Thermal Imager Comparison Guide

Comparison Summary

Overview

The FLIR E8 and FLIR E40 are powerful thermal imaging cameras designed for troubleshooting in building, electrical, and mechanical applications. While they shares some features, there are many key differences between the two units.

The main difference is the thermal resolution – on the E8 you get 320x240, compared to 160x120 on the E40. This means the E8 will give you higher quality, larger thermal images where more detail is visible. Another important difference here is thermal sensitivity. On the E8, sensitivity is 60mK, compared to 70mK on the E40. This small difference is enough to give the E8 a distinct edge – it will show greater temperature variation across the entire scene, giving you more complete, more accurate images.

That said, the E40 has a higher maximum temperature at 1202°F, compared to only 482°F on the E8. Another advantage of the E40 is the focus type – on this camera you get the ability to focus manually on the camera, whereas on the E8 your focus is fixed, meaning you must physically move to get the right focus. The E40 also has a higher refresh rate at 60 Hz, compare to 9Hz on the E8. This makes the E40 more suited to capturing sharp images of moving subjects like rotating machinery. This also means the E40 will provide better quality infrared video.

Both cameras have an accuracy rating of ±2°C or ±2%. Both cameras also feature WiFi connectivity to easily transfer images to the FLIR Tools app for analysis and reporting. With this feature, you can export images and send out reports from the free FLIR Tools app faster than ever before. Both cameras also feature FLIR MSX which adds key details from the onboard visible light camera to the entire infrared image in real time. This gives you a sharp thermal picture with visible light features that let you instantly recognize where the problematic heat pattern is.

Since MSX needs to use the built-in digital camera to work properly, it can be a big advantage to have a built-in flashlight on your IR camera – the E40 has one built-in while the E8 does not. The E40 also supports radiometric and non-radiometric IR video streaming whereas the E8 does not. The E40 also has a touchscreen and video output, as well as Bluetooth METERLiNK connectivity to select FLIR clamp meters.

Want to know more? Check out the tables below or give us a call at 877-571-7901. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have.