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À partir d’avant-hierYanko Design

Spherical webcam concept adds a playful personality to a utilitarian product

Par : JC Torres
18 août 2024 à 19:15

The new era of video meetings has put webcams in the spotlight. At the same time, it has also become more quickly apparent that webcam technologies and designs didn’t really grow alongside the rest of the computing industry, seemingly stuck in the requirements and conventions of the early 2000s. But while their capabilities have indeed caught up to modern needs, their designs remain eyesores sitting on top of many monitors and laptop screens. This design concept tries to buck the trend by presenting a webcam that isn’t just useful or privacy-respecting but also carries a character of its own.

Designer: André Terchanian

There’s a principle in psychology that says that something that’s always in our vision can affect our minds in sometimes subconscious ways. That’s why sticky notes surrounding your computer monitor can be good at nagging us long after we’ve clocked out of the office, which can be a good or bad thing for your productivity. We also put things that delight and inspire us always within our field of vision, but things that irk or discomfort us can bring our mood down if we have them in our faces long enough.

Webcams are meant to be discreet and almost invisible, but except for built-in cameras in laptop monitors, the vast majority of them are perched on top of our screens, often at eye level, so there’s absolutely no way to ignore their presence. It’s not that these devices are unappealing, though some might indeed fall under that category, but many of them are plain, uninspiring, and sometimes at odds with our carefully designed desk or computer motif.

MILO is a design concept that tries to make the webcam look a little more alive and distinctive, and it does so by simply putting a ball on a stick. A spherical webcam isn’t new, but most of the existing designs often use tripods, wide mounts, or clips to stay upright. In contrast, MILO has a stem with a spherical base that can stick to the back of any monitor using an adhesive surface and suction force to stay in place. This makes MILO look almost like a robot ball or a robotic eye that’s peeking from the top of your screen.

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This small design change also brings some important benefits to its functionality. For one, you only need a single USB-C cable coming out of its base, away from sight and tangles. Another is that the magnetic base can rotate in a 360-degree direction, letting the webcam swivel downward if you want to block its view and prevent accidental recording. MILO’s design is also compact and convenient to carry around, allowing you to set up your mobile office anywhere and take up video calls with a quirky-looking webcam sticking out of your laptop lid.

The post Spherical webcam concept adds a playful personality to a utilitarian product first appeared on Yanko Design.

OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K PTZ Webcam Review: Elevate Your Streaming Quality with AI this Prime Day

Par : JC Torres
17 juillet 2024 à 01:45

PROS:


  • Sleek, compact, and minimalist design

  • Impressive imaging performance

  • Fast, responsive, and useful AI-powered features

  • Hands-free gesture and voice control offer unbeatable convenience

CONS:


  • Struggles a bit in low light

  • Voice control might be a concern for some users

  • A bit pricey (without Amazon Prime Day deal)

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With a sleek, modern design, excellent performance, and helpful AI features, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K camera is one of the best webcams money can buy, especially if you get it at a bargain like on Prime Day.
award-icon

With streaming steadily becoming a popular and even lucrative career, the webcams built into laptops and monitors are not enough to give you an edge over the competition. Sure, they might be serviceable or even decent for meetings, but holding a captive audience requires more than just showing your static, pixelated face all the time. Whether you’re streaming a game, making presentations, selling products, or creating content in general, you will want a webcam that can keep up with you, figuratively and literally. That is exactly what the OBSBOT Tiny 2 AI-powered webcam promises, so we take it out of its premium carrying case, mount it on our monitor, and take it for a spin to see if there’s more to it than an impressive list of smart features.

Designer: OBSBOT

Click Here to Buy Now: $269 $329 (18% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

Aesthetics

Most webcams, at least those not embedded in monitors, usually come in boxy shapes that try to blend with the edge of the monitor or circles and spheres that look like a creepy eye staring back at you. Very few of their kind pay attention to the subconscious effect their designs have on the people who will be looking at the camera for long periods of time. That makes the OBSBOT Tiny 2 immediately different from its peers the moment you take it out of its carrying case because it immediately cuts a striking figure that makes its presence known without being distracting all the time.

The OBSBOT Tiny 2 comes with a rounded rectangle camera connected to a 2-axis gimbal that’s mounted on a smooth, squarish base. It has a sleek and modern aesthetic that embraces minimalism to its core. There are very few deviations from its predominantly black body, like the red accent around the camera lens and the LED light strip that indicates the camera’s modes. There are no buttons anywhere, and the only break on its surface is the USB-C port. It’s a breath of fresh air from webcams that try to look either too pretentious or too uninspiring.

