FLIR EXX alternative? (curious as it's more than 10 years since release) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Paw85
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2022, 06:26:24 pm
content: I've been looking for ways to finance hobbies of mine and currently the most expensive piece of hardware that I own is the hacked FLIR E30bx facelift.I originally purchased it to find problems in the house I moved into and it surely have served that purpose extremely well, but since then I only tend to use it a couple of times per year at most.In parallel I have purchased a budget thermal imager (UTi690A) for use in the messy garage environment to use during projects where I tend not to want to use the Exx, and that unit also seems to be able to substitute the Exx for the things I use a thermal image for nowadays, even if a bit more work has to be put into using it.While I at the moment dont need the Exx performance (excellent image quality, low noise, 30fps video and manual focus), I feel like in the future I might want that level of performance again (probably spoiled now...), but when I now have tried to search for a Exx in good condition that is hackable to see what's available, it seems even more rare nowadays on auction sites, only finding really heavily used units that are partly broken, and non-hackable units for much more than I paid.The FLIR E30bx that I own was manufactured more than 10 years ago, and my question is really; Do anyone know if any good alternatives have been produced nowadays that can compete with a hacked Exx for a similar used price?The reason of asking is that if unable to obtain a proper Exx unit that is hackable again if I find that I may be needing one, I'm hoping that there may be something similar for a similar price that could be purchased?

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2022, 07:55:28 pm
content: From my experience, the FLIR Exx remains a very strong contender for the best prosumer complete thermal camera in terms of performance Vs cost on the used market. The more expensive Bxxx and Txxx series cameras do manage to offer some improvement in image, but they are a very different format of camera.Sadly the Exx series that we know and love has been replaced by the latest Exx series that, to date, have not given up their ‘dirty little secrets’ in order to have their full potential released. To my knowledge, the Original Ex and Exx thermal cameras are the only examples of their type to be so comprehensively investigated in terms of unlocking the full capabilities of the hardware. I have seen nothing similar for the Fluke cameras that use firmware hobbling to limit various models capabilities.I used to own two FLIR E40 cameras and decided to sell one. I do not think I will be tempted to sell my remaining E40 (E60+) any time soon. I do not expect to see another camera of its abilities at an affordable price any time soon. That said, the Chinese Thermal Camera core and complete camera manufacturers are making great progress and we may see affordable QVGA high frame rate cameras that can match the performance of the E60+ In the not too distant future ?Think long and hard before selling your upgraded E30 as you will likely need to find another of the original Exx series to replace it and they may become rarer and more expensive due to the configurability of the system that we now know so wellFraser

author: Paw85
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 10, 2022, 09:11:21 am
content: Quote from: Fraser on January 09, 2022, 07:55:28 pmThank you very much for your input Fraser, it sadly confirmed my suspicion regarding the situation.I had taken sales images and put together a sale text for it a few weeks ago, but... never pushed the button to publish the ad....Perhaps this is also the reason why they don't show up for sale much, that people are keeping them instead of selling them for the fear that they may not be able to get something as good later on if needed, as there at least currently dont seem to be any good alternatives?It does feel a bit of a waste to use it as little as I do nowadays when it could service someone else more (It sits in its case ~350 days a year), but perhaps one could find more ways to get more use out of it instead of selling it.There do seem to be some folks renting out their thermal imagers (budget units), but considering the rarity of this unit, that also feels like a bad option in case it gets damaged.