Flir one Pro vs Seek Compact Pro – thermal camera
Wondering if anyone has advice on these two entry level thermal imaging cameras for basic building performance analysis. (Smart phone add-on)
-Flir One Pro
-Seek Compact Pro
I have a decent sense of the differences between the two. I’ll link a good review in a comment below.
My question is for those who have specific experience with thermal imaging for building performance. Most reviews are generic or talk about circuit board imaging/other. I’m looking for all-around performance (perhaps looking at an electrical panel here and there, but mostly detecting air-leaks and thermal bridges).
I could see the wider angle of Flir being an advantage.
I could see the better resolution of the Seek being an advantage.
The Flir MSX (dual image) makes for a possibly ‘nicer’ looking image, but is it actually more useful?
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
Replies
As some who started using thermal cameras back when an expensive pro unit had the same resolution as these entry level models, I can assure you that there's plenty you can learn without the low resolution being a problem. On the other hand, having had the opportunity to use a higher resolution camera, I am spoiled and have a hard time going back to lower resolution. But I think it's mostly because I enjoy looking at the high-resolution images, more than practical differences. I think the biggest practical advantage of higher resolution is that it's easier to recognize what you are looking at in the image after the fact. It's easy to end up with an image that you simply can't identify after the fact. Having a visible reference image is very useful, whether that is done manually or automatically. Good notes are also useful.
I can also confirm that a wider angle is almost always better for building performance. Surveying the outside of a building takes longer when you have to stand 75 feet back from it and walk in a giant circle, and inside, you often have nowhere to back up. Industrial/electical inspection is different--you might want to look at something in more detail and it might be hard to get close to it safely and easily.
I have the little Seek camera and my basic impression of it is that it’s a fancy toy. It most certainly does work, but it’s very difficult to use. Part of the difficulty is the very low resolution, part is the fussiness of the lens. You’d be able to find BIG problems with it without too much trouble, but while it can see smaller problems, it’s VERY easy to miss any small details as the image bounces around and you’re trying to figure out what you’re actually looking at.
Bill