Is a new FLIR One around the corner?

[buffalo]

Hi, first post. 

Looking into getting into thermal imaging for the first time and I see many retailers offering the FLIR One for around $200.

I'm not familiar at all with thermal imaging, but I know the original FLIR One came out in 2014, and v2 came in 2015.  Does anybody know if an update is expected soon?  I don't want to buy an imager only to have it immediately replaced by newer technology.

Are there any new consumer-grade sensors that might be used in a 2016 version, with higher resolution?

Thanks.

[mikeselectricstuff]

IMO I doubt we'll see a major upgrade any time soon. the current 160x120 is more than adequate for a phone type device, and above this the sensor and optics are going to get more expensive.
Doesn't surprise me if prices are dropping - it's still expensive for a 'toy', and the market for 'real' users is probably getting saturated.

[cynfab]

But, the Flir One Android/IOS is now on sale on Amazon for $US199
https://www.amazon.com/FLIR-ONE-Thermal-Imager-iOS/dp/B00VILVV62/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465516655&sr=8-1&keywords=flir+one

Is this a Father's Day Sale or a hint that there may be something new on the horizon.
Bozon is soon to be released, maybe the higher res core will make it into something like the Flir Two....

[mikeselectricstuff]

But, the Flir One Android/IOS is now on sale on Amazon for $US199
https://www.amazon.com/FLIR-ONE-Thermal-Imager-iOS/dp/B00VILVV62/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465516655&sr=8-1&keywords=flir+one

Is this a Father's Day Sale or a hint that there may be something new on the horizon.
Bozon is soon to be released, maybe the higher res core will make it into something like the Flir Two....

Maybe but nowhere near as cheap.

[frenky]

Flir doesen't have a competing model to Therm-App and ThemalExpert so perhaps they will make a new higher resolution module in the 1000$ segment...

[buffalo]

As a casual user I'm just interested if something new is soon coming out in the $2-$300 range.  Can't decide if now's a good time to jump on the $200 FLIR

[frenky]

In the sub 300$ segment I'd say you can't go wrong with Flir One...
Seek might introduce new model for the 600$ but that's way outside of your budget.

[SteveyG]

In the sub 300$ segment I'd say you can't go wrong with Flir One...
Seek might introduce new model for the 600$ but that's way outside of your budget.

There's quite a few reports of random failures of the FLIR One. My friend purchased one from Rapid Electronics which failed 2 months in, they've had a very high return rate - either just failed sensors, or suddenly not powering up. That's enough to put me off for now.

[Fraser]

@SteveyG,

Interesting comment.

I own two F1G2 Android units and worked with over a dozen such cameras in an R&D situation where they were stress tested. None failed.

I am not saying that your comment is inaccurate but I would like to see some of the failure reports for professional reasons. A quick Google did not find such reports of F1G2 failures. Normally a significant number of failures cause a lot of 'chatter' on the Internet.

It should also be remembered that dropping a thermal camera can damage the microbolometer quite easily and this is a consumer product. Abuse cannot be ruled out in such a market segment.

That said, there have been verified reports that charging the F1G2 whilst it is being used can cause an overheating issue. This is not that much of a surprise to me as many tablet computers get hot when operating and charging at the same time. Good heat dissipation is important as a result.

Looking forward to hearing more regarding the failures and where they are detailed on the Internet.

Thanks in advance

Fraser

[Jeroen3]

I had an F1G2 iOS that froze camera output on autocalibration. After few more calibrations it returned. It was swapped without questions asked.
Strange issue, because it did this randomly. It's one of those errors that passes factory testing and makes quality managers nervous.

[SteveyG]

@SteveyG,

Interesting comment.

You can call up Rapid for yourself and ask about it. My friend at had one for less than 2 months, barely used which failed out of the blue - failure mode is that it wouldn't turn on, same as other reports.