Features:

  • PORTABILTY - Pocket portable thermal camera with MSX-enhanced thermal images providing stunning detail to help you identify problem areas easier
  • IMAGE CAPTURE – Up to 500 radiometric images. 4800 pixels capable of capturing thermal measurements from 14°F to 302°F
  • WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY - Wifi Connectivity transfers images wirelessly to mobile platforms. Standard is 802.11 b/g/n. Operating temperature range is minus 10 to 50 degree celsius. Digital camera is 640 x 480 pixel
  • MEASUREMENT MODES – Center spot or Area Min/Max allowing you to quickly measure within a defined area box
  • IMAGE MODES: “MSX” adds key details from the on-board digital light camera to the IR image adding detail and clarity; "Picture-in-picture" overlays a fixed Section of a thermal image onto a digital photo to clarify problem locations and enhance documentation.Spectral Range:7.5 - 14.0 µm
  • INCLUDES - Infrared camera, lanyard, pouch, power supply/charger, tripod mount, USB cable, printed documentation
great camera for home inspectors

I'm a home inspector, and I used a much larger IR camera for several years. The larger camera has better resolution and some features this one lacks (like setting it on a tripod and taking one photo every 5 minutes, or every 30 minutes). But that is more forensics than home inspection. This one is small enough to fit in a pocket and auto-calibrates so it will get used much more frequently. This is my first FLIR, and so far I'm very happy with them. Some free online classes for the camera. I sent one question to customer service and it was answered promptly. And a 'welcoming' email with a phone and email if I had any questions. A lens cover would be nice, but I'm not downrating it or complaining because I read the reviews and knew it didn't have one. I stopped at a big box store and found a suitable slip-in cover for less than $10.

Love it! Lots of great uses—privacy being one of them! Great build, nice weight, sturdy. Highly recommend it.

