The Rise Of Consumer Camera Technology - Thermographics!
Just 10 years ago, no one had even heard about a digital camera. And in the last few years, the technology of cameras has expanded so greatly that almost every type of camera is now available on the market. The latest in the line of elite cameras are the thermographic cameras. Once used only by law enforcement and military, these cameras are now also available to the public. They contain some of the most advanced software and technology known to man.
Thermographic cameras are sometimes called FLIR (forward looking infra red). In other words, unlike the regular camera which can form an image in visible light, these cameras can form an image at wavelengths which are invisible to the human eye.
Thermal cameras of every size, fashion and design are available today. These cameras can be used for everything ranging from home security, night vision, law enforcement, military purposes, fighting fires, working in the mines and even underwater.
Thermal imaging cameras can be hooked to a variety of software programs. Some can record and even take instant photographs. They have real time recording capacity and the images can be relayed instantly on to a video monitor.
However, thermal cameras are not cheap. The cost of an average thermal camera is about $5000 and above.
What Are Thermal Imaging Cameras?
Thermal imaging has revolutionized how we see deep into the night. These infrared imaging cameras are an excellent buy for anyone who wants to see the world of darkness. They can optically pierce through intense fog, dense smoke and the darkest night. For years, this camera has been used by law enforcement and has saved countless lives. Today, it is used by most police and military services for surveillance and security. These cameras use infrared light to capture images not visible to the naked eye.
Some of the thermal cameras even come with motion detectors and all of them have excellent resolution producing sharp images. At night, there is no need for a flash light or any type of illumination to capture images.
When used for home security, the suspects can be seen vividly in total darkness without revealing the location of the camera. Because the camera uses very fine temperature changes to capture the images no amount of camouflage can help the suspect. Some of the cameras have fixed lenses and some used for home surveillance have a rotating frame to capture images in 360’.
The cameras are built of a sturdy frame and have high shock resistant capability. When used with batteries, the cameras will generate images for about 2-4 hours depending on the number of images obtained.
All thermal cameras today have one or two USB ports which allow hook-up to a computer. The camera is relatively simple to operate. For security reasons, most thermal cameras are only for use in the United States and it is forbidden to take them out of the country without permission. The price of thermal cameras is variable but starts at $5000 and can go as high as $ 20,000.
« go back