Tuesday, November 15, 2016

The Beast




I got this free with Vine, and here is my review.

I shall call this camera ‘The Beast’, since it’s so thick and heavy.  Don’t worry about microphone or speaker quality, this magnum should never leave it’s shoulder harness.  It’s generally equivalent to my old Nexus 4.

But that is not its intention -- this a camera for the Professional Engineer.  A contractor or a worker would be better off with a Nexus 5x and an Otter case.  No, this phone was made for one thing -- it’s unbelievable thermal FLIR camera.  A separate thermal camera of this quality is over $10,000 on Amazon.

I am a retired engineer, so it is appropriate that I test this camera.  Almost any ‘trouble’ that a field engineer might come across has a thermal signature.  In the first picture I can tell immediately that my dog is healthy by the black (cold) nose.  I did a video, since that was impossible with the old thermal cameras.  The second is my pressure cooker, looking fine.

Of course you can do houses, but there is so much more.  I spent half an hour trying to find hot resistors on a board.  Had to use my fingers - Ouch!  You can easily find hot bearings.

But I am a geotechnical engineer.  All potential failures would have a thermal sign.  Lining on a tunnel about to collapse?  Easily spotted.  Dam or slope having seepage?  Spotted.

This phone is worth ten times the cost for those who need it.  I still wouldn’t drop it, though.  That sucker could knock off a toe!



Pressure cooker

Teapot


Dog


Oven, don't touch the top!
Moving dog

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