device could pick up heat?



C4

Yes, you certainly could, you could also use it to detect a criminal prowler on your property too, I would assume it will pick up a man, hog, or coyote past 100 yards as my FLIR Thermal weapon sights work well past 600 meters for detection. As a weapon sight mounted onto the objective of an ACOG, I would think you could shoot out to 100 yards with it too, after careful ID at night with NV though.

This microbolometer is new technology in this device, it use BOTH the internal Apple visible camera AND the FLIR thermal microbolometer to take an image and then the microprocessor co-mingles them together for higher resolution that what would normally be possible using patented software alogrithims.