What is an Uncooled LWIR Thermal Infrared Camera and Why is it Often a Better Choice than a MWIR Cooled Thermal Camera?

Uncooled LWIR infrared imaging cameras are the most common type of thermal cameras, as they more affordable than cooled MWIR thermal cameras. In addition to the upfront costs of the camera being more affordable, uncooled thermal cameras require no cooling, which means no regular cryocooler maintenance or replacement as is the case with MWIR cooled thermal cameras. Infiniti’s LWIR camera systems boast better images than most of our industry-leading competitors as we pair our uncooled sensors with large aperture germanium lenses, allowing more thermal energy to reach the sensor, which results in a cleaner and sharper image.

Infiniti uses cutting-edge 12μm LWIR VOx uncooled thermal sensors with resolutions from 384×288 up to 1280×1024 HD. The 12μm pixel pitch provides a narrower field of view without changing the lens. This means we are able to achieve 40% further range than 17μm sensors and 25% further range than 15μm sensors while delivering a thermal sensitivity of 0.05°C.

These sensors are paired with precision-engineered germanium lenses from wide-angle to long-range views. Our lenses have large apertures of f/1.0–f/1.3 compared to the standard f/1.5–f/1.6, allowing up to 2.3 times more heat to reach the sensor. (For an explanation of why this is, see our F-Stop Whitepaper.) This results in higher sensitivity, sharper images and longer ranges, making LWIR one of the most cost-effective long-range imaging solutions. Infiniti offers some of the longest range LWIR cameras, up to 415mm (which is equivalent to a 588mm lens on a traditional 17μm LWIR camera).