B10

Update Oct 2023:I received the replacement unit and put it to the test. Quite an improvement! Customer service at HIK Micro wanted me to try a replacement, and while it wasn't initially high on my priority list, I'm glad they persevered.Settings are somewhat important, so I compared the replacement B10 to the Flir C5 at 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 meters, in both well lit and darkly lit rooms, looking mostly at walls and windows, but also at some nearby networking electronics. Here's where the surprise was. While the Flir C5 had an edge in the thermal map and image quality for well lit areas (which is visible + IR light mixed together), the HIK Micro actually beat the C5 significantly in moderate and dark light conditions. The true capabilities of an IR camera, which in theory should work in a completely dark room to your eyes, became apparent as the extra IR pixel count of the B10 started to matter with less full-spectrum visual light. Both models blend a standard 2MP camera image with the IR image, providing the sharpness of a regular picture overlaid with a (somewhat fuzzier) IR image. Software is then used to sharpen the composite image. But as standard visual light fades, all you have left is the IR image. The B10's higher IR pixel count clearly wins here.There are also a few extra luminance settings on the B10, with around 10 categories like cement, electronics, walls, etc. The C5 doesn't have quite so many. Frankly, you are not going to want to dive into menus to make changes for various subjects, but it's nice the extra flexibility is there. I should add, even imperfect settings still will give you a good idea of any thermal imager's capabilities, but tweaking is recommended if you are really trying to get that ideal image.One other minor point, the Flir C5 takes perhaps a minute to boot, while the HIKMicro B10 takes perhaps 15 seconds. It doesn't sound like much of a difference, but it's noticeable when you just want to get a quick picture.I still like the point-and-shoot camera style of the C5, its build quality, and the quality of daylight/well-lit images. Its image blending software is very high quality. On the other hand, after using the B10 in several modes, and particularly in darker areas, I honestly stopped wanting to use the C5 and kept finding things to explore with the HIKMicro B10. If each cost the same, it would be a difficult choice, dependent more upon how you will use one of these. At the current lower price for the B10, however, the HIKMicro is a compelling overall choice.Update Sept 2023:HIKMicro has since reached out to me to learn more about the issues I reported, and offer a replacement unit, even though I have since returned the original item. I will further update my review upon testing another item. I am certainly impressed that the company has made more than one attempt to contact me, and resolve any faults in my unit.Original Review:My B10 had a minor but noticeable defect in the screen, where the left-side of the screen was always brighter (a lighter shade of purple) than the right-side. From the moment I turned the unit on, and tried pointing it at water, pointing at vents, and to a flat wall, etc. all I could notice was this warmer left-side of the screen. Actually, when turning it on, at first nothing happened. I then saw a flash screen in Mandarin, then it seemed to turn itself off. I turned it on again, and then all wording was in English. A little strange.HIKMicro has made a name for itself in IR imagers, and not all users may share my experience. However, even ignoring the discoloration in the screen, the overlaid 2Mpix camera image with the 256x192 IR image just wasn't as clear as I'd think it should be. I've used a Fluke Ti20 (128x96, 15 years old) and a Flir C5 (160x120) that are at least equal to the better-spec'd B10, and in many use cases, I think these other units were quite a bit better.I think that's because it's not just about the IR resolution. Though important, I'd argue that thermal depth is amongst the most important of specs (i.e. 30mK vs 70mK vs 150mK, etc.), or the lens quality, or the image blending software, and probably other design factors that can be harder to qualify. The image size on the B10 is a little smaller than I thought it would be too. It has a lot of robust features, but they are a little buried in the menus. Still, the B10 does offer those many features including multiple screen formats and colors, which are welcome. The build quality seemed good, certainly high enough for a home or home office environment. I'm not sure these would stand-up to industry knocks and bangs, though, but of course, these are much less expensive than other brands that offer the extra shock resistance, like the above noted Ti20.I realize that lower-ranking reviews disappoint some, but in the greater scheme of the thousands of units sold, this is my experience with the B10, and so this will count only in its small way to the grand total. However, I think I was hoping that technology had caught-up a little further than it really had. I since went with that more expensive, traditional brand as we need a little better shock resistance, and in my opinion, I think the lower IR res of the other brand is offset by the higher mK and imaging software features. Still, the B10 is magnificently affordable for the masses, and if the choice is a B10 or no IR camera at all, then pick the B10.

Only had this for a few days, so longevity isn't reflected here yet. But I'm not getting any concerns about quality from using it so far.Overall: excellent value for money. I think this is the best value-for-money, and the feature set is well thought-out and executed, with few exceptions (below).Pros:- Good value for VOx resolution vs price. It's very usable for "normal" tasks (insulation, moisture, electrical troubleshooting).- The scale/"exposure" CAN be manually set/fixed. In the menus, you can specify the upper and lower temperature of the color scale, so it doesn't shift based on image contents.- Built-in lens protector. Underneath the front of the camera, there's a little ridged edge. Slide it, and it swivels a protective cover over the germanium IR lens. No lens caps to fall off/dangle/lose.- The hybrid image mode is very nice for inspection/identification, especially with electronics. Out of the box, the stitching of IR and visible images is very good. Parallax correction can be changed in the menus.- Unit feels very solid in the hand. Overmold quality feels nice, and it doesn't feel like the manufacturer cut corners on the fit/finish or quality of the plastic.- Wrist strap has an adjustable cinch, which is a nice touch.- Display is fairly customizable - you can turn on/off the spots, brand logo, etc.Cons:- Some settings I want to use frequently are buried in the menus. It would be nice to have additional physical buttons to toggle the parallax setting, and possibly flashlight.- No video capture, only still images. It does have the option to capture an optical image along with the IR image.

So I was on the fence with buying one of these. I’m a remodeler/handyman (let’s call a spade a spade) moving into being a contractor possibly inspector. This seemed like the next logical tool to own. I thought for $300 this thing better be pretty decent. It’s not the best cam, not the biggest screen and could have better image quality and transferability BUT it sure is decent. The image could be bigger but it’s still big enough to see anything you need it’s see. Pics aren’t the highest quality but again show and document what needs to be clearly. I wish it just zapped it to my phone but you can still plug it into your computer via USB and grab them that way. All in all a decent camera. Maybe better ones out there but if your blown out on research this is a good place to settle down.Side note: this device accurately caught a cold spot on one of our walls. I cut it open and discovered a slow leak from a drain pipe that was dripping down to the jbox for the light switches to that room. Mold found, wood rot…It had been going for a while as the flooring was even starting to warp.Had I not bought this camera and walked around like a 10 yo with a new toy for 5 hrs I would have never caught it. 👍

I knew this was going to be a great product because when the military bought Fluke, their lead scientist left to join HIMIKRO. Was at a professional conference this weekend, the entire room of over 50 tradesmen agreed, this is a great product. In the future, I'll get the wireless model to save download time.