New Seek Thermal Camera Makes It Easy To Focus In On Your Target

$299 Smartphone Accessory for iOS and Android Lets You See the Unseen

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Jan 20, 2015, 09:00 ET

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the SHOT Show® Industry Day at the Range, Seek Thermal™ announced the Seek XR, an extended range version of its award-winning thermal camera. Created with outdoor enthusiasts in mind, the Seek XR allows people to literally see heat, making it possible to spot people and animals in total darkness.

For hunters, the Seek XR can be used in daylight, the dark, or in obscured visibility conditions. It's useful for scouting, bloodtrailing, hunting game, and much more.

The new Seek XR has a manual focus lens for viewing objects at close range, or at distances of up to 2,000 feet. The Seek XR will be available in January for both iOS and Android devices for $299 at thermal.com and Amazon.

"Until recently, the price of thermal imaging has kept it out of reach for almost everybody except military and law enforcement," said Seek Thermal founder, Bill Parrish. "Last year we introduced the first consumer thermal camera, and this new, extended-range camera is based in part on the specific feedback we received from gun experts, law enforcement, boaters and other people excited about thermal imaging."

Thermal imaging converts heat energy into an image that can be seen with the human eye. Traditionally, thermal cameras costing several thousand dollars and up have been used by firefighters, law enforcement and the military to see through smoke or in complete darkness. Seek Thermal has pioneered the next generation of thermal imaging technology sized and priced for the everyday consumer. Common ways to use thermal imaging include:

Hunting: Find game day or night, and use it for bloodtrailing.
Boating: Detect and locate objects on the water at night.
Safety and Security: Scan a dark parking lot before heading to your car; scan the yard before investigating a strange noise.
Home Improvement: Identify leaky windows and doors, insufficient insulation, and other sources of energy loss; trace water damage up a wall or across a ceiling to its source; and identify plumbing and electrical issues.

The Seek camera is a small device that plugs into the microUSB connector on Android devices and the Lightning^TM connector on iOS devices. A durable magnesium housing protects a next-generation thermal sensor and custom chalcogenide lens. It weighs only 0.5 ounces and creates true thermal images with a resolution of 206 x 156, or over 32,000 thermal pixels. Prior to today this kind of resolution was only available in cameras costing thermal cameras costing several thousand dollars and up.

The Seek camera works with a free app that is available in the Apple App store and on Google Play. The app makes it easy for people to get started with thermal imaging, while also including a range of controls substantial enough for people who use the camera for serious work or serious fun. App features include:

Capture and share thermal photos and videos.
Select from different temperature measurement modes including the ability to automatically highlight everything in the scene that is above or below a specified temperature.
Select from nine different color palettes. Technically called "LUTs," they are different color ranges that can be applied to temperature measurements.
Swipe seamlessly back and forth between a regular and a thermal image in Thermal+ mode.

About Seek Thermal
Seek Thermal designs and manufacturers high quality thermal imaging products available at consumer price points. With headquarters in Santa Barbara, California, the global hub of thermal imaging innovation, the company has developed breakthrough camera platforms that will enable a range of affordable products for use at home, work and play. For more information visit thermal.com and follow @seekthermal on Twitter.

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SOURCE Seek Thermal