Since previous research used local, single-point measurements to indicate crop water stress, thermography is presented as a technique capable of measuring spatial temperatures supporting its use for monitoring crop water stress. This study investigated measurement accuracy of uncooled thermal cameras under strict environmental conditions, developed hardware and software to implement uncooled thermal cameras and quantified intrinsic properties that impact measurement accuracy and repeatability. A DRS Tamarisk® 320 (CAM1) and FLIR® Tau 2 (CAM2) were selected for this study. Results indicated that wide and medium angle lens distortion was 19% for CAM1 and 30% for CAM2. A minimum of four pixels were recommended to maintain surface temperature integrity and maximize image coverage area. A 19 and 7 min warm-up was necessary for CAM1 and CAM2 respectively. A real-time (RT) and one-time (OT) radiometric calibration provided absolute surface temperatures with environmental compensation. CAM1 analog output yielded a configurable temperature span from 5°C-156°C, resolution from 0.02°C-0.61°C, and measurement accuracy of ±0.82°C or 0.62ºC with OT or RT radiometric calibration, respectively, whereas digital output yielded a fixed temperature span of 156°C, resolution of 0.01ºC and measurement accuracy of ±0.43 or 0.29ºC with OT or RT radiometric calibration, respectively. CAM2 yielded a controllable temperature span of 18°C-206ºC, resolution of 0.07°C-0.80ºC, and measurement accuracy of ±0.87 or 0.63ºC with OT or RT radiometric calibration, respectively. Both cameras were sensitive to surface temperatures (R²=0.99); but, CAM1 was more controllable. Results highlight that uncooled thermal cameras can measure spatial temperatures, thereby measuring subtle crop dynamics for water resource management.