So I've been using this for a weekend now, and I gotta say, I'm thoroughly impressed—what a great and useful piece of technology for many different uses! Let's get into all the aspects, "The Good, The Bad & The Returnable (spoiler.. there isn't one for returnable) // Packaging & "In the Box" Items — "The Good" I won't bore you with details, the short and sweet version is that the box is really nice, professionally laid out & designed, and very "gift-able". Inside you get everything you need and more. The device itself, wrist strap, charging USB cable (forgot to include in my photo), multiple international power supply plugs, manual and some additional marketing + registration material. // Quality of the Device—"The Good" Right off the bat, you realize the construction is rock solid—fully wrapped in a soft rubber protective shell, keeping it safe from any accidental drops. The screen also has a flexible plastic feel to it, so unlike the glass your phones are equipped with, this will take a good beating before shattering. I'm very happy with its build quality, no issues or worries, however I don't think it's water/dust proof, so just keep that in mind before getting carried away with how you handle it. It's an expensive technology, so like your phone, be cautious. That being said, it is built to be used in rougher environments, so don't be overly worried about dirty fingers. // Features & User Experience—"The Good" Finally the good part. Using it is a joy, it boots up relatively quickly (10-15 sec), sometimes taking a little longer to calibrate which it does frequently during use. The screen is plenty bright by default, but does have 3 settings (low, med, high). The screen is very responsive, but like your touch phones, you will need special "touch" gloves or your bare fingers in order to respond to your interactions. It's got multiple viewing color modes, plus MSX technology which helps you see what your looking at through the devices screen. Basically it draws lines around objects to help discern object details—it's a very useful option that most will have enabled at all times. It's got a flash you can turn on/off, or even use as a flashlight. The battery lasts for a while, I'd probably recharge it every 3 days of regular and constant usage. One of my favorite features is the double photos that it takes. So after each photo, it instantly takes 2 pictures, one of the thermal view, and one of a regular photo so you can see exactly what your looking at (see attached photo). There's also a lot of device settings and parameters that can be tweaked, things like: Emissivity, Reflected Temperatures, Distances, Language, Time, Units, Brightness, Screen Orientation, Power settings, and few more. One of my other favorite features which I stumbled across accidentally, was the ability of locking the temperature range/color scheme. When your pointing the FLIR at any particular area, theres a temperature range for whatever scene your looking at, and the colors are spread out across that range. For example (see attached photos), my kitchen had a temperature range of 175 - 71.8, the oven was recently on so it was 175 and the coolest areas on the floor were 71.8. The color for the hottest area is 175 and shows as white. In my next photo of my TV, the range is 93.3 to 73.4, with the highest temperature of 93.3 also displaying as white. Both different "high temps", but both showing as white. The lock feature, simply locks the color to temperature association, and applies it to every scene you look at as long as that lock is in place. This way you can compare 80 degrees, to 80 degrees, scene from scene. It's all a bit confusing, but basically allows the hot temps to really come through and stay consistent as you walk around your location. All you have to do to enable this, is tap on the temperature range, either the top or bottom numbers and you'll see a small lock appear. Tap it again, and it disables it—simple, and brilliant. I also like this because I find the FLIR calibrates less often. One last thing I wanted to point out, is the large action button on the top. There's only two buttons on the device, a power button, and a "Take Photo" action button. This action button is oversized, which really makes it easy to take a snapshot—a small detail, but was well thought through. // Usages—"The Good" I don't work in construction, and I'm not a handyman in the traditional sense, so for me, I'm not as interested in finding cold or hot spots around the house, or electrical problems, etc. I actually have other practical uses for this FLIR C2. Believe it or not—it's privacy. Let me explain, this is a thermal imager that picks up any thermal signatures—well any device that's got electricity flowing through it will be giving off a heat signature. Some more then others, but nearly all will. My wife and I do a fair amount of traveling, most of those travels require staying at either hotels or airbnb type locations. This camera is an amazing tool for bug sweeps. If there's a camera hidden in a teddy bear, this thing will pick up that warm battery immediately. Unplug any electronics that you don't need, let them cool down, then walk through the area with this camera. You will find head signatures anywhere, even through thin dividers! So if there's heat coming from places that shouldn't have anything there, investigate. Even things like fans that aren't even running give off heat and are clearly visible on this device. So if your the type that sleeps outside the comforts of your own home, this might be a good investment for you. Another thing I use this for is power saving. Unpluging all sorts of devices we had no idea were running hot even when not on, like the fan, but also things like lamps, gaming systems, even electronic wine openers.. all of it is adding to your energy bill, even though it's at such a small amount, every bit could help. The other interesting thing I discovered, was that my TV was much hotter in one of its corners. It ran 14 degrees hotter then any other place (see photo attached). So if your making a large purchase, and want to make sure there's nothing strange or wrong with your product, this might be a good way to determine that too. I still haven't looked into the whole TV issue, and I'm not sure there's anything I can do about it, but I will be testing some settings to see if I can turn down some dynamic lighting or something. One last thing to note, this is obvious, but might you might not realize it right away—this will not function through a window. So if your inside your home/apt, and trying to pick up heat signatures outside, it will obviously not work. // Overview—"The Good" Anyway, I really really like this device, I think it's a wonderful product, that's capable of doing a lot of very handy tricks. It's built very well, a lot of great features and customization options are included. I would highly recommend this portable unit to anyone looking for a solution to several scenarios.

A great entry-level thermal camera!

