FLIR's Recon M18's Thermal from TNVC with Color Palletes

V

Victor_TNVC

New member
Hello all,

Thought we'd show and tell about these newest units.

The FLIR Recon M18 is a small, lightweight thermal monocular developed for professionals and designed to stand up to battlefield abuse. The M18 is manufactured completely by FLIR’s Government Systems Division and is MILSPEC. However, it is available for sale to the commercial market and law enforcement. The M18 is slightly larger than an AN/PVS-14 and easily stores in a pocket or pouch. It features objective and diopter focus, providing the user with the clearest possible image. The M18 is a full-featured device and includes several built-in imaging modes, an optional visible or infrared (government only) laser, and video out capability. It is available in either NTSC or PAL video format.

The Recon M18 has easy to navigate controls with a rear-mounted, thumb-activated joystick that allows users to choose options from on-screen menus. The menus are clearly divided and easy to differentiate. The power switch is separate from the joystick controls and is in the form of a rotating switch that click into position. This helps to eliminate accidental activation that can occur with other devices that rely on pressing buttons to turn the unit on or off.

The Recon M18 features the standard white hot/black hot polarity modes. But, it also has the ability to show images in full color using several palette options.

Units now on our web site for ordering and YES these are TRULY available to the commercial market!

FLIR Recon M18 (640x480) $10,539.76 — $10,734.46 http://tnvc.com/shop/flir-recon-m18-640x480/
FLIR Recon M18 (320x240) $8,964.46 — $9,159.16 http://tnvc.com/shop/flir-recon-m18-320x240/


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Thanks guys and gals.

Vic
 
Beautiful unit!

Even though it does have an internal reticule, it is not boresightable according to WiseGuy, but still a very top notch unit!

Apparently it requires a manual NUC as well.

http://gs.flir.com/surveillance/channel/channel-faqs

Are the systems weapon mountable?

Neither the M18, nor the M24 is weapon mountable. The M18 has a reticle, which can be turned on or off, however this reticle is not boresightable. Since the systems are not optically aligned as with a clip-on sight, there is a visual shift from the day scope to the unit which prevents optical alignment when placed in front of a bore sighted optic. To bore sight the units would require a mount that could be adjusted with both windage and elevation. The mount would also have to be shock attenuated to prevent damage to the system (one shot, one kill, no unit).
 
Originally Posted By: SkyPupI will soon do a review of this extremely nice instrument!


Pup....This unit is more than double the price of the LS64. Other than it being a MILSPEC unit with color palettes what makes it twice as good?

You have the LS64 which is plenty rugged enough for civilian use to detect with. Then you have the T70 with color palettes for your rifle to shoot with..

If you already own those units I can't see the value in the M18 at $10.5k. Am I missing something?


 
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GMan, this instrument has an adjustable objective lens (which can take a 2X extender lens for more range and resolution) as well as a 3 glass lens optic lens, it is not in the same class as the LS-64 or any of the civilian hand held scanners, it is much better and reflected in the expensive price and outstanding thermal performance of the unit.

Plus it has video output for me to record videos and photos.

FLIR makes a couple of other hand held civilian models that are similar with recording capability, extended lens option, and real glass optic lens systems but they also are rather expensive and weigh much more than this relatively lightweight mil-spec hand scanner.

It is the cream of the crop and mil-spec hardened core, you know how I am about getting mil-spec toughened thermals, buy once and cry once......
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I have been drooling over this unit for a couple of years now, it will NOT be a loaner as I am going to have it hanging around my neck ONLY! I should have it next week and will do some thermal photos and videos with it. I have not seen my PS-32 for four months now as it is always out on loan and my LS-64 is always coveted while out on night hunts, so those will be loaners to our night hunt group.
 

Pup....I guess if you have the funds to buy the toys then you might as well get the best.

My wife has friend that bought 2 bottles of wine one night that cost $14k ($7k apiece)....... as much as a FLIR T70......and that was nothing but expensive pee the next day so why not?
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I bet if you would have bottled it you could have sold it on craigslist for a few $$$ as recycled 7K $ wine just organically refined
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Haha, nice one!


I am going to use this instrument for filming our hunts as well, which is another primary reason for getting it!
 
Got the M-18 with 3X extender lens from FLIR GS thanks to the good folks at TNVC.

