Seek Compact vs FLIR One

[smbaker]

Does anyone own both of these cameras and can offer an opinion between the two? Both are ~ $250 US cameras. I'd be using them with an iOS device.

From what I've gathered, the Seek has more pixels, but the FLIR has dual cameras and is able to integrate information from the ordinary camera with the thermal camera to general images that appear more detailed.

I'd like to use this for a variety of purposes, from looking at electronics to see which components are generating heat, to HVAC troubleshooting around the home.

Thanks,
Scott

[mojoe]

Try this: http://bfy.tw/5aJ2

BTW, I just ordered a Flir One. Should have it Thursday.

[smbaker]

Try this: http://bfy.tw/5aJ2

I already did google it, and I've already viewed several results including the TEquipment video and the CleanTechnica review, with the latter having particularly useful image comparisons between the two.

I'm looking for the opinion of folks here. This is the place I go to for user experiences and analysis of test equipment from knowledgeable users.

Scott

[smbaker]

You need Seek Compact. It allows ultra short focal length, essentially a manual macro mode.

Thanks. I was starting to lean toward the FLIR. Being able to focus up close does sound useful for what I want to do.

[Redshift1340]

I have the FLIR One for iOS and it's great for most applications, I am really happy with it.  I'd love to recommend it to you. However, if you're going to use it for electronics work, the Seek is the better choice because of its manual focus.  Just make sure that you don't buy one of the older models of the Seek Compact that were fixed focus.  Unless you're going for the Compact XR, in which case they've always had manual focus.

[frenky]

Thanks. I was starting to lean toward the FLIR. Being able to focus up close does sound useful for what I want to do.

Or you could just put cheap ZnSe 100mm lens in front of Flir One to get focus distance of about 10cm (4").
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=znse+100mm&_sop=15

[Fraser]

The ZnSe Auxilliary lenses make macro working very simple on most fixed focus cameras. The common FL's available are 25mm, 50mm, 67mm and 100mm. More than enough options for PCB work.

For me, the FLIR ONE Gen 2 is the more mature product, with better design and performance. It isn't always the pixel count that matters most. The clever chaps on this forum have released a new Android app that releases the full 160x120 resolution (rather than the FLIR app's cropped image) and has better clarity in the image without the fixed MSX presence.

I owned the original SEEK camera and I was very sad to find it wanting in terms of its imaging capabilities. I sold it to someone who wanted one soon after testing it. Members of this forum have written improved software for the SEEK, but it is still not good enough for me to recommend to anyone and they are not phone apps.

I own a large collection of thermal cameras, mainly professional models and also have the FLIR E4 and the FLIR ONE Gen 2 Android. The E4 is upgraded to its full capabilities that exceed those of the E8. It is the thermal camera that I grab when wanting to the quick images or assess a situation on a PCB. I like it so much, I bought two of them. If you can afford it, the FLIR E4 is a fine camera for many tasks. You also have the Therm-App and Thermal Expert to consider.

IMHO, the SEEK and F1G2 are very much budget thermal cameras built down to a price for basic consumer use and you should not expect too much from them.

Fraser

[smbaker]

I ended up choosing the Seek. It'll be here Friday.

It seems to me like a camera should have a focus. Yes, an add-on lens is a viable alternative, but I like the idea of a lens built into the camera that I can just turn. I'm new to this, so I'll start simple and graduate to something more capable if/when the need arises and the finances permit.

I also ordered a lightning extender, and a lightning extension cable to give me some versatility. I'll be using it with an iPhone or an iPad in a case (otterbox and gumdrop, respectively). I'm a little bit skeptical of how sturdy this is going to be with an extender hanging out the bottom of the phone and the camera hanging off that, but in the worst case I can rig something to make it all a bit more secure.

Thanks for the opinions,

Scott

[mojoe]

The ZnSe Auxilliary lenses make macro working very simple on most fixed focus cameras. The common FL's available are 25mm, 50mm, 67mm and 100mm. More than enough options for PCB work.

Is there a ready-made mount, or do I have to kludge something up with a cardboard tube and tape? For my purposes, the 100 mm distance would be fine.

I should have my Flir One Android tonight.

[MikeLogix]

So are you guys saying the Seek is a better choice than the FLIR 1? Ugh, I should of came here first as I just ordered a FLIR 1 for my iPhone 6s yesterday. 

Oh well, live and learn. I will post how mine works out for me.

[Redshift1340]

So are you guys saying the Seek is a better choice than the FLIR 1? Ugh, I should of came here first as I just ordered a FLIR 1 for my iPhone 6s yesterday. 

Oh well, live and learn. I will post how mine works out for me.

In most cases no, the FLIR One is better.  However, if manual focus is a priority and you don't want to rig a lens to the FLIR, then the Seek might be a better choice.  That, and the Seek's higher temp range are really the only reasons to choose a Seek over a FLIR One G2.  So don't worry

[cynfab]

Seek vs. Flir One G2...

Well it depends.... with the manufacturer supplied app, the Flir One takes the cake.
However, if you use either with non-traditional apps or with some of the custom software developed here by eevblog members, the situation changes, and either can produce good results.

The Flir One G2 will always have the advantage that you get a visual image as well as a thermal image. As well as preprocessed images (good or bad depending on your use case)

THe newer Seek product will always have the advantage that they offer a focusable lens. If your are doing PCB temperature scans, having to not fashion an aux lens holder is a plus.

If you are doing Search And Rescue, being able to see the visual image as well as the Thermal Image... Flir One G2 wins hands down. But this may not be your use case...