I use this camera for basic preliminary inspections for electrical testing & maintenance. My included photos demonstrate being able to see the oil level inside a transformer during the fill process, and looking for hot spots on cable connections on top of bushings & lightning arrestors. This camera will pick up hot spots on cable and wire connections, breakers, contactors etc. but not with the same accuracy as the top-end models. The images are smooth and crisp but the movement is pretty choppy, and the images are quite small- it's great for "having a quick look" and could easily justify prompting a professional IR inspection. Overall, this camera was a great investment. I've used it at work, I've used it around the home and to inspect a few vehicles! I also included a thermal image of my dog for reference. So far, it seems pretty rugged. I've only dropped it from my pocket but it has a permanently installed rubber case so it doesn't get too beat up. I haven't used any of the FLIR software but I think it works with this camera. The touch screen is fairly responsive but not smooth & snappy like a modern smart phone (I believe it's based on Windows CE). I can confirm that either a Windows PC or Mac will pull photos from it. The FLIR software only works on Windows though!!! Battery life is a bit limited if you leave the backlight turned all the way up, slightly better if you turn it down. The battery is NOT removable so try to keep it charged. This is definitely NOT one of the top-end models; it won't perform like one either. That said, I definitely recommend adding this gadget to your inventory someday, it comes in VERY useful and you don't have to spend $8,000.00 or more to get a quick look at something.

Great product, so many uses!

So far fantastic. I'm learning new uses by the day with this. A hint DON'T check out them OVER RATED "Low "E" replacement windows" that you have just paid a fortune to install! BUT check things like your refrige/freezer door seal for LEAKING SPOTS, these appliances run 24/7and a door seal leak can cost you over time. Ceiling fans, I had one that just seemed different than the other matching fans. Checked it and seems to have bearing problems... Chinese bearings... JUNK! Your house, I'm checking my walls around my electric service entrance... For insulation... Well it was all ok BUT AIMED this camera UP and found a completely UNINSULATED spot in "flat roof" ceiling where there is NO INSULATION between rafters! Still coming up with a resolve for that issue. Time to cut drywall since I live in AZ where these spots are critical. Check your electrical outlets and them CELL PHONE chargers, just might find a HOT ONE!

Perfect new gadget!

Well..This was a gift for my husband because he is such a great guy! But sadly when we got the Camera we couldn’t even try it out. The package came without a charging cable, no lanyard and some of the adaptors were missing. On top of everything the box had a ton of dog hair everywhere. It was simply gross. Also i can see fingerprints all over it even on the infrared lens. This was obviously a previously returned camera. I’ll update my review once I actually get to try it out...not very happy, 😡 Round TWO: (Replacement Camera with everything in the box and no NASTY HAIR 🤮) Got the replacement 2 days later. This camera is awesome! Does everything exactly as advertised. It’s perfect for beginners (like me). Also has more fine tuning details available than I was expecting. Picture is perfect and it really gives you a new “Sixth sense”. Only If you’re really close to something the MSX feature overlay is a LITTLE off but it’s not a big deal because the feature does make a huge difference. Pricing is just right, I cant imagine how much better a $1000+ camera could do. I’m an automotive tech and I’m sure this will help with a lot of A/c and heating issues along with general cooling system diagnostics. Possibilities are endless. Let’s just see how long it last, with the proper care of course. (OH! And thanks to my wife for this AWESOME gift! 😘)

infrared magic

bought this thing originally to use to detect heat leaks around windows and doors. works perfect for that. we had a hurricane come through and our town went completely dark. I mean dark. reminded me of nights in Vietnam between parachute flares. my wife's black cat ran out of the house andn we though she was gone. my wife was frantic. I got the camera and panned around the shrubbery and lo and behold she was hiding under one on the side of the house. expensive but worth it.

Great LIttle Tool

I bought this mostly for personal use in inspection of home or sons rent houses. Just a couple of days after getting this camera, a friend asked to borrow it for his home. Well, later the same day, his wife saw some water coming out of his wall in his bathroom. He got to looking at the problem, he couldn't tell where the leak was coming from in the wall. He remembered he borrowed this camera and he got to looking and found the cool spot did not originate from the wall, but in the ceiling area of his bathroom and water was running down the nearby wall. By using this, he cut out a small area of the ceiling and was able to fix the leak (PEX Pipe) without tearing out his wall and ceiling to find the actual leak origination spot. Talk about coincidence, he just had the leak the day he borrowed my camera. Go figure. Anyway, this camera already payed off for someone, although not me, it can be a valuable tool. I would just as soon not have a leak myself to test further.

