Electrophysics announced today that it has introduced its new HotShot HD Portable Infrared Camera product line. According to Electrophysics, the HotShot HD is the world’s first affordable 640x480 resolution thermographic camera. With 4 times the number of pixels of 320x240 cameras and over 20 times the pixels of entry level infrared cameras, HotShot HD produces infrared images that are substantially sharper making diagnosis of equipment reliability issues much more accurate, intuitive and precise. HotShot HD is designed for maintenance professionals responsible for inspection of high voltage electrical systems, production machinery and building envelopes. The camera includes a patent-pending laser highlighting system which for the first time permits camera users to easily identify objects on the thermal image. The camera also includes expert system technology whereby camera software suggests to the user typical problem causes and recommendations for observed equipment symptoms.

The new HotShot HD Infrared Camera from Electrophysics packs a significant amount of functionality into its compact 2.7 lb body including an integrated mega pixel visible camera, advanced image fusion, an intuitive icon-based touch-screen user controls, integrated inspection detail data collection and optional inspection route software. HotShot HD’s easy-to-use touch screen interface facilitates the automatic capture of inspection point locations, fault information and observation details that can later be automatically incorporated into reports. Users can store hundreds of images to either a removable CF memory card or to the camera’s internal memory.

“During the early phases of our product development program, we interviewed a large number of infrared camera users to learn what they wanted in a next generation thermography camera. Two requests were always at the top of any wish list, improved image quality and ease of use” said Chris Alicandro, Director of Sales for Electrophysics. “We selected the highest performance infrared imaging sensor available, designed the highest quality optics and created what is arguably the finest infrared camera available in the world. Most important, we are pleased that we can now offer this level of performance at extremely attractive prices” concluded Chris Alicandro.

HotShot HD also features Electrophysics’ newest invention, the LaZir-X target marking system. While other IR camera feature an integrated laser pointer, normally the pointer is not aligned with the thermal camera image for points at any distance. This alignment problem (called parallax error) causes the laser pointer to drift away from the center of the thermal image as you move closer or further away from the factory set distance. The novel (patent pending) dual laser line system precisely marks the visual center of the image on the object from very close up to far away. In addition, the laser lines are easier to see on typical industrial gear than a small laser pointer whose red spot is often reflected away from the view of the camera operator particularly when inspecting electrical equipment.

Several HotShot models are available including highly sensitive models for building inspections, maintenance professionals that demand professional grade equipment and thermal inspection consultants who demand the finest image quality, accuracy and efficient report generation.