Many people have questions about thermal imagers and their
specifications and abilities. To make it easier for you, we
have developed this list of our most frequently asked questions.
We hope that you can find your answers here, but if you can't
please feel free to call us at , or use our information
request form to find out more.
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1
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With the launch of Elite LITE, is ISG going to discontinue the Talisman K90D/WASP?
Absolutely not
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2
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I have seen that ISG Inc. is offering a camera called the K80 FireCam. What is this camera and how does it differ from the Elite LITE?
The K80 FireCam is essentially identical to the Elite LITE with the major differences being largely cosmetic.
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3
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Is the Talisman better than the Elite LITE or the other way around?
Neither. Both cameras are designed specifically for firefighting and both will give you clear vision through smoke. The introduction of the Elite LITE gives you more choice.
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4
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What Infrared detector technology does the Elite LITE use?
The Elite LITE uses an Amorphous Silicon detector together with UNIQUE signal processing electronics designed specifically by ISG’s engineers and scientists to ensure that you get the clearest image regardless of your task.
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5
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Is the Elite LITE the smallest camera available?
The Elite LITE is the smallest and lightest, full featured, fire camera in the world
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6
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What do you mean by ‘full featured’?
Firefighters today are demanding more than just a thermal imaging camera. The Elite LITE meets this challenge by being able to provide temperature measurement and video transmission (FM or Digital Spread Spectrum) built into the camera in the smallest lightest package available anywhere.
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29
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What is a pixel?
A pixel is the smallest independent single imaging element on a thermal sensor. The number of pixels on a focal plane array (FPA) sensor determine the "base" or initial picture quality of the camera.
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30
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How many pixels does a BST camera have?
A BST based camera has 80,360 pixels, however, only 76.800 are actually used to create an image.
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31
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How many pixels does a microbolometer have?
There are two types of microbolometers, one with 76,800 pixels, and a smaller, less advanced one with just over 20,000 pixels.
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32
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What is a camera engine?
A camera engine, or "camera kit," is a ready-made, working, thermal imaging camera without the monitor and battery. This is sold by sensor manufacturers, like Raytheon, to companies who wish to get into the thermal imaging business quickly, with minimum engineering and up-front expense. For Instance, Raytheon sells their "Series 300" camera kit to a multitude of companies who make cameras for law enforcement, industrial process control, roofing surveys, surveillance, mines, and firefighting. Camera kits are not customized, they are standard products and all cameras that use the camera kit use the same electronics.
Many firefighting cameras, especially those that are manufactured by companies who, until recently, were not involved in the manufacture of thermal imaging cameras, use camera kits.
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33
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What is the advantage of using a camera kit?
There is no advantage to the firefighter, in fact, since camera kits are standard, off-the- shelf-products that are not designed for firefighting, they do not perform as well in hot, high thermal load conditions, as those cameras that use custom parts and software
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34
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Will a salesman tell me if the thermal imager he's selling uses a camera kit?
Probably not since he knows that it is a disadvantage.
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35
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How can I tell if the thermal imager I'm evaluating uses a camera kit?
One dead giveaway is a manual iris. Other than that, you must ask the manufacturer what he has done, electronically, to customize it for firefighting.
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36
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Do all firefighting cameras make use of standard camera kits?
No, not all. Some make use of customized, firefighting specific parts. Just two years ago, there used to be only two or three firefighting camera manufacturers. Why have so many seemed to have just popped up out of nowhere? The availability of the "camera kit" makes it possible for companies with little or no previous experience in thermal imaging to quickly design and manufacture a thermal imaging camera. The camera kit is purchased from the sensor manufacturer, then it is mounted in a customized box and connected to the battery and the LCD monitor. A "sleep mode" is often added to units that utilize camera kits.
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7
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Will the Elite LITE ‘white out’?
The Elite LITE incorporates unique electronics called Dynamic Range Control. This is designed to prevent the ‘white out’ artefact found in other cameras.
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8
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Will the Elite LITE withstand the firefighting environment?
Yes. The camera is constructed from one of the toughest engineering grade plastics available today. It is V0 rated, will withstand direct flame attack and a drop of 2.0m (6’ 6”) into concrete…. and much, much more!
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9
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Why does the Elite LITE not have a ‘sleep’ mode?
The Elite LITE’s ultra low power consumption enables the camera to operate for over SEVEN hours. Consequently, there is little value in having a confusing ‘sleep’ mode.
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10
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What is BST Technology?
BST is a type of thermal imaging technology developed by the Raytheon Corporation. BST cameras are ferroelectric in nature which means when the detector senses infrared energy, it returns a change in capacitance, rather than a change in resistance, like microbolometer based cameras. BST is today's most popular technology used in firefighting cameras. Over 4,500 firefighting cameras have been sold using BST cameras.
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11
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What is a Microbolometer?
What is a Microbolometer?
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12
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Are Microbolometers a newer technology than BST?
Both microbolometers and BST are over 10 years old. Both technologies were funded and developed by the US Military's Department of Defense.
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13
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Are Microbolometers better than BST?
In some ways yes, and in some ways no. For instance, microbolometers can be made smaller and lighter than BST, and also has more raw dynamic range - the total number of temperatures or gray scales it can see in the same scene. BST, on the other hand, can withstand higher ambient temperatures than microbolometers. BST also "sees" all of the IR energy that comes through the lens while microbolometers can only "see" approximately 80 percent of the energy. Many microbolometers can be susceptible to permanent damage to the detector material if the sensor is subjected to sustained temperatures above 70"C.
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14
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Which technology is better for hot firefighting environments?
Which technology is better for hot firefighting environments?
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23
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What is meant by "no moving parts"?
All thermal imaging cameras have at least one moving part. BST cameras must have a "chopper" which is a small wheel that spins in front of the sensor. The chopper basically enables the sensor to, in effect, refresh itself routinely 30 times a second. The chopper, in BST based cameras, also strips noise and static elements before image processing begins.
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24
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What is meant by frame update rate?
This is the number of times, per second, a new image is crested by the sensor's electronics.
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25
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Microbolometers' update rate is 60 Hz and BST is 30 Hz. Which is better?
Some microbolometers update images 60 times per second, while others update at 30 frames per second, or even less. The faster the update rate, the faster you see new scene information. At first glance, you would assume that faster is better, but faster is not without its own inherent tradeoffs. The faster the update rate, the less the integration time. The result of less integration time is a worse signal to noise ratio, which in means noisier, grainier picture quality.
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26
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What is an iris?
An iris is an aperture in front of the sensor to control the amount of infrared energy that the sensor is subjected to. Some cameras use an automatic iris to adjust the camera to varying loads of heat energy, while other cameras use only a manual iris. It is much easier and cheaper to design and manufacture a camera with only a manual iris. Cameras with a manual iris require adjustments from the firefighter to optimize the image clarity. The iris is the single most important part of a camera to prevent the occurrence of saturation and white-out. Cameras with automatic iris effectively eliminate white-out without any firefighter input.
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27
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Do BST cameras require an iris to prevent whiteout?
All cameras can saturate or "white-out" without an iris when subjected to enough heat energy
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28
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Do Microbolometers require an iris to prevent whiteout?
All cameras can saturate or "white-out" without an iris when subjected to enough heat energy.
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