No. This is thermal vision – it’s better than night vision. Night vision can only be used in the dark. A thermal camera can be used during both the day and night. This one of the main differences between thermal imaging cameras and night vision cameras.

With night vision, a camouflaged animal will still be hidden amongst its surroundings, whereas with thermal vision, they will glow and stand out from the foliage and any similar environmental cover.

Thermal cameras see in the ‘long-wave infrared spectrum’, hence why they’re often called infrared cameras and confused or associated with night vision. Everything gives off a little bit of infrared radiation – the hotter it is, the more it gives off. It is this that a thermal camera detects and why it can be used day or night. The camera is designed to auto expose, which means you won’t be able to assign colours to specific temperatures as it will produce an image based on the respective thermal radiation in the frame.

For those that are interested, the visible light wavelength is 400-700 nanometers in width (violet through to red); night vision ‘sees’ 700-1000nm wavelengths (just past visible red, hence the name infrared) and thermal cameras detect 8-14µm wavelengths (8,000-14,000 nm/0.008-0.014 mm) – much further than either the visible or night vision spectrums. Find out more on our thermal imaging page.

No, it isn’t x-ray vision. It can only see things in direct line of sight. If a person or animal is hidden behind something, you will not be able to detect their heat signature. In some scenarios, it is possible to detect things that are pressed against thin cover such as cardboard, though really this is the object heating up and not the actual target.

Also worth noting is that you cannot see through glass with a thermal camera. Glass blocks the wavelengths the camera sees in and actually reflects a thermal image just like a mirror, so you won’t be able to look out of your window, nor will you be able to see into anyone elses!

No. These lenses are specially designed for thermography – it is made of germanium, as glass blocks the wavelengths the camera is sensitive to.

The XP50 is the highest resolution and the best image possible with commercial thermal imaging. Only the military have higher resolution (and even that is only 720p). It is, however, easy to upscale thermal footage to HD and with plugins for your editing software, you can even upscale your thermal imaging to 4K if you wish.

Thermal cameras run specifically to a refresh rate in Hz rather than frames per second, and the XP50 is a 50Hz camera. This means that not only is it easier on your eyes than some other thermal cameras (which operate at 9Hz), the footage it records is equivalent to 25fps.

The XP50 has a very low power draw. Despite its size, each battery can therefore last around 8-10 hours. You can also charge it up using a USB power bank – just be sure to use the included USB cable as the camera has a proprietary connection.