How do I protect my thermal camera from the sun? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: thermal_learning
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 02:14:20 pm
content: Hi, as the title suggests, I am in the process of sourcing a thermal security camera for remote outdoor use.It will be mounted in an outdoor location overlooking a landscape. As I understand, direct sun exposure fries the thermal camera's uncooled VOX sensor.I am curious what are the possible solutions to this problem, as I imagine it must be quite common.As far as I have gathered based on my research, the options are:1. Positioning the camera to never have the sun directly in frame (this is challenging when looking at a long distance landscape, however)2. Using a sun shade on the camera (dome PTZ cameras do not have this, however)3. Having a mechanical shutter mechanism that covers the lens when the sun is in frame (this could work theoretically but I haven't seen any examples of this being used in practice).4. Sun protection mechanism on the VOX sensor (suppliers say they have this, but what does it actually do? Surely if there is direct sun exposure, it would still fry the sensor no?)Thank you for any ideas you may have!

author: dennis1573
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 04:27:39 pm
content: Hi,I have a Axis Q1921 monitoring our driveway.its behind the garage window (someone cut a hole in the window for me, so i could install a germanium window)It has been like this for over 5 years now, without any damage.

author: gamerpaddy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 04:34:26 pm
content: some can withstand sun exposure, some cantit depends on the sensor type, if its mounted on a heatsink or ceramic substrate, or free floating in a vacuum (a-Si)short exposures can be FFC'd out, long may damage ithttps://flir.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3192/~/flir-cameras---exposing-camera-detectors-to-high-energy-sourcesreduce your aperture size at daytime somehow, use a lens with a small aperture or attentuate the incoming light quite a bit using semi transparent materials to stay below the 1..2W/cm2 mark at the sensors surface

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 05:04:02 pm
content: Depending on what sort of timber-bashing tools you have available you could just build a bird-feeder style shelter for the camera that both protects it from the elements and keeps the lens in permanent shade. I built one a while back for a camera I use to monitor the lower garden for pests, I'm away ATM so can't post a photo but it was just a few pieces of scrap ply and timber and some leftover house paint.

author: thermal_learning
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 04, 2025, 09:06:24 am
content: Very interesting, so was what you build just a shade structure basically? Meaning it kept the camera in full shade? Or did it do something else as well

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2025, 02:55:16 pm
content: Just for readers information….FLIR have a note regarding the risks of directly viewing the Sun…..https://flir.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3192/~/flir-cameras---exposing-camera-detectors-to-high-energy-sourcesIt also provides some reference energy levels for safe and unsafe imaging situations.I have seen A-Si microbolometers suffer destroyed pixels where the sun slowly passes directly across the field of view.‘Cooking’ a sensitive thermal sensor by direct viewing of the sun, no matter what the technology, is not something you want to do if you care about the sensors health.Some thermal cameras include an overload protection system that detects excessive energy hitting the microbolometer and moves the FFC flag into the optical path to protect the microbolometer until it is reset. Infiray and Thermal Master have this protection as a user selectable option in some of their cameras setup menu.Fraser

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2025, 04:49:07 pm
content: Quote from: thermal_learning on October 04, 2025, 09:06:24 amIt was more for weather protection since we're coastal, it's a PTZ camera and the enclosure protects most of it except for the rotating part at the bottom. It's a visible-light camera not an IR which I didn't mention in the original, and because it's PTZ it needs to be more open than a fixed camera so a design for an IR would be able to enclose and shade more of it. In addition because of its location it's naturally shaded by trees for much of the day so the shade from the enclosure only has to be present in the morning. This is an old photo from when I was testing it, with a possum feeder enclosure below it.

author: nixxon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2025, 04:15:11 pm
content: Quote from: dennis1573 on October 03, 2025, 04:27:39 pmIt must be awesome to have a Germanium window in a window in Germany