The LS-XR handheld thermal showed up at the house today after I had been jiving Jaimie at TNVC to ship it out to me 2nd Day Fed-X - thanks Jaimei!













Having used a FLIR LS-64 since they first were released at the 2013 Shot Show two years ago, I was looking forward to the upgraded  LS-XR debut at the 2015 Shot Show this year.

My LS-64 has seen lots of use (I don't leave home on a night hunt without it) over the past two years and is my favorite must have thermal accessory for both detection and identification purposes at night. It has hundreds if not thousands of hours of use on it and keeps on ticking, plus have not had to purchase a single battery to use with it yet!

My normal night hunting gear for use on my property that I am very familiar with consists of the FLIR LS-64 and/or FLIR M-24 helmet mounted and either the FLIR RS-64 ThermoScope or FLIR GS T-70 mil-spec thermal clip-on, all of these thermal instruments have the hardened TAU 2.7 microbolometer 17 micron core and are 640X512 pixel cores. I normally only add bringing my Night Vision gear when I am going onto some new property that I am not familiar with as it gives me much better situational awareness than any of my thermal gear can provide.

Externally, both the LS-64 and LS-XR are identical, their FOV through their 35mm germanium lenses is the same also. They both have a micro USB port for charging the internal lithium ion battery and this same USB port is also used for communication purposes to upgrade the Firmware/Software of the TAU core using FLIR's GUI software updater provided on their site.

Both of the LS series handheld scanners also have the 5mW 635-660nm red visible pointing laser too.

The older model LS-64 does not have analog video out capabilites through the mini-USB port, but can be customized using a handmade hot shoe to gain access to the video output signal. The new LS-XR has the analog video out signal available through the mini-USB port and comes with a mini-USB to RCA video cable to record direct to a remote DVR.

The older model LS-64 has 1X, 2X, and 4X step magnification views and a continuous zoom up and down from 1X to 8X.

The new LS-XR has 1X, 2X, 4X, and 8X step magnification views as well as the continious zoom feature. The new 8X mag view is particularly nice due to the improved higher resolution image viewer. There is improved image resolution at all magnifications with less pixelation of the microbolometer image due to the new imager, less pixelation at all magnifications than with my older LS-64 unit.

The InstaAlert feature has also been improved across the board as follows:

1.       Reduce the sensitivity of I1 by 20-30%

2.       Change I2 to the current I1

3.       Change I3 to the current I2

4.       Change I4 to the current I3

Basically, the I4 of the older LS-64 has been removed.

This allows for greater sensitivity in the InstaAlert modes with less washout of irrelevant reddness from other inanimate objects in the FOV. The muted down InstaAlert allows it use at lower selectable levels for varying environmental conditions, and the #4 setting now is primarily for when it is raining or foggy out.

I will get some video out of it this weekend and hopefully get some live hunt thermal images of hogs and coyotes if they show up and the weather is accommodating.

Anyone who gets a new LS-XR, be sure to register it for warranty purposes at:

www.flir.com/cs/warranty

Looking forward to the video :)

The video will be 30fps, not 9fps like the export models.

I already noticed that the muted out InstaAlert settings allow for much better scanning of trees for coons than the old settings did as there is little to no ancillary red blanketing of the background sky or leaves and branches, also the ground washout effect has pretty much been eliminated with InstaAlert. However, I am in Florida, not Alaska, so don't know how it functions on snow covered landscapes.....

I like the better long range ID due to the less pixelated magnifications too.

 


 

Apparently, the software/firmware adjustments have decreased/changed the gamma correction specifically for the new high res display screen and adjusts the AGC automatic gain control for less ground and sky washout, basically it changes the gray scale levels by smoothing them out considerably. The increased resolution at the higher magnifications at longer ranges is noticeably improved.

Of course, those are just my initial impressions and it will take some hours of use under varying outdoor conditions to get a handle on how it performs overall.

That is why just looking at a photo or video of some thermal kit on the internet does not really tell you much of anything about the real life performance of the instrument, since with thermals the changes in atmospheric conditions is key to understanding it benefits/uses in the field for hunting detection/identification purposes.

There is so much more to rating the performance of a thermal instrument that seeing a photo out of it on the internet....

Great review SKYPUP, is there still a pending Firmware update? Trying to decide to sell and upgrade or wait for the update?

The new LS-XR has a higher resolution viewer and a specific software driver optimized for that new viewer, so any gamma correction in the driver for the viewer will be specific for this new model only and not the LS-64 model with a different viewer, and of course the higher resolution with less pixelation at the higher magnifications for detection and ID will be associated only with the new high res viewer and drivers.

