do 384 x 288 thermal sensors cost less than 320 x 240 ones?

[ixfd64]

I've noticed there are some lesser-known brands of 384 x 288 thermal cameras that cost less than the 320 x 240 cameras from better-known brands despite having 44% more resolution.

For example, here are the cheapest 320 x 240 cameras from the three best-known companies, not including the hacked E4's:

• The FLIR E8 normally costs $5,995 (currently on sale for $3,995)
• The Fluke Ti32 is on sale at TEquipment.NET for $7,039.96
• The Testo 885-1 is on sale at TEquipment.NET for $7,815.75

In comparison, here are the prices of three 384 x 288 cameras from less popular companies:

• The Therm-App device only costs $1,600 (currently on sale for $999)
• The General Tools GTi50 starts at $4,784.13
• The HT Instruments THT70 costs $4,995 at TEquipment.NET

So I'm wondering: are 384 x 288 thermal sensors cheaper to produce than 320 x 240 ones? If so, then why do companies like FLIR and Fluke not switch to these sensors?

[mikeselectricstuff]

I've noticed there are some lesser-known brands of 384 x 288 thermal cameras that cost less than the 320 x 240 cameras from better-known brands despite having 44% more resolution.

It's just a case of there being very few players in the market - the small fry have to sell cheaper just to get noticed.
There is no doubt that the manufacturing cost of the sensor+lens used in the Ex is much lower than other sensors as it doesn't have the conventional expensive hermetically sealed package.

[ixfd64]

Yeah, I figured that was the case. Do you know if the lesser-known brands are any good? It's damn near impossible to find reviews for cameras other those from those three companies.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Yeah, I figured that was the case. Do you know if the lesser-known brands are any good? It's damn near impossible to find reviews for cameras other those from those three companies.

I doubt there's much difference, assuming they meet their specs - I suspect a lot of the performance comes down to how well they are factory calibrated rather than sensor differences.

[ixfd64]

Last year, I was asking if anyone had experience with the General Tools thermal imagers. I did some research and discovered that General Tools does not actually manufacture the Predator cameras. Rather, they are made by a Chinese OEM called SAT under the HotFind series. SAT manufactures the same hardware for several different companies, hence why they are all nearly identical:

• The PTI series from Process Sensors
• The Predator series from General Tools
• The IC080 series from Trotec

Here is a review of the Trotec camera; I'd imagine the other ones would be very similar.