OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K webcam – AI smarts and a remote control (UC review)

16/01/2024
By Ray Shaw
In Reviews

The OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K webcam has AI-powered PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) and extensive features promising a ‘new era of webcam’.

You can’t help but be impressed with the OBSBOT Tiny 2. It is beautifully presented in a hard-side travel case with the PTZ camera, a monitor mount, a USB-C cable, and a USB-C to USB-A adapter. OBSBOT also sent the optional Laser remote control and a useful mini-ball head for standard tripod use.

We will go into this further, but here are a few things that set OBSBOT Tiny 2 apart.

4K, 50MP, f/1.9, 1/1.5” CMOS sensor (most webcams have at least 75% smaller 8MP sensors).
4K@30, 1080p@30/60, 720p@30/60 video (HDR is at 30fps).
Pan, Tilt, and Zoom.
All-pixel autofocus for 3ms focus (most are 1 second AF).
Dual native ISO for bright (low) and dark (high) light conditions (most have a single ISO).
Native HDR combines two video streams, increases details in shadows/highlights and removes motion blur.
Beauty mode filters (most don’t, but they did not make this sexagenarian any more handsome – damn).
Group mode extends the field of view (up to three in the shot).
Dual Omnidirectional mics and noise reduction.
USB-C 3.0 port for power (5V/.8A/4W) and uncompressed MKV video (most compress to lossy MP4 H263/264 encode/decode).
AI learning for subject auto-tracking (2-axis gimbal) and automatic zoom (4x digital).
‘Hi Tiny’ Hands-free voice control (nine commands – all stay on-device)
Gesture Control – use hands to zoom in (up to 4x) or out.
Virtual backgrounds (may depend on PC type)
Hand tracking
Body part tracking – select upper body, close-up, headless (chest) and lower body.
Landscape, portrait, upside down, mirror image and image flip
Desk mode for displaying a document on your desk – perfectly cropped.
Whiteboard mode, where the camera follows the laser to the whiteboard and focuses on that.
Privacy mode and auto stream of a preset video clip
¼” tripod socket and magnetic base for monitor mount (supplied).
Comprehensive OBSBOT Center App

The Laser Remote has

USB-A adapter.
Presentation clicker.
Controls pre-sets.
Laser pointer

Australian Review: OBSBOT Tiny 2 4K AI-PTZ webcam

Websites	Camera Remote Manual Help Videos YouTube help videos
RRP Jan/23	Camera $519 Camera and accessory pack $559 Remote $99 UVC to HDMI converter $269
From	OBSBOT Store – all items free shipping over A$373 Amazon AU – camera Amazon AU camera and accessory pack Amazon AU Remote
Warranty	12-months ACL from Amazon
Made in	China
Company	Est 2016 solely as an AI-driven videography and webcam designer and manufacturer. Tiny 2, released in 2023, was based on the original Tiny, the first AI-powered PTZ Webcam in 2019. While the 50MP hardware is superior, the App and its ever-developing capabilities make Tiny 2 unique.
More	CyberShack webcam news and reviews.

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – amateurs need not read on

If all you want is a decent webcam, look at Logitech (from $79.95 FHD to $299.95 4K) or Anker (from $101.97 2K to $299.97) because all you need is plug-and-play 1080p and some basic App smarts. You see, most video conference software like Teams or Zoom auto-adjust the bandwidth anyway, and you are lucky to get 1080p – certainly not 4K.

The OBSBOT Tiny 2 It has a whopping 50MP sensor (6.25x bigger than a typical 4K webcam) with full MKV lossless output to a PC/Mac. It has AI (machine learning and pre-programmed responses) to track you using Pan, Tilt and Zoom and a comprehensive suite of beauty features that can turn a vlogger into a better-looking one. It is for creators and those that know what they are doing. We think its competition in a fixed-use situation is more GoPro 4K but with AI features like subject tracking.

It is also great in a boardroom where AI whiteboard, hand, and desk tracking are useful.

Back to impressions. It is ‘dinky’ – small and cute at 63.52 (H) x 47 (W) x 44mm (D) x 95.6g (143.3 with monitor mount). It mounts on a magnetic monitor mount, or you can use the ¼” tripod mount for creative pursuits.

It comes in an attractive hard-sided travel case with a monitor mount, 1.5M 3W USB-C to USB-C 3.0 cable and a USB-C to USB-A 3.0 adapter.

