I've been offered a Sage Warfighter IR-50 for a decent price ($800). This would be my first step into thermal imaging equipment. The problem is that I can find exactly one picture that someone took of the display with their phone when searching google for information, and even less when looking for reading material. I realize that the unit was made in 2003, and in the thermal imaging world, makes it older than a dinosaur. My use would be for detection purposes on man sized objects at 300m and in and would obviously have to have it helmet mounted. I just don't want to waste $800 on something that will completely underwhelm me.

So with that being said, I'm hoping you guys can give me a history lesson on these. It appears that these were pretty state-of-the-art in their day and may have had military use(according to a for sale ad I saw, not sure on how truthful that was). Street price was around $12k. Does anybody have one that could take some pictures or give a review/comparison for me?

Here's an archived thread from a few years back.
link

Not much info, but does say it's a 160x120 core with 20hz refresh rate and 17x12degree FOV

For $800 bucks you could do better in a handheld, but not in a helmet mount without getting creative....

I assume you saw this one that has a quick video and pics of the unit? http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?142979-Sage-WarFighter-IR-50-Helmet-Mounted-Thermal-Imaging-System

For a cheaper price and same resolution you could always "jerry-rig" a FLIR Scout TK to a J arm. Plus it takes photos/video and is light weight.

I've got one, and they're definitely 'old school'. The visual is fairly low res and the bad part is keeping the eyepiece adjusted to your eye. It wont stay in the correct position very well. It also has no extra features for viewing in different ways.

Heck, if you want a deal on one, I'd consider selling mine for a bit less than $800

You'd actually be better off spending your money on something like the FLIR Scout TK, which is less than what you want to spend and is a far better unit. The res is about the same but much clearer with many more added features. I picked up one of those on a special for $499 two weeks ago. While it's not top of the line, it works nicely for a starter or a casual use item.

Thanks guys for saving me from making a purchase I'd regret. I'll look into the FLIR TK. Keep other suggestions coming that are in the ~$800 range.

So, I'd like something better than the FLIR TK. Is the FLIR PS24 a decent step forward? It appears they can be had for around $1000 used, which isn't that far out of my price range.

Also, what's the difference between the FLIR PS24 and the Scout 2? Is the Scout 2 just a newer version?