There are times when you just can’t have enough pixels – when the image quality has to be the best to be able to extract the most information from a subject. Typically this is when the artefact you are trying to resolve is small, or far away. Equally this can be a problem if you frequently need to change lenses with your existing camera to get the best Field of View (FoV). The latest 640×480 range of cameras released by FLIR Systems can deliver this at price that starts to make the investment attractive. Hitherto the investment in a high resolution camera has been limited by the fact that these premium products have been relatively expensive, and only full time professional Thermographers have been able to justify the payback, but now with the range starting at under the £20k mark (FLIR T620) this performance level is within reach of many more users.
So what benefits does 640×480 imaging really bring? Well for a start you can now get a really sharp picture, and the thermal resolution is better than 50mK so the cameras can resolve very small thermal differences – this is particularly useful when working with low contrast subjects such as moisture problems in buildings, or with electrical panels with a multitude of wires and cables to resolve. Secondly, if you’re application is to survey a large area, then you need only take a quarter of the images you used to take with your 320×240 imager for same lens, or in safety sensitive issues, you can be twice a far away and retain the same resolution. A typical example comes to mind when surveying an HV installation with a range of cameras – a 160×120, a 320×240 and a 640×480.
So with more resolution, you can get more accurate temperature measurement and you can see potential problems that cannot be resolved if you are using lower resolution cameras.
Needless to say, the camera can accept a range of lenses to help optimise the scene and meet your requirements, and with FLIR’s unique capability in this area, the prices are competetive.
If you would like to know more about the new FLIR T600 range of cameras – models suitable for general thermography or models specifically designed for the building surveys and energy efficiency analysis, then click here or email us.
