InfiRay M200A Micro Review  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Micro
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 25, 2023, 06:12:15 am
content: Hi All,I purchased an M200A a while back and I thought I share some of my experience(subjective), also seek some feedback from any other owners.General comments and UPSIDE:1. The thermal sensitivity/performance of this camera is outstanding. Certainly better than the Flir E8 I have used. And no worse than the E60 I've used2. I honestly can't pick the difference in resolution from the Flir E8, and with the improved sensitivity it makes for a more useful image3. The overall build of the camera is excellent (apart from one issue mentioned below), very strong casing of very good quality material, good hinged protective cover over the lenses. Positive trigger etc.4. Great to have removable batteries (2 LiPo batteries supplied with charger5. Does Video, and quite a good job of it too6. The touch screen is fabulous, very responsive and intuitive UI7. Frame rate is very good, better than the above mentioned Flir on paper and in use8. Carry case and accessories are of reasonable quality9. Fixed focus means than anything closer than about 300mm would require a macro lense (much like the C200) for PCBs etc.10. Battery life is very good. 8hours+ on one battery11. The wifi connection and the IOS IR Discovery App work flawlessly. Easy to use and full function editing etc.Not so great stuff:1. The clip on cover at the base of the handle (which comes off to allow battery changing) is not very secure at all. This would not be such a big issue except that it is also the tripod mount! So in short, don't buy this camera if tripod mounting is important to you. If you rely upon the tripod mount of this device you will undoubtably find yourself picking the camera up off the floor/ground regularly. This is actually the only thing I really dislike oube the product. The problem seems to be a result of unfinished industrial design.2. The customer service I've had on the above issue via AppVision Australia hasn't been great. They have basically come back and said that although it has the provision to be used on a tripod, it's only to be used when the camera is in the directly vertical position, no aiming down at 45 degrees etc. I think this is a totally unacceptable response where the manufacturer and reseller aren't accepting any responsibility for a function that is not fit for purpose3. My Camera needed a firmware update and the process was extremely clunky. The instructions they provided for updating were misleading and wrong, but through perseverance I managed to get the update done. The update solved the issue (some preferences in setting were not being retained once set).4. The rechargeable batteries are a bit of a snug fit in the camera, and the camera body tends to catch on a sticker on the battery pack on the way in, can be a tad fiddly to change batteries5. Firmware updates for this device are not published or freely available, requests for firmware are considered on a case by case basis by IRay and made available via email. I suspect the M200A has a more capable hardware platform that is restricted by firmware and that is why IRay are cagey about providing the same to anyone.So, overall would I buy this again knowing what I do now? For my application probably not (since tripod use is a big feature for me). I'm considering returning it as consumer law is on my side (not fit for purpose). However, for anything that doesn't need a tripod mount it's a very capable camera that will clearly give other vendors a serious shake-up (long overdue IMO). I'd be most interested to hear of any other owners/user experiences of this model...