Ivy Tools Blog

FLIR T640 Thermal Camera

FLIR has quietly made a few improvements to some their upper level infrared cameras. As sometimes happens, this has had the effect of shaking up their value proposition slightly. Some cameras now stand out and recommend themselves more than they did before the recent changes. More on the standouts below–first a word about the improvements.

Thermal Sensitivity
Thermal sensitivity is improved incrementally on the T420, T440, and T640. These cameras already had excellent pictures, and this change just assures that they stay at the head of the pack. The more notable change, however, is directed at the bx cameras. All of the FLIR T-Series bx cameras now have a thermal sensitivity of 0.03 °C. This is cutting edge sensitivity in a handheld camera, and will make for a significantly improved thermal image.

Top: Transformer without UltraMax
Bottom: Transformer with UltraMax

UltraMax
Also recently introduced, though with more fanfare, is the fantastic UltraMax image enhancement. This technology captures 16 thermal images in about a second, each one slightly offset due to the natural motion of the human body. This gives a huge amount of data about a single target. When loaded into the free FLIR Tools software, the images are analyzed and stitched together to form one new image with twice the resolution and four times the overall pixels. This means your thermal images are clearer, and your measurements are more accurate. UltraMax is an impressive feature, and will be tantalizing enough to move many Exx-Series customers into a T-Series camera.

Standouts
So which FLIR cameras stand out after the recent improvements? Here are a few of our favorites, along with our rationale, in no particular order:

FLIR T420bx – The standard T420 is already very good and has been one of our favorites for years. The new 0.03 °C sensitivity of the T420bx, however, has made this bx variant a real contender. At under $10k, with cutting edge sensitivity plus UltraMax, this is a heck of a deal. For some users the max temp of 350 C/662 F may be a limiting factor, but for others this will leave plenty of range to work with.

FLIR T620bx – Because of UltraMax, the T620/T620bx is now the most affordable route to full megapixel thermal images. That alone makes it worthy of inclusion here, but let’s not overlook the 0.03 °C sensitivity on the T620bx. Measuring temperatures up to 650 C/1202 F, the T620bx gives you a good range, and an excellent 1.2 MP picture.

FLIR T640 – The T640 is akin to one of those cars that always tops the 10 best list. This camera can handle almost anything you can throw at it, including temperatures up to 2000 C/3632 F. Top notch 0.03 °C sensitivity, plus 640×480 resolution (or 1280×960 with UltraMax!) adds up to one of the best pictures in infrared. Still the benchmark.

Have questions about which FLIR Thermal Camera is right for your application? Give us a call at (877) 273-2311. We would be happy to answer your questions and make recommendations.