FEB 1 2012 – FLIR Systems, the world leader for thermal imaging technology, announced today the launch of their next-generation FLIR i-Series thermal imaging cameras. The FLIR i-Series are well-known in the test equipment industry to be the most affordable FLIR infrared cameras while staying true to the quality and performance FLIR is known for.

The next-generation i-Series represent FLIR’s commitment to provide great products for it’s customers, proving that they can still make improvements and enhancements to products that have already done so well in the market to date. What you’ll discover is that FLIR has taken their popular i3, i5 & i7 infrared cameras and made them more rugged and enhanced their image capture capabilities while maintaining their key competitive prices.

New Features

IR Image Resolution

• FLIR i3 – 3,600 pixels (60 x 60)
• FLIR i5 – 10,000 pixels (100 x 100)
• FLIR i7 – 19,600 pixels (140 x 140)

Thermal Sensitivity

• FLIR i3 – <0.15°C @25°C
• FLIR i5/FLIR i7 – <0.10°C @25°C

Optimized Temperature Range

From –4 to 482°F (–20 to 250°C) for electrical,industrial and building applications

No Price Change

Best of all, the prices have not changed. The FLIR i3 is still US$1195, the FLIR i5 is still US$1595 and the FLIR i7 is still $1995.

FLIR i-Series History

The FLIR i-Series are known to be one of the most popular compact hand-held thermal imaging cameras in the industry for their affordability and performance. Here’s a snapshot of the first generation i-Series and a timeline, enjoy.

FLIR i5 – Breaking New Ground

Although it’s model number doesn’t make it obvious, the FLIR i5 was actually first in the i-Series. Announced on May 08 2009, the FLIR i5 represented FLIR’s lowest priced, full-function thermal imaging camera ever offered by FLIR and was only available in Europe while the Extech i5 was available for the North American market. The first-generation FLIR i5/Extech i5 featured a 80 x 80 IR Sensor Resolution and an 17° X 17° FOV.

FLIR i7 – Setting Standards

First introduced on September 1 2009, the FLIR i7 quickly became a popular and fast selling product for home inspectors, building science professionals, electrical & mechanical professionals and is also used by chiropractors and paranormal enthusiasts. The first-generation FLIR i7 featured a 120 x 120 IR sensor and a 25° X 25° FOV.

FLIR i3 – Ground-Breaking Affordability

The FLIR i3 was released on February 1 2010. It’s US$1195 price tag and top-selling performance proved that FLIR could take another ground-breaking step towards providing customers the most affordable FLIR infrared camera ever. The first-generation FLIR i3 featured a 60 x 60 IR Sensor resolution and a 12.5° X 12.5° FOV.

FLIR i-Series – Better than Ever

The FLIR i-Series are now not only more rugged and visually appealing than it’s former 2-tone color form factor, they offer FLIR customers even greater performance with the increased IR sensor resolutions & FOV’s. I predict the FLIR i-Series will continue to prove itself as one of our top-selling FLIR thermal imagers series.

The FLIR i-Series was designed by the FLIR Thermography division in Stockholm, Sweden, while FLIR’s high performance sensors are produced at the manufacturing facility in Tallinn, Estonia.

FLIR offers a thermal imaging camera for every budget. Give us a call toll free (US/Canada) at 1.877.766.5412 to speak to one of our Level 1 Thermographers.

Buy the FLIR i7 on ShopFLIR.com

Compact & lightweight IR camera designed for building applications that features a FLIR 120×120 infrared sensor with high 2°C accuracy and 0.1°C thermal sensitivity with a large 2.8″ color LCD display.

Buy the FLIR i5 on ShopFLIR.com

Compact, lightweight and easy to use, the i5 stores up to 5,000 fully radiometric infrared images on a 512MB microSD memory card. 2% accuracy, 0.1°C thermal sensitivity.