The camera’s build quality is also commendable, utilizing a metal alloy rather than the common plastic. Its compact size and simple operations make it quite handy as a portable webcam, and the OBSBOT Tiny 2 comes with a solid carrying case that has room for everything you need to use it on the go, namely, its USB-C cable and included mount. Suffice it to say, the webcam’s simple yet stylish design won’t distract you from creating your finest content but will still please your eyes and your subconscious mind every time you do look at it.

Ergonomics

Unlike an action camera, whether in your hand or a gimbal, a webcam is mostly meant to sit on top of your screen or somewhere stationary. And with its minimalist design, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 is definitely not something you’ll be touching a lot to use and control. That’s definitely a good thing since you don’t want to always reach out in front of you to even just adjust the camera’s direction. What you want is to be able to record yourself or take pictures without breaking your flow, and the Tiny 2 handles that quite gracefully.

What all this means is that you’ll be controlling the camera directly, either with gestures, voice, or the optional remote control. Yes, you’ll also use the OBSBOT Center software (formerly known as the OBSBOT WebCam), which has all the sliders and buttons you’ll need to fine-tune the camera’s performance. It can admittedly be overwhelming, but it’s something that professionals will want to have access to. And if you really need to control the camera without being near the computer, the $49 OBSBOT Tiny Smart Remote 2 has a few shortcuts handy. Plus it also functions as a presenter for those meetings that will impress your boss and even your colleagues.

Various Placement Methods

As for placing the webcam itself on a monitor, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 comes with a foldable magnetic clamp made with the same premium metal as the camera. The mount uses physics and gravity to stay on top of the monitor, while a strong magnet keeps the OBSBOT Tiny 2 attached to it, even when you tilt the mount down. Given the foldable design of the clamp, it might have some problems with very thin laptop lids or very thick monitors. Fortunately, you can also screw the Tiny 2 on almost any mount, which opens up more possibilities on where you can use the webcam. The only requirement is that you can still connect it to a computer or even a smartphone with a lengthy USB-C cable.

Performance

4K Video Quality

Before the pandemic, webcams that can go beyond 1080p resolution sounded excessive, but that’s now the bare minimum for these accessories. 4K is becoming more common, and the OBSBOT Tiny 2 is right up there with a 1/1.5-inch CMOS sensor that has an effective 50MP resolution. It’s capable of recording 4K video at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps and lower frame rates. Unfortunately, there is no “in-between” resolution like 2K of 1440p, which is also a common video quality in streaming these days.

In Dim Lighting Conditions

Whichever resolution you go with, the Tiny 2 performs admirably in capturing both still and moving content with plenty of detail and wide dynamic range. It boasts a Dual ISO system that can automatically switch or combine the two depending on the lighting condition. Unfortunately, it does struggle a bit in poorly lit environments, though not terribly. If you’ll be streaming in the dark, like what many gamers do, you might still want a bit of lighting to ensure a balanced image. The camera features two built-in omnidirectional mics with noise reduction, and while it does produce decent audio, it’s not exactly something to write home about. It can also sound a little tinny, so you might want to augment your setup with a dedicated microphone if you can afford it.

Auto Tracking with Auto Zoom

Magical Gesture Control 2.0

4x Zoom In/Out

Select/Cancel Target

While the OBSBOT Tiny 2 already delivers commendable imaging performance, it really goes to town with its long list of features to make creators’ lives easier and even more fun. And, unsurprisingly, many of these harness the power of AI with very impressive results. Tracking the subject is at the very top of the list, and it is fast and smooth, thanks both to the algorithms as well as the 2-axis gimbal. Depending on your settings, the camera can even automatically zoom in and out to make sure your head or upper body is always visible, no matter how far you are from the camera. And if more people join in on the shot, it will automatically adjust the field of view to frame everyone properly.

Present Properly with Desk Mode

The Tiny 2 also has a unit Desk Mode that makes the camera perfect for meetings and video instructions. In this mode, you tilt the mount forward and the camera will then adjust its angle so that it’s directly pointing down on the desk. It will then flip the video stream so that viewers can see what you’re writing or doing with your hands in the correct direction. And for those streams that require you to act like a teacher, whiteboard mode will focus, zoom in, and straighten the whiteboard for more effective delivery.