I have both, mostly I use the Flir (One or E4), but I was very active early on in reverse engineering the USB protocol of the Seek... I had great hopes for the Seek and I still think that they have lots to offer in the Thermal Imaging field.
I also was active in reverse engineering the Flir One USB protocol.

Now, both devices can be used without dependence on the manufacturer supplied SDKs.
Lots or really smart folks are working on both platforms and have produced software that exceeds the manufacturers code.

Now that Flir has produced the Boson, the bar has been set a bit higher. Will Seek rise to the challenge or they a one horse show......??
Time will tell.
 

[MikeLogix]

Well, I did purchase the FLIR one for scanning circuit boards, so I take it the FLIR 1 does not focus well on close ups. I don't see how you could add an external lens to the thing, it would be awful kludgey I imagine. What sorta external lens would one need? Close ups would be the major use of this camera, maybe I can return the thing and see if the Ebay seller has the Seek. Then again maybe I should just wait and see if the focus is okay. You mention people on here have been developing apps for the FLIR 1G2, is there any work in the close up issue?

Well thanks 

[frenky]

Well, I did purchase the FLIR one for scanning circuit boards, so I take it the FLIR 1 does not focus well on close ups. I don't see how you could add an external lens to the thing, it would be awful kludgey I imagine. What sorta external lens would one need?

I've already posted a link to ZnSe lens few posts above:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=znse+100mm&_sop=15
Just drill a hole into a piece of plastics or foam, put the lens in and attach the whole thing to flir one...

[Jeroen3]

The flir one has a 120C software limit. And it has no manual color range.
But it has dual camera blending technology which makes the image more readable.

And bugs, mine freezes the image after auto calibration sometimes. Very annoying.
Maybe it's an iPhone 6S thing, who knows.

Does anyone know how they managed to get two images in one jpeg?

[MikeLogix]

Well, I did purchase the FLIR one for scanning circuit boards, so I take it the FLIR 1 does not focus well on close ups. I don't see how you could add an external lens to the thing, it would be awful kludgey I imagine. What sorta external lens would one need?

I've already posted a link to ZnSe lens few posts above:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=znse+100mm&_sop=15
Just drill a hole into a piece of plastics or foam, put the lens in and attach the whole thing to flir one...

Oh yes, I forgot about that post thanks. If I have to plonk some home brew lens together I may just send back the camera to the seller and perhaps invest in a worthwhile unit. I was not very smart about doing my research before hand on this one. Now lets say I do go with adding a lens do I need just one lens some x distance from the FLIR lens input. It would seem that I would need some sort of cyliner to hold the lens. I know squat about optics. Thanks and have a great weekend.

[encryptededdy]

Does anyone know how they managed to get two images in one jpeg?

It's a FLIR propriety .fff (FLIR File Format) thermal image file stored within the EXIF data of the JPEG.

tomas123 will probably be able to provide more information.

[frenky]

It would seem that I would need some sort of cyliner to hold the lens.

All you need is a step drill bit like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400936477586&rmvSB=true

This ones are even better if you can find them:


And then just make a hole in some kind of material that will hold the lens:
costers, cork, two credit cards glued together, aluminium plate, plastic sheet, plexi glass, cutting board, wooden panel, styrofoam... just look around what you see and can re-purpose.

[MikeLogix]

It would seem that I would need some sort of cyliner to hold the lens.

All you need is a step drill bit like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400936477586&rmvSB=true

This ones are even better if you can find them:


And then just make a hole in some kind of material that will hold the lens:
costers, cork, two credit cards glued together, aluminium plate, plastic sheet, plexi glass, cutting board, wooden panel, styrofoam... just look around what you see and can re-purpose.

I did not understand what these lenses special material was about, luckily Google is the know all see all Wizard of the land.  I learned something thanks 
For the rest who don't know either, check this link out.
http://www.iiviinfrared.com/Optical-Materials/znse.html

[smbaker]

My seek thermal imager arrived yesterday, and I've had the usual 'new gadget' experience of running around the house imaging everything from the cat to the kitchen sink.

The focus ring is really nice, though I'm still getting the hang of it. I wish I had a stand to hold the camera/phone in place while I focused. My first electronic picture is attached. It's of a vacuum tube board. In addition to the heat given off by the tubes, I can see the heat generated by the resistors and pots on the board that drop the anode current.

[efahrenholz]

As usual, the seeks image looks like someone smeared vaseline on the lens.

[Ben321]

As usual, the seeks image looks like someone smeared vaseline on the lens.

Does this kind of bad image quality only happen when you use the official app? Or does this also happen when you use the 3rd party desktop PC software (that was mentioned in another thread here) that lets you control the camera from your desktop PC via a USB cable?

[drdespair]

I would suggest you try some of the windows apps floating around the site, I have see PCB boards with seek using the custom built apps where you can see the pins quite clearly.

My seek thermal imager arrived yesterday, and I've had the usual 'new gadget' experience of running around the house imaging everything from the cat to the kitchen sink.

The focus ring is really nice, though I'm still getting the hang of it. I wish I had a stand to hold the camera/phone in place while I focused. My first electronic picture is attached. It's of a vacuum tube board. In addition to the heat given off by the tubes, I can see the heat generated by the resistors and pots on the board that drop the anode current.

[the1snm]

For what it's worth I posted a comparison of the 2 products several months ago with images. Id link to it but I'm on my phone ATM and unable to do so. Search the forums or my older posts and you'll see some 1 to 1 shots.


Sent from my iPhone

[smbaker]

I would suggest you try some of the windows apps floating around the site, I have see PCB boards with seek using the custom built apps where you can see the pins quite clearly.

Unfortunately, I bought the iOS lightning version, and as far as I know, it can't be connected to a windows PC.