Buy the FLIR i3 on ShopFLIR.com

Compact & lightweight IR camera designed for those new to infrared cameras that features a FLIR 60×60 infrared sensor with 0.15°C thermal sensitivity and a -4 to 482° temperature range.

This post was originally published on Optimum Energy Products Blog at The New FLIR i-Series – FLIR i3, i5 & i7

Last night I was watching Miami Vice (2006) starring Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx & Li Gong. In the last gun-fight scene, Barry Shabaka Henley, who played Lt. Martin Castillo, uses a black pistol-grip style FLIR thermal imager to help him locate snipers on a cargo ship. I’m not sure which palette he was using but it did look like something I’ve only seen on the FLIR Scout or FLIR H-Series series called, “InstAlert”, which highlights the object with the highest temperature in red.

I tracked down the official Miami Vice 2006 theatrical trailer

Learn more about Miami Vice (2006).

Did You Know?

FLIR Systems infrared cameras have been used in many Hollywood blockbusters and well-known TV shows:

• Miami Vice
• Transformers I
• America’s Most Wanted
• Deadliest Catch
• CSI NY
• NCIS
• 24
• Law and Order
• Myth Busters
• Bob Vila
• The Outdoorsman

• Ghost Hunters
• DIY Deconstruction
• Planet Green
• CBS National T.V.
• Surviving Disaster
• MSNBC News
• 20/20
• House Detective
• Renovation Nation
• Holmes on Homes
• Cool Tools

This post was originally published on Optimum Energy Products Blog at Miami Vice Uses FLIR Infrared Cameras

In December 2011, PG&E, the US utility service company that provides natural gas and electricity to most of the northern two-thirds of California, from Bakersfield almost to the Oregon border, is in talks with about 98,000 of it’s customers (representing about 1% of their client base) about a proposal to give them the option whether or not to install or remove the smart meters from their home.

The Smart Meter controversy has continued to evolve and PG&E doesn’t seem it will be escaping the lime-light anytime soon. Some of their customers have gone as far as blocking PG&E employees from installing Smart Meters on their home. However now, they’re in the process of deciding whether they’ll give their customers alternative options.

If approved, customers who decide not to have a PG&E Smart Meter installed will have to pay a one-time $90 fee upfront + a $15 monthly fee which pays for a meter reader employee to come by their residence once a month.

Source KGO-TV/DT

Monitor your energy usage with a TED 5000

TED 5000 power meter is a next-generation home energy monitor that features a built-in web server, Google Power Meter compatibility, and optional remote display.

This post was originally published on Optimum Energy Products Blog at PG&E Gives 98,000 Customers Options to Install or Remove Smart Meters?

Question: I’d like to be able to use a FLIR Scout TS32 Pro for Insulation Inspections and Hunting, rather than having to buy a FLIR E30bx and a FLIR Scout TS23 Pro. Is this something I can do?

Answer: This is a great question, so I appreciate our customer for asking it. So, can someone use a thermal imaging camera designed for long range surveillance and monitoring for close range preventative maintenance applications? You may already have an answer, but I think if you’ve never seen a side-by-side comparison, I think you’ll appreciate this one.

And, although this is the first time I’ve had to answer the question, however not the first time our company has had to answer it, I thought the best way to answer this question is to provide some good ol’ hard evidence; photos. BTW, don’t forget to let me know what you think of this post in a comment below.

FLIR Scout TS32 Pro vs FLIR E60 For Home Inspections

Object	Visual Light Image	FLIR Scout TS32 Pro	FLIR E60
Electrical Panel (5 ft away)
Electrical Socket / Plug (5 ft away)
Exit Sign (5 ft away)
Warehouse Ceiling Corner (NW) (19 ft away)
Warehouse Exit Door Base (6 ft away)

Comparison First Thoughts

Color vs No Color

Thermal imagers for home inspections are known to have a variety of color palettes to work with. Many prefer the Iron Bow palette, as do I, while others may decide to use other palettes depending on the “information” you can see with them. When I see the mono-chrome black and white palette side-by-side the colored Iron Bow image, its obvious to me there are significant benefits when looking at the FLIR E60’s image vs the FLIR Scout images. A colored palette shows more of the hot and cold points. For inspections, the 30bx image is better to use to make a diagnostic than a black and white image.