All-Pixel Auto Focus

The list of convenient and impressive features goes on and on. Now four times faster than its predecessor, the OBSBOT Tiny 2’s autofocus is fast and impressive, making sure that the product you’re showing off in front of you is clearly seen before it switches back to showing your face. For brief and quick camera changes, you can use hand gestures to zoom in and out, but the real headlining feature for this new model is voice control. From waking up the camera to having it follow you around, you can just ask “Tiny” rather than reach out for your mouse or keyboard. Some people might feel a bit uneasy with having a camera that’s listening and waiting for your commands, but you can always turn the camera down to turn it off and protect your privacy or disable the feature entirely.

Beauty Mode – Smooth your skin and brighten your eyes in just one second.

Sustainability

With webcams a dime a dozen in the market these days, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the vast majority of them use plastic shells to cover their bodies. What’s more surprising are the outliers like the OBSBOT Tiny 2 which opt for more premium and more sustainable materials like metal. It not only adds character to the design, it also makes it look more forgiving and gentler on the planet. You will want to take better care of the camera when using it outdoors, of course, protecting it from scuffs and dents. Thankfully, that hard shell case is there for that very purpose.

It’s not a complete win, of course, as there are still plenty of plastics in the product as well as the packaging. The camera’s seamless design also makes self-repair nearly impossible, not that you’ll want to do it yourself anyway. OBSBOT does have a strong warranty and repair policy, so you’re better off letting the experts do the hard and precise work.

Value

User Scenarios

If it wasn’t clear yet, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 is chock-full of features, all of which are designed to make a content creator’s life easier and less stressful. It leverages AI so that they don’t have to make minute-by-minute decisions and adjustments to the camera, freeing them to focus on the most important part of the process: actually creating the content and engaging with a captive audience. It’s like having a small cameraman on your desk, following your body’s or hands’ cues to create those smooth transitions and to focus on important parts, whether it’s a product or your face.

That said, the OBSBOT Tiny 2’s SRP of $329 can still be a bit difficult to swallow. Make no mistake, you’re really getting your money’s worth, but not everyone will have that much in reserve for a new tool. Fortunately, Amazon’s Prime Day is just around the corner, and you can get this AI-powered camera at a steep 18% discount that brings the price down to a juicy $269. With that price cut, there’s very little to keep you from upgrading your toolset to become the content creator you’ve always aspired to be. Prime Day also opens the door to other sweet deals, like the Remote Combo with the Tiny Remote 2 getting a 16% discount, or the PowerUp Combo with a remote, a tripod, and an HQ mic going for 15% less. Streaming veterans might want to grab the Streaming Combo (remote, tripod, UVC to HDMI adapter) or the MultiCam Combo (three OBSBOT Tiny 2 Cameras, remote, 3-in-1 USB Hub) with 15% and 14% savings, respectively.

Verdict

We’re way past the time when streamers and video content creators could simply sit in front of their cameras and expect the likes (and money) to start piling in. Viewers have become more discerning, perhaps even more demanding, and streamers now need to take their content to the next level. Of course, the actual content is king, but the presentation can make or break your career as well. More than just a good camera, you need a camera that understands where you’re going and can follow your cues without you even saying a word.

The OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K PTZ Webcam delivers on both fronts, providing excellent video quality with the brains to know how you want a shot to be taken or what to focus on. And it looks great to boot, putting other webcams to shame for their lack of elegance despite all the opportunities and materials available to them. Admittedly, it’s not an inexpensive product, but with a juicy Prime Day deal, there’s no better time to upgrade your streaming equipment and upgrade your channel than with this AI-powered 4K webcam.

Click Here to Buy Now: $269 $329 (18% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

The post OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K PTZ Webcam Review: Elevate Your Streaming Quality with AI this Prime Day first appeared on Yanko Design.

