Table of Contents

Nocpix Lumi Thermal Imaging cameras

see also:

  • I don't sell any of these nor do I receive any remuneration if you buy them, and I have not personally reviewed all of them, they are listed here to give you perspective

Introduction

  • these devices as with all outdoor thermal imaging devices - hunting, hiking, search and rescue are fantastic for the main use cases but do have major limitations:
    • cannot see through glass windows as these are highly reflective to thermal IR wavelengths so you can't use them from inside your car either - glass windows act as mirrors with thermal imaging devices
      • thus unlike a near IR night vision device, a thermal clip on scope cannot be added to the rear of an optical rifle scope as this would block the far IR from hitting the thermal imager, but they must either be used instead of a rifle scope or clipped onto the FRONT of the scope in which case they need to be 1x magnification to function well
    • cannot see through fabrics (including polyester, nylon, cotton), clear TPU (0.2mm thick or more), animals, humans, trees, leaves, rocks, tents, hiking tarps, walls, conductive materials such as aluminium foils (eg. space blankets) or concrete
      • may be able to see through PVC (sheet or box), 1-2 layers of a garbage bag, plastic bags and through mesh although image is not as clear and there is also minimal transmission through 0.1mm TPU
      • may be able to see through fog, rain, snow, smoke, hot dust, blowing sand
        • fog impairs thermal visual detail of surroundings as most things become the same temperature so you will need a sensor with sensitivity < 40mk to give good results in these conditions
    • cannot see through water - so you will only see aquatic animals when they are on the surface
    • the thermal images are generally NOT as good as near infra-red devices for identifying the type of animal
      • do not generally display enough facial detail at some distance to identify individual persons other than by their clothing
    • warm blooded animals are much harder to discriminate from surroundings on warm days over 20°C
    • do not detect reptiles well as they are cold-blooded and have similar temperatures to surroundings
    • do not work well at ambient temperatures below 0 deg C as most of the natural environment will have similar temperatures
  • DO NOT point it at the sun, lasers, or bonfires as this could permanently damage the sensor!
    • this is a particular risk when you are at full zoom looking in the sky near the sun, as you will not realise the sun is hitting the sensor just out of your zoomed in section
    • fortunately, uncooled vanadium oxide detectors (VOx microbolometers), which are the majority of the sensors on this page, the burn-in from the sun is generally non-permanent, but may take a few days to recover
  • outdoor hunting thermal devices including this range generally do NOT have software that will allow display of an actual temperature!
  • For a long storage time, the battery should be partially charged, not fully charged or discharged
  • Do not charge the battery immediately after you bring it from the cold environment to the warm environment. Wait 30 to 40 minutes for it to warm up.
  • take great care with the lithium batteries

Basic specifications of the range

Default button operation

button current status short press (0.3sec) long press (1.0sec)
Power button powered off - powers on
Home screen standby power off Full power off
Standby mode Wake up device Full power off
Shortcut menu interface Return to upper menu, settings saved Full power off
Main menu interface Return to upper menu, settings NOT saved Full power off
Up button Home screen digital zoom cycling Turn on/off PIP function (Turn on/off the LRF function if LRF model)
Shortcut menu interface Navigate up -
Main menu interface Navigate up -
Menu button Home screen open shortcut menu open main menu
Shortcut menu interface Enter the parameters selection state / confirm Save and back to the home screen
Main menu interface Enter the submenu / Switch and confirm parameters Save and back to the home screen
Down button Home screen take photo Start video recording
Video recording take photo Stop video recording
Shortcut menu interface Navigate down -
Main menu interface Navigate down -
Up and down button Home screen Shutter calibration Background calibration
Up + Menu button Home screen - Turn on/off PIP function if LRF model
Menu + Down button Home screen - Switch the ranging mode between single ranging and continuous ranging (if LRF model)

Lumi P13

Lumi L19

Lumi L35

Lumi L35R

Lumi H35

Lumi H35R

My review of the Nocpix Lumi H35R

some basic tests

pros

cons