Focus & Clarity

When you step up from an i-series thermal imager, such as the FLIR i7, into an E-Series camera like the E60 for example, the first thing you will notice when you start using the higher end camera is the manual focus feature. One of the important things you’ll learn at Level 1 Thermography traning are the benefits of having the focus feature; its difficult to make an accurate assessment when your picture is blurry.

When you compare the images, you should notice the considerable amount of clarity and detail the E-Series photos have vs the FLIR Scout. Keep in mind, both cameras have the same 320 x 240 sensor resolution, but obviously its not just about the resolution.

What’s the Final Verdict?

Personally, I wouldn’t use a FLIR Scout to do a Building Science inspection camera’s job. There are reasons why these cameras were designed for one or several applications vs the latter’s one or several applications.

I recommend sticking with the tool to do your job right the first time and that will at minimum increase your chances of having a successful inspection for your customers.

This post was originally published on Optimum Energy Products Blog at Can I Use a FLIR Scout TS32 for Home Inspections?

Buy a qualifying Fluke Thermal Imager and get up to $1,000 CASH BACK in 2012!

Fluke has just extended the end of 2011 Cash Back promotion they ran from September 2011 into the first bit of 2012, saving you up to $1,000 on qualifying Fluke thermal imagers.

• Buy a Fluke Ti9 thermal imager get $300 Cash Back (Deadline: March 31st, 2012)
• Buy a Fluke TiS thermal imager and get $500 Cash Back (Deadline: March 31st, 2012)
• Buy a Fluke Ti27 or TiR27 thermal imager and get $500 Cash Back (Deadline: February 29th, 2012)
• Buy a Fluke Ti29 or TiR29 thermal imager and get $750 Cash Back (Deadline: February 29th, 2012)
• Buy a Fluke Ti32 or TiR32 thermal imager and get $1,000 Cash Back (Deadline: February 29th, 2012)

One of the reasons why I think this promotion is great is it’s offered to both US & Canadian customers. Most of the time, I see promotions where they’re only offered to customers to customers of one country which means we get a lot of customers in one country super happy and the others left out; so, thanks Fluke!

Shop Fluke Thermal Imagers

Fluke Thermal Imaging Cameras combine amazing image quality & technology with the rugged and tough name you expect from every Fluke product.

This post was originally published on Optimum Energy Products Blog at Save Up to $1,000 on a Fluke Thermal Imager in 2012

What’s the difference between a FLIR thermal imager (ie. FLIR BHS-X vs. BHS-XR) with a 30Hz refresh rate versus a 9Hz model?

Answer:
The FLIR BHS-X and FLIR BHS-XR bi-ocular handheld thermal imagers for Law Enforcement are available in 2 different refresh rates, 30Hz and 9Hz. What does the difference look like? watch this video below:

Why do the 9Hz models cost more than the 30Hz models?

FLIR H-Series NTSC 9Hz models actually cost more than the NTSC 30Hz models. The reason it is a higher price is that FLIR is required to normalize their prices with their FLIR Europe division; since their slow frame rate cameras are higher, FLIR North America needs to follow suit. However, they are not required to do this on 30hz cameras. And If they were lower priced on slow frame rate units, the rest of the world would buy in North America and avoid buying them in their country.

See FLIR Law Enforcement Thermal Infrared Cameras

Using the same technology as airborne law enforcement units, FLIR gives law enforcement officers the information they need to make quick decisions, enhancing mission effectiveness, maximizing operational capabilities, and improving officer safety.

To see the full line of FLIR’s Ground Law Enforcement thermal imagers, visit www.shopFLIR.com

This post was originally published on Optimum Energy Products Blog at FLIR Video 30Hz vs 9Hz Comparison