OBSBOT Defies Expectations With The ‘Tiny 2’ AI-Powered 4K Webcam

Par : Sarang Sheth
11 juillet 2024 à 01:45

We’re in a unique period of innovation where we’ve discovered AI, but we’re seeing how good it is at some things, and how bad it is at others. For starters, AI is great at proofreading – it’s terrible at coming up with life advice. It’s great at understanding objects and subjects in a video – it’s terrible at making videos of its own. It makes sense to leverage the good parts of AI, rather than fumble with the bad ones – and that’s something the folks at OBSBOT have capitalized on. The Tiny 2 4K webcam uses AI in all sorts of ways to enhance what a webcam does. It understands voice commands and will capture video accordingly. It can automatically follow a subject, zooming in on them when necessary, and zoom out when multiple subjects enter the frame. When you can’t give voice commands (maybe you’re in the middle of a presentation), hand gestures help the Tiny 2 understand how to compose a shot. You can use it to track subjects, or even focus on body parts like hands while writing or making art, or feet during dance practices. A dedicated whiteboard mode lets the Tiny 2 hone in on a board during presentations, and if you want to broadcast your workspace while on call, Desk Mode lets you get a perfect top view of your work. If all that wasn’t enough, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 also packs a massive 1/1.5″ CMOS sensor capable of delivering 4K, with ISO switching for day and night settings, HDR for great contrast, and all-pixel auto-focus for accurate focusing and blurring even in low light settings. It might look like a webcam, but it’s a 4K action camera mounted on a gimbal with AI chops.

Designer: OBSBOT

Limited Time Prime Day Offer: $296 (10% Off)! Regularly $329. Starts July 16th. Click Here to Buy Now.

The Tiny 2 builds on the success of the OBSBOT Tiny, which launched in 2019. Visually, it retains the same gimbal-mounted template that was such a smash hit 5 years ago… but on the hardware and software front, the Tiny 2 comes with some impressive upgrades, making it perfect for office presentations, streaming, podcasting, vlogging, gaming, basic content creation or just being able to livestream – something that’s been gaining popularity over the years. It becomes tricky (and sometimes expensive) to splurge on an entire professional recording setup, with multiple devices, wires, etc… but that’s where the Tiny 2 is such a powerhouse. Although it parades around as a webcam, the 1/1.5″ CMOS sensor inside the Tiny 2 measures roughly 5x larger than the sensors found on most webcams. A bigger sensor means more light, better clarity, clearer videos in low-light, and the ability to shoot higher definition. The Tiny 2 outputs 4K video, which on its own is impressive for a webcam, but also has a few extra tricks up its sleeve.

AI Tracking with Auto Zoom

Unparalleled 4K Video: Combining the 1/1.5’’ CMOS and OBSBOT camera calibration technology, OBSBOT Tiny 2 brings sharper detail, a higher dynamic range, and more natural color, as they are seen in the natural world.

The webcam comes with two native ISOs, allowing it to quickly switch between different lighting conditions. While almost every other webcam adjusts its image by manipulating exposure, the Tiny 2 relies on dual native ISOs to help it adjust in day and night settings. This effectively means much more accurate color capture without overexposed burn spots in bright scenarios and noisy images in low-light settings. The two ISO settings effectively mean the webcam can capture two photos together at the same time – a feature that allows the Tiny 2 to produce sharp HDR video that’s comparable to the kind seen on flagship smartphones… but in real-time, and without any motion blur. Speaking of blur, the Tiny 2 also gets OBSBOT’s All-Pixel Auto Focus feature, which works most faster than cameras that use phase detection to hone in on subjects. It relies on every single pixel on its 50MP sensor to focus on subjects, working 4x faster even in low-light settings.

Control the OBSBOT Tiny 2 with just your voice, even if your hand is full.

That, however, is just half of what the Tiny 2 can boast of. While the original OBSBOT Tiny did come with AI tracking and gesture control, the new webcam on the block adds voice commands to the mix too. All AI features get major enhancements thanks to OBSBOT’s proprietary deep neural learning network algorithm. This means better subject recognition (with the ability to track you as you move around and even zoom in on you to compose a better frame), and advanced gesture recognition. You can now zoom in 4X with a simple hand gesture, or move your hands closer or further to have the camera zoom in or out, sort of like a movie director. If your hands are occupied, voice commands let you tell the Tiny 2 to track or untrack you, zoom in or out, or go to predetermined positions. You can now even tell the Tiny 2 to go to sleep or wake up through a simple voice command. Dual omnidirectional microphones allow the Tiny 2 to capture clear audio from anywhere, whether you’re sitting in front of it while streaming, or presenting to it from a few feet away.

Desk Mode

The Tiny 2’s neural learning allows it to track hands too, or even track body parts for unique choreographic styles. A Desk Mode lets you point your camera down at your desk and automatically have it keystone the video for a top-view shot. A companion remote controller lets you micro-adjust the Tiny 2, and even has a Whiteboard Mode, allowing the webcam to focus on a whiteboard in the room, cropping everything out for perfect presentations. Without the remote control, the webcam does have the ability to move around on its own, thanks to a 2-axis gimbal system. You can even manually adjust the Tiny 2’s frame with your hands, or face it downwards when you want it to go to sleep for your own privacy.

