PROS: Great price, SD card image storage, good build quality, wide temperature range.
CONS: Low IR resolution, low refresh rate.
| Product | Type | Resolution | Battery capacity | Waterproof | LCD screen | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hti HT-02D | Handheld | 32 x 32 | 6 hours | No | 2.4″ | Click for more info |
Hti HT-02D Specifications
| Type | Handheld |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 32 x 32 |
| Pixels | 1024 pixels |
| Connectivity | None |
| Temperature range | -4°F to 572°F (-20°C to 300°C) |
| Accuracy | +/-2°C |
| Thermal sensitivity | 0.3°C |
| Distance | |
| Storage Type | Micro SD Card (4gb) |
| Battery capacity | 6 hours |
| Dimensions | 8.5 x 2.4 x 3.5 inches |
| LCD screen | 2.4″ |
| Refresh rate | 6 Hz |
| Applications | Work in Home Inspection , Fire-fighting, Archaeology, Traffic, Farming, Electronic Manufacturing |
| View Angle | |
| Features | Waterproof, Dustproof, Manual Focus, Visual Camera |
Hti HT-02D – Specs & Review
The HTI HT-02D thermal imaging camera is an extremely low-cost thermal camera. It is handheld with a good grip and it looks just like an infrared thermometer. There is no connectivity of any sorts but that doesn’t mean it cannot capture thermal images. It just stores them on a removable SD memory card.
As with most thermal cameras, there are 3 components: The IR sensor, a visible light camera and an LED lamp. The captured thermal images (infrared images) are then overlapped with the visible images, also known as visual images.
It has a multitude of buttons on the front to operate it. The left and right buttons bring more or less infrared to the photo. You press the trigger for instant image capture. Note: when you press the power button, be sure to hold it for a few seconds, that’s the only way it starts properly.
The emissivity is adjustable and it is useful to know this because depending on the material you are inspecting, you should change it in order to improve accuracy. Asphalt and concrete have an emissivity of 0.94 while gypsum is somewhere between 0.80 and 0.90.
It only has one spot measuring, the central point. There is no multi-spot option or area measuring.
Hti HT-02D – Thermal imaging quality
The IR sensor doesn’t have the best quality and at this price level and it has a low resolution below the standard: 32 x 32 pixels with 1024 pixels IR resolution. At this price you can easily buy infrared cameras with IR resolution of 3600 pixels which will bring up much more detail on the display screen. Still, a camera with IR resolution of 32 x 32 is enough for discovering hot spots if you scan very slowly and with patience.
The refresh rate of this handheld infrared IR thermal imager also below what you would expect with just a 6Hz frame rate. The standard with other thermal imaging cameras that are competing with it is 8 Hz at least. There is no point talking about the existence of a manual focus mode as it is not the case.
The IR Camera allows you to switch between different color palettes, iron red, rainbow, grayscale. The images are saved and stored in BMP format and they have a resolution of 0.3 megapixels, so not very much in terms of pixel resolution.
Hti HT-02D – Temperature Range, Accuracy
The thermal sensitivity is 0.3° which means that there has to be a change in temperature measurement of at least 0.3 celsius before the thermal image camera detects it.
It can work in a temperature range between -20 degrees and 300 degrees Celsius. That makes it usable for cold environments such as insulation on freezers but it can still work for electrical inspections, HVAC building inspections, plumbing and body temperature monitoring just as good. Now remember that even though it can measure those temperatures, you need to know that its storage temperature is between -20 C to 50 C.
The accuracy that Hti states for the HT-02D handheld ir thermal camera is actually surprisingly good with just a 2 degree Celsius error and the view angle (field of view) is similar to a 50mm lens.
It has a short focal distance of minimum 1.6 feet. The camera is built to work at a distance between 2-20 feet. If you want a camera that works at really long distances, then you need to look at the Seek Thermal Reveal Pro.
Hti HT-02D – Battery life & Memory
As pointed out before, the HT-02D camera uses a Micro SD Card to save the images.
The battery life is quite good given the price, it can last up to 6 hours of thermal imaging. The size of the color display is decent at 2.4″. Anymore than that and the 32 x 32 thermal images would look very pixelated on the color screen.
If the screen is really important to you, then you maybe should look at Infrared thermal IR imaging devices that attach to your phone like the Flir One Gen or Flir One Pro.
Don’t expect any great IP rating at this price level, the thermal camera is not waterproof or dustproof either. It’s nice that it comes with a protective case. If you need an IR camera that is waterproof and dustproof, have a look at the Flir tg165-x.
You can use it in home inspections, electronics, fire-fighting and most other domains. Would not use this in maritime navigation because it is not waterproof.
The power supply for this compact thermal imaging camera you insert 4 AA batteries (AA Alkaline), so there is no li-ion battery and here it is worth mentioning that Li-ion would have been a more practical choice than the AA Battery system, however the AA batteries are cheaper and easier to replace.
In the package, you’ll get a bag for the camera that also has a shoulder strap, a belt clip and also the user manual. This is a very light camera and is easy to carry around.
This manufacturer also makes other great devices like the PerfectPrime IR0280.
