Detection, recognition and identification are different tasks. A single range number is not enough to compare cameras: it must name the imaging channel, target, lens configuration, criterion and test conditions. Do not convert between the three distances using a universal ratio.
What the three tasks mean
Detection establishes that a target is present; recognition classifies it; identification resolves the detail required by the stated task. In thermal specifications, identification must not automatically be read as identifying a named person or recognizing a face.
Johnson criteria are probability-based and depend on target assumptions. Visible-video DORI guidance and thermal DRI are not interchangeable. The document edition and definitions matter: a manufacturer label alone does not establish standards compliance.
Keep visible and thermal specifications separate
The previous comparison on this page mixed channel context and implied a universal difference between standards. That table has been withdrawn. An EO distance from a zoom camera is not a thermal distance, and a model without an infrared channel must not be presented as a thermal range example.
For MV-2P and OP-125A, read the visible-camera and infrared-camera sections separately. LX-6U is a visible-light zoom payload, not a thermal payload. Consult each linked specification and retain its original labels, target definition and optical configuration when quoting a value.
A usable procurement and flight-test checklist
Specify the channel and lens setting; target dimensions and orientation; task definition and success criterion; slant range and field of view; temperature contrast or illumination; weather and visibility; video compression and display; observer or algorithm; and the trial procedure. Record the source and revision of every quoted specification.
Test the operational task rather than the largest advertised number. If the task is finding and classifying people, measure both missed targets and false alarms. Repeat trials at representative viewing angles and environmental conditions, and document the conditions under which the requirement is not met.
There is no universal weather derating percentage
Do not assume a fixed 30–50% reduction makes a datasheet figure safe for every mission. Agree a margin from measured site conditions and the required success rate. Thermal detection is also not proof of radiometric accuracy: temperature measurement needs its own calibration, emissivity and reflected-temperature checks.
Sources and related specifications
Correction note: updated on 4 October 2026 to remove the mixed-channel comparison and unsupported universal distance ratios. Product specifications are manufacturer claims, not independent field-test results.