A lot of other power features remain the same (because why fix something that isn’t broken), like the presence of various mounts that let you attach your webcam to a monitor, a tripod, or even a ceiling mount. The Tiny 2’s angle can easily be adjusted, and for social content creators, you can record in 4K in portrait mode too – something that other webcams could only dream of. A companion desktop application known as the OBSBOT Center lets you adjust a myriad of settings like focus and AFK or Away From Keyboard protocols. There’s a ‘Beauty Mode’ too, just in case you’re having a bad skin day, and virtual backgrounds you can choose from. The app even lets you set hot keys and shortcuts that you can either map onto your keyboard, or onto an Elgato Stream Deck for that professional-grade setup.

All this advancement puts the OBSBOT Tiny 2 in a category of its own. The $329 price tag may seem high for the webcam category, but then again, it’s vastly better than your average $50 webcam, and it’s also fairly cheaper than most 4K action cameras that professionals tend to use for recording/live-streaming… plus where else could you get advanced AI-powered tracking, gesture-recognition, and voice command control? Besides, grab the Tiny 2 on Prime Day and you’ll get yourself a 10% discount – $296. Deal activates on July 16th! No matter your requirements or your budget, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 ticks all the right boxes.

Limited Time Prime Day Offer: $296 (10% Off)! Regularly $329. Starts July 16th. Click Here to Buy Now.

The post OBSBOT Defies Expectations With The ‘Tiny 2’ AI-Powered 4K Webcam first appeared on Yanko Design.

OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite 4K PTZ Webcam Review: Budget-Friendly AI Camera Crew

Par : JC Torres
26 juin 2024 à 14:20

PROS:


  • Impressive auto tracking and framing performance

  • Good video quality for such a compact camera

  • Accessible price tag for a professional tool

CONS:


  • Slower USB 2.0 connection

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite distills the essential features you need for more engaging videos, presentations, and meetings.

Video streaming has become its own entertainment category and industry, allowing almost anyone to reach out to millions across the world and maybe even make some money while doing so. The barrier to entry is quite low, at least when it comes to equipment, as long as you have a smartphone or even a computer with a webcam. As you grow your content and your audience, however, you will eventually find yourself looking for tools that are made to support such activities, like a webcam that can help bring out the best in your video content and presentations. Of course, webcams are a dime a dozen, especially if you consider the cheap and unsurprisingly basic options out there. You might think you need to spend big bucks for a really good webcam, but the new OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite says otherwise. Compact yet packing quite a punch, the 4K PTZ webcam promises AI-powered features at an affordable price, and that naturally piqued our curiosity to see if it’s really good as it sounds.

Designer: OBSBOT

Aesthetics

Webcam designs are myriad and varied, and most of them are meant to sit on top of computer monitors or laptop lids for use in video chats. That often means using clips or, worse, adhesives, and they take on shapes that are designed to blend in with the monitor, leading to rather uninspiring designs. It might be called a webcam, but the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite is really a versatile gimbal camera that can be used for almost any purpose and in almost any setting as long as you’re connected to a computer, of course.

As such, it’s no surprise that the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite looks more like one of those gimbal cameras than a webcam, and for good reason. It’s a PTZ or “pan, tilt, zoom” camera, after all, and its base and arm work to move the camera as needed. Yes, you don’t have to position the camera yourself, but more on that later. What this means is that this webcam hardly looks like a webcam at all. Its rounded square base and the square camera hanging from its arm make it resemble a miniature professional video camera, and that’s a comparison that’s more than just skin deep.

All in all, the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite has a compact and minimalist design that is distinctive but not distracting. It’s small enough to take with you anywhere your laptop and your work need to go, while still packing quite a collection of powerful features. The camera itself barely has any physical controls, creating a clean and professional-looking aesthetic. That means you’ll have to rely on indirect methods of control, like the OBSBOT App, hand gestures, or the optional remote control.

Ergonomics

You won’t be holding the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite in your hand, not unless you put it on a selfie stick or handle. It’s meant to either mount on top of you a monitor, stand on a desk, or attach to a tripod, and the camera’s design supports all three. Rather than relying on a separate clip that you might lose, the Tiny 2 Lite features a built-in stand that unfolds from the bottom, forming a simple cantilever-like mechanism that uses gravity and physics to stick to the top of a computer screen. It is, however, a very simple mechanism, and it might struggle to support older, thicker monitors as well as very slim laptop lids.

