The prices of thermal imaging technology has dropped significantly in terms of availability of a technology. I recently purchased an NEC AVIO thermal camera for GBP720 on e*ay. It was virtually new condition and was originally purchased in October 2002. To give you an idea of how prices have dropped, here is the price list for that camera and accessories:
AVIO TH series thermal Camera Euros 40,000
AVIO Close up lens FL: 38mm Euros 12,000
AVIO High Temp Filter (2000C) Euros 5,600
AVIO IEEE1394 interface Euros 5,600
AVIO/Goratec Software Euros 3,500
AVIO Battery (Li-Ion) Euros 90
Annual warranty fee Euros 3,500
The AVIO TH series camera is an aircraft aluminium 'camcorder format' shell built around a military grade Boeing micro-bolometer thermal imaging core. A superb set of Germanium auto focus optics feed the image to the microbolometer.....quality built around quality
What you see above is the cost of professional thermal imaging equipment. FLIR can be even more expensive than AVIO for such equipment.
I know that people want more affordable consumer grade thermal cameras and I am all in favour of such. As the technology has developed it has dropped in price. But please do not think that the FLIR E4 is not already good value for money. It is a bargain when compared to the prices of professional equipment, and even more so when upgraded to 320x240 resolution. My FLIR PM' and AVIO TH' cameras have the advantage of 'bullet proof' build quality, accuracy and precision, combined with 320x240 resolution at 60fps. That is what you pay for. The casual user can often accept a lesser specification....hence the arrival of the FLIR Ex series. FLIR's introduction of the LEPTON core will hopefully do wonders for the budget thermal camera market place, but at low resolution only. I am looking forward to affordable thermal CCTV cameras as they offer an excellent intruder detection capability and are less easily fooled than conventional visible/IR imaging technology. A $400 thermal CCTV camera would be great, even at 80x60 resolution.
Will higher resolution cameras become available soon ? I hope so, but the realist in me thinks it unlikely due to the tight control companies like FLIR and Raytheon have over the market place. It may change, but the Chinese do not seem to be producing cheap sensor arrays as yet. There is also the unavoidable production costs of such and the yield % of good sensor arrays. They may be an expensive device, no matter who makes it. These are not relatively simple CCD chips after all.
Aurora