It is clear that the thermal imaging market is evolving very quickly.
It should be remembered that SEEK Thermal wanted to provide a thermal camera for the common man. To do so, they used the innovative approach of a new microbolomter that contained 12um pixels. That is right on the edge of viability in terms of single pixel wavelength response. It is true you can go smaller but that discussion is for another day.
SEEK used a truly tiny microbolometer and a vey small Chalcogenide Glass thermal lens to illuminate it. The poor thing was immediately operating at a disadvantage when compared to cameras that used a larger microbolometer and lens. That was before the image processing capabilities of SEEK Thermal are considered.
The recent arrival of affordable thermal imaging cameras from ThermApp and Thermal Expert proved that excellent image quality was available in a compact format using a smartphone host. The ThermApp and Thermal Expert both use quite large microbolometers and lenses. They are well ahead of the SEEK cameras and FLIR ONE G2 before any image processing capabilities are considered.
It is no surprise that the SEEK offerings are now looking poor value for money in terms of image quality. The consumer grade thermal cameras have raced down to the SEEK Thermal segment of the market and, quite frankly, flattened it into the ground. Sure the classic model is still very cheap, but that has to compete with the FLIR ONE G2. The SEEK Pro camera is too little too late. They are still messing with a severely compromised microbolometer and lens system. Sadly I see other consumer grade thermal cameras gradually pushing SEEK Thermal into the background. I hoped they would do well, but the thermal camera market is a very challenging place and there will always be casualties. FLIR are unlikely to want to buy them out, as they have other competing manufacturers in the past. SEEK no longer pose a significant commercial threat and have no technological edge that FLIR desires.
Just my view and others will have theirs. I still thank SEEK Thermal for effectively chucking a metaphorical hand grenade into the thermal camera marketplace though. Sadly history has shown that such brave companies often have initial success until others take an interest and out compete them in the newly developed marketplace.
Fraser