Amazing unit, great customer service, and awesome

For the price you can't beat it, I've already noticed when they redid my walls after having a branch come through my roof two years ago that there is a big section of wall that backs up to the attic that has no insulation and the temperature difference is about 20°F so now I can already start using this to save money once I get up there and add insulation. I love the build of this as it is rugged, just wish they did have a cover for the sensor so you don't accidentally touch it, I'd feel much more comfortable keeping this in my jacket pocket. Unfortunately I purchased this a month before the new C3 came out (with Wifi, video, and picture-in-picture capability). Once the C3 came out Amazon dropped their price on this another $50, I reached out Amazon to see if they could do a price match as they used to but unfortunately they took that feature away in mid 2016. The quality is good, not the best, but much better than that that I've used in the past with multi thousand dollar units. The technology has come a long ways and is still growing. The images are much better quality than those of the SEEK or other cheaper thermal units. Though there is one that attaches to a phone and uses that camera that is over a grand but the sensor on that is much bigger, so you can capture more intricate details and also change lenses so you can do wide angle or telephoto. This FLIR is only wide angle - which works great but if you're wanting greater detail from further away you won't be able to achieve this without getting closer to the object. Software - FLIR's software on this is top notch, I'm very impressed just what I can do in it and even change the thermal range and colors. You can even set it up to only show colors above or below a certain range. Customer Service - I reached out almost immediately as it seemed the sensor was somewhat off, such as if I was to look at my hand you could see an obvious offset between the picture and the thermal image (as they use both and overlap). This is great at distances of over 4' with being accurate but I'm planning on using it with wiring inside electrical panels of boats. Generally it is a rats nest in there and I don't want to see a hot wire and mistake it as the wrong one as the image would be shifted off. Anyway the customer service guy was top notch and able to answer my questions and concerns. He is still currently waiting on me to send him some more photos at which I've been lazy about. He even sent me a whole document on learning about emissivitiy and how to set it to what it should be (I've always been used to keeping this at 1 but I wanted to know why and when it should be set, this doc helped me) Overall I'm impressed and loving it, I'm also hoping to use it in my boat as I have a leak in my teak deck and need to find out where is saturated, I know you can use thermal imaging to find water saturated material but I'm not sure how well this unit will do that. So far I like this and would even love to someday get one with different lenses and bigger sensor, but for now I'm happy. Oh, distance wise, I can't detect too far, such as over 100' and I'm not getting objects I'd assume to be hot outside, this isn't a problem just an observation. This is more of a home inspection camera and is what I'm going to use it as when I do house hunting.

Flir C2 Compact Thermal Imaging System Camera

I bought this camera when house flooded with Harvey to see where water was in walls of house, including bathrooms. It worked great to help me once I learned how to use it. Also used it to find stud in wall for hanging a mirror.

And he did great job, but he failed to find a few ...

I bought this entry level FLIR C2 camera for the purpose of helping my daughter and son-in-law reduce their risks when buying their first home. They paid a professional home inspector $535 to inspect the $600k house they placed an offer on. But the home inspector doesn't use thermography or even a torpedo level during his inspections. He does everything by eye. And he did a great job, but he failed to find a few things the FLIR proved embarrassing to the home seller's general contractor who remodeled the house. Specifically, the contractor had removed a kitchen window, applied stucco over the opening outside and drywall inside, but didn't bother to place fiberglass insulation in the bays between the studs where the window used to be. You see from the FLIR image I took that the 3' wide area where the frig will go looks just fine to the naked eye, but the insulation is missing from the wall. Even the home inspector was impressed! If you're going to invest in million dollar 30-year mortgage, it's well worth the price of this product to help you know what you're getting into.

Full Reviews