BFRO Thermal Imager

[McGlencoe]

Does anyone have one or used one of the BFRO Thermal Imagers?
 

From what I can find, it's been discussed here, but not reviewed, or did I miss a post?

 

https://www.bfro.net/REF/thermal_scope.asp

 

 

 

 

The only specs given on the BFRO site:

 

Quote

The BFRO thermal imager has 384 lines of resolution. It also has a bunch of other features that we could not have dreamed of back when we were using the $9,000 units, features such as: 

The BFRO thermal imager has 384 lines of resolution. It also has a bunch of other features that we could not have dreamed of back when we were using the $9,000 units, features such as: 

1) Hours of recording time. It creates video files that are easily downloadable and playable on any device. 

 

2) Various color palettes. That was the realm of $14,000 devices only ten years ago. 

3) Zoom capability; incremental steps up to 4x 

4) Adjustable image enhancement, to reveal more details on warm bodies. 

5) Wireless streaming capability, so other people nearby can simultaneously watch through their phones, or so you can be in your sleeping bag watching what is happening outside your tent. 

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[BlackRockBigfoot]

8 minutes ago, McGlencoe said:

Does anyone have one or used one of the BFRO Thermal Imagers?
 

From what I can find, it's been discussed here, but not reviewed, or did I miss a post?

 

https://www.bfro.net/REF/thermal_scope.asp

 

 

 

 

The only specs given on the BFRO site:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have seen it mentioned, but I have never seen or heard of anyone actually using one.  
 

Are they actually being sold?

[McGlencoe]

I emailed the link on their webpage asking if they were available. Got a reply back from MM that yes, they were available.

I replied asking for more specs and haven't got a reply yet. Will post them up if and when I get a reply.

[BlackRockBigfoot]

1 minute ago, McGlencoe said:

I emailed the link on their webpage asking if they were available. Got a reply back from MM that yes, they were available.

I replied asking for more specs and haven't got a reply yet. Will post them up if and when I get a reply.

They look a bit similar to the AGM Global thermal monocular.  
 

I would be interested to see what sort of warranty the BFRO units have.  Internal batteries are going to eventually need replacing.

[SasquatchPA]

I have not seen one of these thermals. Looks pretty good for the money I read through their post but didn’t see the refresh rate of this unit.

[wiiawiwb]

Unless I missed it, I couldn't find the native magnification.  I think it's important and the higher it is the better.

[Skinwalker13]

Personally, I like it. I’ve played with one in a parking lot and for the money there’s nothing close.  I’m going to get to talk to Matt again in two weeks and I’ll post some actual review for it here  in the thread, cause I’m going to play with it again and maybe bring one home. 

[wiiawiwb]

On almost every TV bigfoot show thermal videos are shown scanning the nearby area using a color palette. I've never understood the use of anything other than black and white. 

 

Using my Pulsar Helion, I've found "hot red" to be pleasant to the eye and makes a fully-visible deer jump pop out to the eye. That said, in my experience the greatest detail is achieved using black hot especially when the target is only partially visible. I've experimented with different palettes using sasquatching friends and had them barely peek out from behind a tree or rock. I found black hot was best followed by white hot and always more detail than any other palette I've used.

 

YMMV

[SasquatchPA]

On 4/15/2022 at 6:19 AM, wiiawiwb said:

On almost every TV bigfoot show thermal videos are shown scanning the nearby area using a color palette. I've never understood the use of anything other than black and white. 

 

Using my Pulsar Helion, I've found "hot red" to be pleasant to the eye and makes a fully-visible deer jump pop out to the eye. That said, in my experience the greatest detail is achieved using black hot especially when the target is only partially visible. I've experimented with different palettes using sasquatching friends and had them barely peek out from behind a tree or rock. I found black hot was best followed by white hot and always more detail than any other palette I've used.

 

YMMV

I am with you on the wild color palette. It is very distracting to me. I suspect they use this palette because it looks interesting on video.
 

I switch between white hot and black hot with the former being my preferred choice.

[McGlencoe]

I got an email back from Matt saying they are available and he got me in touch with Damon Pfiefer. I've asked for specifications from Damon, but no reply so far.

[wiiawiwb]

I'm curious as well to see the specs of their unit.

[McGlencoe]

Just got the following via email.

 

Damon added: We have up graded the image sensor 380X 288.  S243W

[wiiawiwb]

No question the $1,000 price tag is very attractive.  If I were looking again, I'd look at the price point where it jumps up to get additional specs or features. Then I would decide whether the additional investment is worth it or not. No right or wrong answer as we all have our own criterion.

 

Looking at the specs, I would assume the native (base) magnification is 1x and you can digitally zoom to 4x. Without having really looked at any thermals lately let's compare it to a Pulsar Axion XM30F. The resolution is only 320x240 compared to the BFRO S243 of 384x288.  The native magnification is 3x and you can digitally zoom 4x for a total of 12x. The key feature here is a the native magnication of 3x.  You're seeing a resolution of 320x240 at three times size that you see something at 384x288. To see the same image size with the S243, you'll need to digitally zoom the optical zoom of 1x which then begins to degrade the image quality.

 

With that said, you have to consider your field of view (FOV).  The higher the native magnification the more narrow the view.  You have to determine whether a vide FOV is important. For me, I am always in a forest and am looking for something peeking behind behind a tree or crawling on the ground. I want as high a native magnification as poossible so a small heat signature will be seen by me. This comes at the cost of having to move your thermal left and right more than if you started with a wider FOV.

 

I think the XM30F prices out at around $1,500 which is a 50% increase in cost. Worth it? That's for each buyer to assess for themselves. Moreover, I arbitrarily chose the Axion XM30F model and there are many others to consider as well.

 

Here is a video where he explains base magnification and then shows videos using different base magnifications. You can see how it plays, or doesn't play, into the scenarios you expect to be in when using your thermal imager. The 50-yard test is at 3:30 and the 100-yard test is at 5:00. 

 

 

 

 

 

[SasquatchPA]

On 4/22/2022 at 7:57 PM, McGlencoe said:

Just got the following via email.

 

Damon added: We have up graded the image sensor 380X 288.  S243W

Thank you for the specs. The refresh rate of 50Hz is very good for this price point. It seems on paper to be a great option at that price point. 

[wiiawiwb]

It would be interesting if you could handle and use this thermal first before buying or if they have a solid return policy. I remember when I was looking there was no place within a reasonable driving distance to actually handle and use a thermal. I happened to be visiting my sister in north Georgia and found a place that had a variety of them. Got lucky.

 

It's always better to have a higher than lower refresh rate but I'm not convinved it makes any difference in the type of job we'll ask it to do in the field.  Here is a comparison of a feral pig shot a 9hz and 30hz. I can't see any significant difference.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC_1WxF5RsQ