Has anyone had a chance to play around with a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera? I'm curious as to how high end you have to go in order to get one that's realistically usable?

CNC we have one at work and it is the top of the line from DJI.
I don't have much experience with other levels but ours is definitely usable.
Can even change your heat colors and take temperatures.

Can you mount a canned 300 AAC with subsonics on it and go hoggin?

Just don't fly it over my place. It'll be shot down.

Flir has some infra red models that are drone compatible. I don't know of anyone that has mounted one though. I do know flir has some amazing infra-red stuff though.

too late...we dun seen you doin' what you do...

Do you mind if I ask the which specific drone and model camera you're using?


So you're saying I could easily pick up deer, hogs, humans, etc??? Is it pretty well limited to open fields or can you detect stuff within hardwoods...thin pine stands...etc...? How much area can you cover at one time? How high can you fly it and still detect targets?

Is there somewhere you can go check them out in person?

I'm have a Level 1 Thermography certification. There are some basics of infrared concepts that apply regardless of application.

1. Infrared or thermal imaging cameras only read temperature patterns on a surface in relationship to other surfaces. If the surface of the object is blocked from view the thermal camera cannot detect it normally...there are exceptions but that has more to do with air movement and reflectivity.
2. The surface of the subject object can be affected by a number of outside factors and internal factors that either increase or decrease it's temperature
3. The camera reads the temperature range of an area and objects within that area....the temperature gradient change then shows based on the selected scale of the camera...often a pattern or object is easily recognized because of a wide temperature variation. Objects at the same temperature are very difficult to detect and distinguish.
4. If you are flying above a tree canopy then the density of the canopy will directly affect what the camera can detect.
5. The altitude and quality of readings will really depend on the image sensor. I have a middle grade handheld FLIR that I use for my construction consulting work on water intrusion and construction materials....I've picked up deer and other animals for hundreds of yards looking down gas or power lines. The further away the less recognition of the subject...becomes more of a temperature blob the further away you are. Conversely, the closer you are the images can be very detailed.

Phuck FLIR! If it breaks they won’t get in any hurry to repair or replace. Sorry ass customer service

I know a guy that got a visit from Jemison PD & Chilton SD for downing a drone. I hadn’t lived there just a few months. Seen the thing 2-3 times prior. This time phucking thing was hovering over my daughters car at about 40yds. Really pissed me off. Fed it some 20 gauge

It is a Matrice 210 RTK drone with dual camera mounts and we have a Zenmuse Z30 optical zoom camera and a Zenmuse XT2 thermal by FLIR.
It will easily pick up animals, and I have not run it over canopy but so I can't attest to that.

Thank you....I appreciate that. I've got some nuisance animals that are likely gonna require me to improvise and adapt to get rid of them. I could see one of these drones be useful for several purposes. 'Ive got some other ideas that I think could possibly help pay for it if hunters were interested. It just depends on if I could realistically be able to do some of these things Not to mention it would just be cool as hell to have one. I can see the commercials now....."Take scouting to a whole new level!!"