Thermal Camera 160x120 IR Resolution Thermal Imaging Camera with Visual Camera 2.8' LCD Screen Video Record 25Hz Refresh Rate Infrared Camera 14°F~752°F 8-Hour Battery Life Thermal Imager

As someone who has long been intrigued by the potential of thermal imaging technology, I finally took the plunge and ordered this Thermal Camera. For years, I’d coveted a thermal imager to assist with troubleshooting tasks like pinpointing faulty components on circuit boards or detecting overheated wiring. However, the steep prices of name-brand models always held me back. I don’t need a professional-grade tool for my hobbyist pursuits, so when I stumbled across this affordable option on Amazon, I decided it was worth a shot.Right out of the box, I was impressed with the camera’s build quality. It feels sturdy and well-constructed, with an ergonomic design that’s comfortable to hold during extended use. It even comes with a protective carrying case, which is a nice bonus for keeping everything organized. The device is powered by a standard 18650 rechargeable lithium-ion battery—a practical choice that I appreciate. Should the battery ever wear out, it’s replaceable with a bit of desoldering and soldering.The camera boasts a 160x120 thermal resolution, which is modest but sufficient for my needs. One standout feature is the image overlay function, which blends the thermal image with visuals from a secondary camera. This hybrid view enhances clarity, making it easier to identify what I’m looking at. However, aligning the thermal and visual images requires manually adjusting the X and Y offsets—a process buried in the menu system. Speaking of the menu, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Navigation feels counterintuitive at times; the options scroll vertically, but the interface relies on left and right buttons, leading to some clumsy fumbling until you get the hang of it. A more streamlined design here would elevate the user experience.Another aspect that could use refinement is the emissivity setting, which significantly affects temperature accuracy. Emissivity depends on the surface material being measured, and while the user manual includes a chart of common materials, adjusting it requires diving into the menu each time. I’d love to see a few presets for frequently encountered surfaces—like metal, plastic, or wood—accessible directly from the main screen. It’s a small tweak that would save time and hassle.Despite these minor quirks, the camera has proven its worth in practical applications. It offers a variety of color palettes for temperature gradients, which not only look cool but also make it easier to interpret heat patterns. I’ve put it to use on several projects, and the results have been eye-opening. One unexpected discovery came while scanning my patio door, where I’d battled a persistent draft for years. I’d already applied weather tape to no avail, but the thermal camera revealed the true culprit: a sneaky gap between the glass and the frame, invisible to the naked eye. A quick fix with insulating tape resolved the issue in minutes—problem solved after years of frustration!Another win came when I noticed a hot spot at my refrigerator’s power outlet. The camera flagged the anomaly, and a closer inspection revealed loose, oxidized copper wires. After scraping them clean and tightening the connections, the hot spot disappeared. These real-world successes underscore the camera’s value as a diagnostic tool, even if it’s not a precision instrument.With a 2.8" LCD screen and a long battery life, this thermal imager delivers solid performance for the price. It excels at detecting hotspots and visualizing temperature gradients, which is exactly what I wanted. While it may lack the finesse of high-end models, it’s more than capable for hobbyists like me. From uncovering mystery drafts to safeguarding my home’s electrical systems, this thermal camera has earned its place in my toolkit—and I’m already excited to see what else it can reveal.

First off, if you are expecting to get crystal clear, high resolution captures that you may have seen on the internet with this, you'll be disappointed. The type thermal imaging cameras that can do that cost 10x what this does. The resolution on this is quite low, but so is the price for one of these.A few pointers. This does not use PD chargers. So, your cell phone charger will do nothing. It also doesn't like USB-C to USB-C, so if you plug it into the USB-C port on your computer, it won't do a thing. If you want to charge it, you need plain old 5V USB and if you want to transfer pictures and videos, you need USB-A to USB-C.This is best used up close. If you try to use it to capture a large area, it will be a blurry mess. That is to be expected. Imagine taking a picture of a large area with a 160x120 camera. It's going to look awful. In other words, if you look at your cat while it's on your lap, it will look pretty good. If you look at your cat while it is on the other end of the room, it will be an amorphous blob. This is going to be true of every thermal camera in this price range, and certainly all of them with a resolution anywhere near this. Honestly, this performs about as well as some cameras that cost 3x what this does. If you want actual HD thermal imaging, you will spend around the same as you would on a brand new BMW X5. Yes, it's that expensive.The biggest limiting factor for this the high minimum temp. Right now, I can't even go outside with it, because it's below 14°F. It will just endlessly beep at me. It also doesn't seem to like cold very much. If the temp drops below about 40°F, it starts getting confused. It's kind of cold in the old foyer in the old section of my house, but this thing thought it was below 14°F today. It most certainly isn't that cold or anywhere near it. My temp gun said the tile floor was about 50°. Yes, cold, but not sub 14°. I definitely need to seal that place better, but it's about 100 years old and no one goes there.It easily sees a handprint, quite a while after I make it. In other words, if I stick my hand on something, take my hand away, and then point this at where my hand just was, you can clearly see a hand.I used this to test some pillows. I have a bunch of memory foam pillows, and most have cooling gel. This actually let me see if the cooling gel was doing anything at all. Some pillows seem to completely absorb my head's heat and the whole thing glows. Others keep it in one area. That certainly shows me why I wake up roasting entirely too often.If you want one of these, but aren't planning to use it for anything critical or work related, I see no reason not to get this. The battery lasts forever. I have been playing around with it all day, and the battery meter hasn't budged.

I've owned a few different Flir products as well as a couple off brand versions that do the same thing. The thing I like about this unit is that its 160X120 resolution as well as the form factor. Its also hard to understate how much better the 25hz refresh is than the older Flir phone model i had. The accuracy of this unit is yet to be determined, it can be tricky to dial in the emissivity. It said (using the bio-measurement setting) that i was about 105F when it should be around 97 degrees. The big issue i have with my unit is that the image overlay appears to be completely broken. Turning this feature on leads to a series of flashing overlays that both don't match up but also bounce all around the image in random fashion. it seems like the camera sensor became detached or something. This isn't a total deal breaker for me since its only a cosmetic function but it would be really annoying had paid full price for this. All in all, its hard to recommend these cheaper units when Flir has stuff like the C5 at a reduced price. These thermal cameras are going to come way down in price over the next few years so unless you absolutely need to have one of these right now, I'd hold off for either a used Flir with similar specs or for a higher end model. I'll note that there likely aren't any job sites that would allow something that isn't Flir these days

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