SIX-MONTH TEST: Topdon TS004 Pro Thermal Monocular

With its intelligent design, ease of use, and reasonable price, Topdon’s New TS004 Pro thermal monocular is ideal for home security, hunting, and expanding wildlife observation capabilities…day or night.

by Rob Reaser

Thermal imaging devices have been dropping in price while expanding in availability and feature content quite dramatically over the last couple of years. To that we say, “Hoorah!” Their uses go well beyond “seeing something in the dark” once you begin testing their capabilities.

A couple years ago, I had a chance to try out a new outdoor thermal unit from a manufacturer called Topdon. Topdon’s primary claim to fame is their expansive line of technologically advanced automotive diagnostic tools for professional mechanics as well as dedicated automotive enthusiasts. Included in the company’s ever-growing product portfolio is a large footprint in thermal imaging tools for home, automotive and electrical, industrial, and outdoor applications.

The unit tested was Topdon’s TS004 thermal monocular. At $499 MSRP (currently $409 at this writing), the TS004 proved to be a no-brainer buy-in for anyone looking for an easy-to-use, highly capable thermal imager for home or ranch security, commercial security, wildlife spotting, game tracking, or identifying heat differentials around the home.

Since then, Topdon has introduced an even more capable model called the TS004 Pro. I’ve been testing this unit for the last six months and it is now firmly positioned beside my “bump in the night” Glock 17 and One Horse 300 BLK AR pistol.

(See where I put the emphasis on this technology?)

I live in rural farm country, 11 miles outside of a two-stoplight town. That means emergency response comes down to self-preparedness and being ready to deal with problems on my own.

When the dogs alert that something is amiss at night, a thermal monocular allows me to slip outside and identify potential troublemakers snooping behind the house or around my shop/garage and vehicles without giving up my position (unlike a flashlight) or tactical advantage. That’s important when you need to cover a lot of territory.

A thermal monocular also allows me to survey not only my property but my neighbor’s adjacent farm. If there is trouble, I have the edge of knowing where it’s at, what it is, and can then call law enforcement to respond.

And this is where the new TS004 Pro really shines. While the current MSRP is $899, that added cost gets you an enhanced infrared resolution of 384×288 pixels and a wider field of view (13.8° x 10.4°).

The above photo was taken by the TS004 Pro at 1x power with the fusion color setting. The barn is 210 yards distance. As you can see, the resolution is excellent, allowing me to see anyone who might be trying to slink around the edges with no good intent.

Of course, security and property monitoring is not the only use for which I’ve been employing the TS004 Pro. Since May, I’ve been keeping a close eye on several whitetails that have been showing up in the pasture. One of them is a nine-point, and if he keeps stuffing down the greens as he’s been doing for the last couple of months, he promises to be a brute come September. (Here you can see the TS004 Pro’s picture-in-picture function).

The Hardware Side

Overall, the new TS004 Pro is similar to the entry-level TS004 in terms of form and features, the exceptions being a marine blue/gray chassis, the aforementioned enhanced IR resolution, expanded field of view, a larger 19mm lens, and a greater detection (650 yards) and identification (146 yards) distances.

The operational controls are presented in linear fashion, which makes user input fast and easy. I hold the unit with my index, middle, and ring fingers on the camera, zoom, and mode/menu buttons, respectively. The buttons are well-sized and highly tactile, so once you get used to which does what, implementing and navigating through the various functions become simple.

As mentioned, a more sizeable, 19mm lens is part of the TS004 Pro upgrade. The larger lens helps capture greater heat signature detail at longer distances, which works together with the higher resolution.

Also included up front is a small LED light. The lumen output isn’t conventional flashlight level, but it’s good enough for closeup work in a dark environment.

The eyepiece provides a clear visual portal to the 0.32-inch 800×600 OLED display. For those who wear glasses, the rubber eyecup can be folded out of the way. Note the included carry pouch. It has a hook-and-loop front closure for quick access and a belt loop in back for convenient carry. With an overall weight of just under 11 ounces, the monocular is no burden to tote in the field.

To maximize image sharpness, the TS004 Pro comes with a side-mounted diopter adjustment knob.

For most tasks, the TS004 Pro will be hand-held. For wildlife viewing, though, the best solution is to mount the unit to a tripod. For that, there is a 1/4×20 threaded bushing beneath the chassis. This will accept standard tripod mounting systems.

The Digital Side

Like the TS004, the TS004 Pro can be operated via your mobile device through Topdon’s TopInfrared App available through the usual Android and Apple stores. Connecting the two is super easy compared to many WiFi-connected devices. Download the app, search for the unit on your mobile device, connect, done.

The app provides a live view, and places all the key adjustment options, such as color palette, zoom, brightness level, PIP, et cetera at your fingertips.

Of course, the TS004 Pro allows for still image and video capture courtesy of 32GB of on-board storage. This is good for up to 270,000 thermal images and hours of video segments. The app also lets you download images to your mobile device’s picture gallery or directly share to your contact lists.

Viewing and operating the device through your phone also reduces fatigue during long sessions.

Battery life is impressive — up to 10 hours on a full charge — for all-day or all-night use.

So, whether home and property security are your primary needs, or if you want a lightweight, convenient, and highly capable thermal monocular for hunting and wildlife viewing applications, Topdon’s new TS004 Pro is certainly a dependable choice. As I said earlier, I’ve been testing this unit for the last six months and have experienced zero hiccups. The standout features for me have been the long battery life, ease of operation, and the high image resolution factor that makes target identification easy. At $899 MSRP, it is an investment, but one for which you will no doubt find plenty of amortization uses around the home and in the field.