When in use, you won’t be touching the camera directly either, since there are no buttons in the first place, other than turning the camera down to activate its privacy mode. Your primary control method will be through the computer app that configures the camera’s settings, but OBSBOT really wants you to rely on automatic operations powered by its AI. For more precise control from a distance, however, you might prefer to spend an extra $49 for the optional remote control slash presentation clicker. Depending on your workflow, you might find this absence of direct control liberating or extra work.

Performance

OBSBOT made a name for itself with 4K webcams packed in tiny designs, and the Tiny 2 Lite is no different. What is different, however, is that it selects only the hardware and features that deliver the best possible experience without asking too much from the consumer’s finances. For example, the 1/2-inch CMOS sensor is quite capable, enabling 4K 30fps as well as 1080p 60fps video recording with crisp and clear details. It supports HDR, though not the PixGain HDR that the more expensive non-Lite OBSBOT Tiny 2 boasts of, and it only has a single ISO for all kinds of lighting conditions.

While the video quality that the Tiny 2 Lite produces is already good, the camera’s real selling point is its intelligent hands-free controls. Of course, this newer model leverages plenty of AI so that you can leave it to decide what it thinks is the best shot, whether it’s zooming up close or using a more panoramic shot. The camera tracks you as you go around, making presentations and demonstrations look more dynamic and natural. It also supports auto framing, where it pans or zooms to adjust to the number of people going in and out of view. If you need more direct control, you don’t have to reach for the remote and just use hand gestures to adjust the camera to your liking. As for that movement, it’s pretty smooth and quick, easily adjusting to your own movement as if you have a human behind the camera.

As many AI features that OBSBOT crammed in such a small and accessible device, it also had to leave out quite a number of them that you’d see on the OBSBOT Tiny 2. It doesn’t have voice control, for example, which might actually be a good thing for more privacy-concerned users, but neither does it have a desktop mode where the camera swings down to capture, rotate, and frame what you’re doing on the desk, which could be your notes or instructions for some process. The biggest “downgrade,” however, is using a slower USB 2.0 connection only, a decision that’s sure to become a bottleneck when you need fast video transfers from camera to computer. Fortunately, most of these features can be considered “extras” from a content creator’s point of view, allowing the OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite to still deliver a solid performance at almost half the price of its older sibling.

Sustainability

One of the reasons why webcams are so ubiquitous is because of how easy and cheap it is to get the materials needed to make them. That means a load of plastic, which is admittedly lighter and more resilient than a premium but hefty aluminum chassis. Unfortunately, that doesn’t bode well for the sustainability of these products, especially the ones that feel and look cheap and are more likely to be thrown out the moment they start malfunctioning.

The OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite thankfully doesn’t look cheap nor feel like a throwaway product, but it’s still not something that will last you a long time if you aren’t careful. You won’t want to take it on daring adventures, especially in extreme conditions. This isn’t an action cam anyway, but it could still let you do some outdoor streaming if the weather allows it.

Value

OBSBOT launched the Tiny 2 last year to much applause for the wide array of smart features packed in a compact and stylish design. The one complaint has been its rather steep price tag, and the new Tiny 2 Lite finally addresses that. For only $179, it crams many of those AI features, particularly the core functions that truly define the Tiny 2. Naturally, it had to leave some out, but did OBSBOT cut off too much?

That’s hardly the case, as the Tiny 2 Lite delivers a solid PTZ webcam experience. Admittedly, that price tag might still look a bit too high, and not all features will appeal to everyone who needs a webcam. Those who mainly use webcams for meetings will find little reason to spend more on such a camera, though there are options like sleep mode made for those times when you need to briefly step away from a meeting.

Verdict

Being stuck at home doing video meetings and chats has made us realize how webcams seem to have been stuck in the early 2000s. A whole new crop of more powerful cameras has grown from this need, some going beyond just making you look presentable for a meeting. The OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite is designed for budding creators who need to focus on the content they’re recording instead of having to fiddle with camera controls. More than just high-quality 4K video, this small yet powerful PTZ webcam leverages AI to do the heavy lifting of framing the perfect shot to captivate your audience, clearly get your point across, or simply have fun. Best of all, you won’t have to break the bank just to get your hands on a tool that looks so simple yet packs quite a punch, helping you look professional in any video.

The post OBSBOT Tiny 2 Lite 4K PTZ Webcam Review: Budget-Friendly AI Camera Crew first appeared on Yanko Design.

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