1. An image processing system comprising: an infrared camera comprising a focal plane array device operable to generate a video signal by scanning light representing one or more images; one or more memory units; one or more processing units operable to: receive, from the infrared camera, the video signal comprising data for the one or more images; representing the image; determine a region of interest in a particular image of the one or more images; and transmit, to the camera, a control signal instructing the camera to generate a peripheral region of one or more subsequent images with a reduced information intensity level relative to the information intensity level with which a region of interest of the one or more subsequent images are generated, the region of interest of the one or more subsequent images corresponding to the region of interest of the particular image, the peripheral region comprising portions of the subsequent one or more images other than the region of interest; and a hand-held housing that houses the infrared camera, the one or more memory units, the one or more processing units, and a battery operable to power the camera, the one or more memory units, and the one or more processing units.