What was once a gadget that is available only for first responders and military personnel is now getting more accessible to civilians. We have written here various devices that can give thermal imaging features to smartphones and with more competition they are getting less bulky, easier to install, and at the same time cheaper too. With the latest entry into the affordable Thermal Imaging market, Seek Thermal has now allowed sub-US$200 thermal imaging, provided that you have the right smartphone to work with it.

Seek Thermal works mainly with iOS (iPhone) and Android smartphones, which are the dominant smartphones these days and you can purchase the Seek Thermal version you need for US$199.00. As airsofters and geardos, it is perhaps obvious what the uses of Thermal imagers are to us, but if it's your first time to read about Seek Thermal here, perhaps a video about its uses is in order:

What we like about the Seek Thermal Camera is that it is small and can easily fit in your pocket without showing a big lump. It also gets its power from your smartphone's battery so you don't need another battery just to power it up. With a magnesium casing, it should be sturdy enough to withstand bumps.
Seek Thermal operates in the 7.2 to 13 micron long-wave infrared range and can detect heat in a temperature range from -40º C to 330º C (-40º F to 626º F). It weighs 0.5 ounces and it will show images at 206 x 156 with a chalcogenide lens that provides a 36º field of view and we hope that future versions would give better resolution and even wider angle of view.

With the Seek Thermal App which you can download from the AppStore or Play Store upon purchasing the device, you can easily switch from normal view to thermal view with just a finger swipe. With four different types of thermal measurement modes, you can choose 9 colour palettes called LUTs. Within a specified temperature range, the app will highlight what it sees through its lens.

For airsoft players, getting a thermal separate imaging device for night games will be an expensive thing to do. Now with Seek Thermal they have an affordable thermal imaging device that they can use with their smartphones. You can either install them on NVG mounts made for smarpthones or you can purchase the iSights Smartphone Rail Mount System which you then use both the iSights Aiming and Seek Thermal apps though you can't superimpose the iSights reticles on the Seek Thermal app.

All you need now is to improvise in protecting the Seek Thermal App from BBs when playing airsoft or develop a new rail mount for different smartphone models that also have the Seek Thermal App attached that can protect both the smartphone and the thermal camera.

Whether for airsoft games or not, I am getting one of these. The Seek Thermal can be a very handy device for everyday use.