Seek Thermal - Android Infrared Camera Review
by Ganesh T S on May 1, 2015 8:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Gadgets
- Thermal Imaging
- Seek Thermal
Miscellaneous Aspects and Concluding Remarks
The Seek Thermal camera connects to the microUSB port of a smart device, and hence, the measurement of the power consumption of the camera is quite challenging. We decided to monitor the battery voltage and current over Wi-Fi while the Seek Thermal camera was connected to the Dell Venue 8 7000. Obviously, the monitoring aspect contributes to power consumption since the Wi-Fi is kept in use all through. In the table below, we show the power consumption of the tablet for various scenarios.
| Seek Thermal Camera Power Consumption Estimation (Dell Venue 8 7000 with Wi-Fi Traffic On) |
|
| Scenario | Power Consumption (W) |
| Screen Off | 0.3416 |
| Screen On | 0.8282 |
| Seek Thermal Camera Preview | 3.3221 |
| Seek Thermal Camera Video Recording | 3.9920 |
Note that these power numbers are for the system as a whole and not the Seek Thermal camera alone
Related Plays
Seek Thermal was the first to come out with a sub-$200 thermal imaging solution. The price of the camera is now $249. They have also followed it up with the Seek Thermal XR - Xtra Range. It has the same resolution, but only a 20 degree field of view. However, it has an adjustable focus ring to be able to detect temperatures of objects up to 1800 ft. away. The XR model is priced at $299.
At CES 2015, FLIR was showing off its plans for a FLIR ONE that would be compatible with all iOS devices as well as a majority of Android devices. It is expected to land sometime towards the end of summer for a reasonable price point. For reference, the current FLIR ONE for iPhone 5/5s sells for $249. There is also a Kickstarter campaign for an affordable thermal imager from HemaVision, though the sensor resolution seems to be really low. All in all, thermal imagers are becoming more and more affordable, and given the multitude of useful applications, it is good news for consumers.
Scope for Improvement
The Seek Thermal camera is the ideal device for consumers to get started with a thermal imager without breaking the bank. It is more of a useful toy - given the applications that the company suggests that it be used for. We are not very convinced about the accuracy of the temperature readings, but it is good enough for the target market. Improvement aspects include higher resolution and frame rates for the microbolometer and a flexible microUSB connector for compatibility with a wider variety of devices. Finally, readers interested in a deeper technical dive into the camera would do well to peruse the EEVBlog thread here.
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Folterknecht - Friday, May 1, 2015 - link
So now Anandtech is finally able to include IR images of VRMs on GPUs and mobos? High Time - after seeing the IR images on TH with the initial GTX 960 review (100°C +)DanNeely - Friday, May 1, 2015 - link
Maybe. It depends on if it's just a review loaner or not. If it's something that was bought/donated *one* of the editors could use it for improved thermal measuring. The Anandtech writers work from home at various locations around the world; there's no central office where they can all borrow from a shared set of toys.dave1231 - Friday, May 1, 2015 - link
Bang goes my rough sleeping in the park bushes.Impulses - Friday, May 1, 2015 - link
How does this compare to the old DSLR & mirrorless cameras that people convert into IR? Output seems rougher here but I dunno if that actually makes it more useful for testing purposes.RandomUsername3245 - Friday, May 1, 2015 - link
Those IR DSLRs see the infrared region that is *barely* above what our eyes can see, e.g. we see roughly wavelengths = 0.4-0.7 um. The IR SLRs see ~0.7-1.0um. These SLRs don't see thermal emission until roughly the same temperature as we see it with our naked eye: when things glow red hot. Thermal cameras like the Seek see longwave infrared, which is roughly ~8-14 um. This is a substantially different wavelength region than the SLRs.mike8675309 - Friday, May 1, 2015 - link
The killer thing these type of cameras can do is take a picture with both visible and IR cameras. Then overlay the IR on the visible image to make it easier to pinpoint where the hot spots are in relation to things.fobosca - Friday, May 1, 2015 - link
Unfortunately this is just a toy. Expensive one. I am professional thermographer and was using multiple FLIR cameras. Thermal resolution is too low for any practical use. Unless of cuz you wanna take pictures if your cat and you have some money to burn. Good luck trying to get any accurate temperature.sor - Saturday, May 2, 2015 - link
Am I missing something, or are we being misled by a conflation of the visible and infrared resolutions? At 32k it seems this has a resolution between a FLIR E6 and E8, which range in the thousands of dollars.Daniel Egger - Saturday, May 2, 2015 - link
I happen to own a FLIR i7 which has a lower resolution but from what I'm reading seems to be vastly more accurate than the Seek Thermal (when set to the correct material/reflectivity) and have a higher resolution for the temperature readout (you can actually locate wirings in brick walls even with only low currents passing through).I'd be really interested in a shootout between those add-ons and dedicated IR thermographing gear let's say up to a couple thousand bucks.
thebeastie - Saturday, May 2, 2015 - link
Yeah LOL there are a few reviews of this on the web that have heaps better pictures of cars etc.Those pics on this review are super boring, I can only assume the reviewer was asked to review this and has absolutely no interest in it.
What would be really handy for me with this is checking for bad battery cells or links on ebike batteries under load...
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=18650+e+bike+ba...