Beyond any shadow of any doubt, this is the absolute BEST thermal piece of kit I have ever held in my hands, what a scorching image this unit provides, and all the same controls as the mil-spec T-70, this thing simply cannot beat that.

Also received a 3X germanium 60mm lens magnifier with it too, will do a review with pics from the internal camera and through the lens with an ocular photo attachment when I get a chance.

Basically the T-70 is a weaponized version of this handheld thermal scanner.....
 
Best freaking handheld thermal kit on the planet!

I got it from Victor at TNVC, they are a Full FLIR Channel Partner Distributor and have the best pricing on these units available new.


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I got allot of PMs asking what is the advantage of the FLIR mil-spec M-18 thermal over the FLIR civilian LS-64 thermal hand scanners, so I'll try to put it into words.

Okay, first off the specifications of the two units are very similar, but that is where the similarity ends.

Both have an 18 degree X 14 degree view, both have internal digital magnification of 2X and 4X (however the LS-64 also has a continuous variable mag up to 8X even though it is very pixelated at that mag).

The LS-64 has the automatic NUC shutter while the M-18 has only the manual NUC (although when you first turn on the M-18 it does one automatic NUC).

The LS-64 is in FLIR's nice Direct Digital Enhancement (DDE) all the time, while the M-18 has the choice of either linear or DDE mode.

Both are 30Hz, but you can record the video out of the M-18 at 720X480 30fps NTSC though a digital video connector.

The LS64 weighs 13 ounces and is 7" long, the M-18 with batteries weighs 17 ounces and is 5" long.

The LS-64 as a fixed 35mm objective lens and a adjustable diopter for the OLED, the M-18 has a manually adjustable 35mm objective and a manually adjustable glass ocular lens.

The LS-64 fixed objective focus is good for 35 feet to infinity, the M-18 adjustable focus is good for 4 feet to infinity. Also the M-18 has a long range extender lens available for it, which the LS-64 does not.

LS-64 is White/Black Hot and 4 Instalert Settings as well as five brightness settings. The M-18 has Rain, Iron, Ice Color Palletes in addition to the White/Blk Hot, it also has targeting reticules you can turn on or off.

The LS-64 has a five hour run time per charge, the M-18 has a 3 hour runtime on two CR123 batteries.

Both have visible red Class IIIA lasers for visible targeting, however the M-18 also has a high power visible red laser.

Both units can easily detect a human being over 1/2 mile away and a vehicle over 1 mile away.

Comparing all the objective facts, the two units appear to have similar specifications except for the color pallets, adjustable objective and ocular lens, video recording, powerful laser, and removable batteries in the M-18.

However, subjectively the M-18 has an absolute KILLER image compared to the LS64 mostly due to the adjustable objective lens and the 3-glass lens ocular which give a HUGE precise clear image view through the glass which has greater clarity than the LS-64's plastic OLED screen. The view is at least twice the size of the LS-64s if not more.

In addition to the absolutely stunning visual image produced at the ocular, the use of the different color palettes, which at first seems to be a superfluous frill, actually are quite helpful under difficult circumstances such as in rain or fog with high humidity monthermal conditions where you can adjust the linear thermal images very very precisely to zero in on heat signatures. The M-18 has a single joystick control to adjust linear/DDE, brightness, color palettes, magnification levels, manual NUC, manual thermal gradients, etc. which is very intuitive to use and is just like the controls on the FLIR T-70 thermal weapon scope.

For overall general hunting use, the LS-64 shines with its InstaAlert setting allowing you to scan large areas for a heat signature with minimal concentration and then zoom in for a closer look in white or black hot.

For very precise hunting or technical surveillance use, the M-18 allows you to scan with the ICE hot modes similar to InstaAlert, but with a greater clarity and detailed image, it then allows you to manipulate the color patterns to pick out unseen items in the background.

I'd say the M-18 subjectively gives about 5X better thermal viewing experience compared to the LS-64, and the LS-64 is no slouch. Anything with a thermal signature is going to be picked up by either of these two instruments and the LS-64 is perfectly adequate for 90% of it all, the M-18 just adds the last 10 % on top of that in a striking clear way.

It is kind of like using a SWAROVSKI OPTIK rifle scope, do you absolutely need it?

Probably not, but if you do have one it is to die for and the very best top notch quality inside and out!

Hope that helps, it is difficult to put the subjective experience into words...
 
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