This is all very interesting reading. Thank you.
Without any inside knowledge of the new Pro design it is hard to know what challenges the OEM faced when building such a camera. I find it interesting that the software appears to require significant modification to deal with the new sensor array and that the new array initially appears to have less noise than its lower resolution stable mate.
In the case of ULIS Microbolometers, each new generation of sensor array that they release is often more refined and lower noise than its predecessors. That is just evolution of the technology. The 640 x 480 pixel sensor may be a later generation than that used in its 'little brother' hence some changes to the software that drives it. I was interested that initially the Pro was not going to be capable of accurate temperature measurements. That lead me to believe that the temperature stability of the sensor die was presenting the OEM with some challenges. There seemed no other reason why such an advanced sensor array could not measure temperature accurately. The fact that the PRO was released with some Radiometric capabilities suggests that the sensor is more stable than expected, or some fine tuning of the design has improved stability.
The new dongle format 640 x 480 thermal cameras are cramming impressive performance into a very small form factor. It is to be expected that there will need to be some more fine tuning of the designs and associated software. They choose to not employ an FFC shutter and that, for me, is a disappointment. Yes it decreased the required complexity and lens block volume, but it also removes the very useful facility to auto correct the sensor array output if temperature drift is present.
Very interesting times though and I watch these new camera releases with interest
Fraser