I do believe that the gamma correction to avoid interfering ground and/or sky "wash out" can worked up in the older LS-64, also the automatic gain correction (AGC), DDE, and the new adjustments to the InstaAlerts can be integrated into a new update specific for the LS-64 as well

A friend in Turkey shoots some gigantic Turkish Wild Hogs with his NV scoped bolt action .300 Win Mag while his buddy films with the European model of the new FLIR LS-XR at 9fps (30fps is illegal to export).

He kills 3 of the 8 Boars!


Here is the 9fps video out of his new FLIR LS-XR:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgtxBcOks-Y&feature=youtu.be






The rifle is Steyr Mannlicher SSG04 - 300Win Mag

"The video is private. Sorry about that."

I like the new feature that when it first boots up it turns on in the same setting as when you turned it off instead of always starting off on White Hot like the LS-64 does.

There is a very nice improvement for sure in the InstaAlert settings and much more manageable with the change in the gamma correction for the gray scale smoothness and the increased resolution quality at high magnifications, really outstanding!

I am working on a LS-XR video I took last night of six deer bedded down in the backyard sleeping. A large live oak limb snapped off and fell to the ground about 25 yards from me and startled them. Some of them got up to investigate and came over and were eating the moss and lichens off the fallen limb, so I thermal video recorded them with the LS-XR.

Video turned out very nice and you can see the high resolution clarity on the higher magnifications up to 8X (but difficult to hold the LS-XR still at that magnification), also the nice gray scale smoothness and the new InstaAlert settings.

The RS-64s Thermoscopes will look the same way as my video when the update is released for them in addition to some other new features for the RS series that folks will enjoy!

I'll upload the LS-XR video once I get a chance to edit it down some.

Here is the link to the improved upgraded FLIR LS-XR thermal hand scanner video:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3W6Ck8xEMA&feature=youtu.be

BTW, for those not familiar with FLIR handheld scanners, the InstaAlert is the contrast adjustment on these instruments, it is a proprietary item only available on FLIRs.

Without it (InstaAlert), hand scanning large areas in dense woods and forests at night is a major pain in the you know what.

If you are scanning open wheat fields or soybean fields you do not really need it that much, but for any forested canopy or fields with thick brush/ground cover, it is a total brain saver!

Be sure to bring some aspirin/Advil after using a handscanner on an entire night out hunting when your instrument does NOT have InstaAlert!

For owners of the new FLIR LS-XR, there is now a new downloadable update to improve image quality/contrast significantly through different gamma correction settings in the high resolution video drivers for the display screen, as well as improved long range performance, and also improved and different InstaAlert settings:


It is here -> Scout II - LS - Ocean Scout Software Update:

http://www.flir.com/hunting-outdoor/display/?id=53129

Sky pup,  what is the procedure to install this update?  I have a new LS-XR but have never installed an update on a Flir product.  Thanks so much.

First off, when you download the update, read the instruction files that come included in the download and follow those instructions.


First off you need a PC and a USB to USB Mini cable to hook up your LS-XR your charging cable works for this.

Leave the LS-XR OFF when plugging into computer.

Download the LS-XR USER GUI zip file and unzip and follow the instruction in the Word Document file. Install the LS-XR USER GUI onto your computer.

Also download the firmware update dfu. file and save it somewhere easy to get to.

The latest dfu. file contains the new update as well as all previous updates put out prior to now.

Run the User GUI with your LS-XR plugged ed in and turned off.

Once GUI is running, turn on your LS-XR and allow the USB drivers to install 100%, this may take several minutes and is extremely important, DO NOT proceed until the new USB drivers have been completely installed onto your computer to allow communication with your  LS-XR.

After drivers are fully installed 3-4 minutes later, follow the instructions and install the new dfu. file using the GUI.

You can also change the automatic shutoff time.

It is simple.


http://www.flir.com/hunting-outdoor/display/?id=53129

Thanks!  One more dumb question.  Where do I find the DFU file to download?  I got the rest of it installed and connected to the LS-XR

The dfu. file is in the original zip file that you downloaded, look inside the folder that contains the download, the dfu is there.

Thanks so much.  There was a second file to download. Very much appreciated

It contains the latest update as well as all previous update improvements, so you should be GTG!

Well, I must have messed something up.  Now all I get when I turn it on is a blank white screen!  I'll call Flir next week and see what they say.

Make absolutely certain the USB drivers were completely installed prior to attempting to utilize the GUI, once they are installed you should be able to read the firmware, TAU version, and software off your instrument, it takes a good 3-4 minutes for the USB drivers to complete installation, otherwise you cannot communicate with your instrument.

When you attach the LS-XR to your computer, make sure it is turned off to begin with. Then open up the GUI, turn on your LS-XR and read the information off your scope. Then you can go ahead and update the new software as you are now communicating with your scope.

There are PDF and MS Word GUI instructions in the zip download file too.

Also, sometimes the Microsoft Network program version needs to be updated to latest version to allow communication.

FLIR CS has excellent service though, so if all else fails, they will take care of you.