50MP – WTF? Exceed

Why a 50MP sensor when most other 4K webcams are 8MP? After all 4K is 3840 x 2160 is 8,2944,400 pixels.

The answer is simple. It uses a 50MP smart phone sensor – likely OmniVision OV50A (or Samsung GN5) that supports 2 x 2-pixel binning (effectively an AI live stream processed 12.5MP image) and HDR (combining dual video streams) as well as internal electronic image stabilisation (EIS) and cropping to the horizon (auto-tracking and zoom). It has F/1.9, dual native ISO, and native 1um pixels that bin to 2 for enhanced low-light use. It also has an all-pixel fast and accurate focus – unlike most webcams with fixed infinity focus. FOV is 85.5°.

In other words, it is not a webcam – at least as we know it. And that is a good, no, great thing.

Pan/tilt/Zoom – Exceed

Manual/App – 150/140° left or right and 90 and 70/30° up or down. As well as auto landscape, portrait, upside down and more.

Image quality – Exceed

Its 50MP binned to 12.5MP is so far ahead of most other 4K webcams that there is no real comparison. The video is clear, colourful and bright even in lower light with a noticeable absence of ‘grain’ – noise – and you have adjustable settings.

Subject auto-tracking is seamless and smooth. We tested the body part tracking, and it glued firmly to my chest.

It outputs video to the OBSBOT App in Matroska Video (MKV) stream (lossless uncompressed), which is a container file that supports unlimited picture, audio, and subtitle tracks.

We are not video experts, but the OBSBOT App is very limited as an editor. To make the most of this, you may want to investigate MKV recording and editing programs that support live streaming from webcams like the freeware OBS Studio.

App – another reason amateurs should not buy this

It is perfect if you know what you are doing. It is intimidating if you don’t, and you would benefit from floating context-sensitive tooltips explaining what the buttons do.

Rather than go into every feature, we will let the images do the talking (Windows App – Mac available).

OSC programming as well as command-level programming.

All Apps have privacy implications – the Privacy Agreement is at the end of the article. It is benign except governed by the laws of the mainland of the People’s Republic of China.

Voice and gesture commands – Pass+

I find voice control far more useful than gestures. I talk with my hands, which can result in unexpected zooming.

Hi, Tiny (Wake up Tiny 2)
Sleep (Enter sleep mode)
Track Me (Turn on Human Tracking)
Unlock Me (Turn off Human Tracking)
Zoom in Closer (Zoom to 2x default you can change to 4x)
Zoom out Further (Back to 1x)
Position One/two/three (Go to position one/two/three)

Filters – Pass+

There are extensive beauty adjustments – skin retouching, face, head and body part reshaping, and colour filter effects. All of these and a blurred background option only work using the OBSBOT Virtual Camera (because they’re rendered in software) and only at 1080p.

Mics – Pass+

Excellent stereo with good gain and clarity to about 1.5m, but AI noise cancellation (adjustable) can make voice sound harsh.

Heat – Passable

It gets toasty – up to 48° underside and 45° on the sides – possibly even more in 4K@30fps. It does not appear to affect it – it is just a shock to touch it.

Remote – Only if you have a whiteboard!

The App does more than the remote. It uses a Bluetooth USB-A dongle (can be plugged into a USB-A to USB-C adapter). There is a slight lag (imperceptible), and you can control the functions below.

AI Modes

Whiteboard – Passable

A double press of the Whiteboard button activates that mode. I did not have a whiteboard to test, but it seems to be able to focus and crop on the whiteboard.

Desk – Passable

It will turn down to focus and crop a document on the desk. We found the results adequate.

Hand tracking – Passable

It follows your left or right hand in front of a screen.

Group – Pass

Its FOV is fixed at 85.5° x 72.9, but it can zoom within the 50MP frame to fit three participants side-by-side.

CyberShack’s view – The enormous flexibility of OBSBOT Tiny 2 will be wasted on some

We have reviewed many webcams. The OBSBOT Tiny 2 blows them out of the water but at a considerable cost. If money is no object, then go for it.

If you are a creator or vlogger, then this is about where you start to look. Its 50MP sensor and AI-driven app may be just what you need for Q&D (quick and dirty) vlogging. Its MKV video stream and decent editing software will allow you to create first-rate videos.

It gets our unreserved buy recommendation as long as you have more use for it than a webcam.

OBSBOT Tiny 2 rating

Features – 99.9 – It has everything imaginable enabled via an App and a great hard-sided carry case.
Value: 90 – While expensive, there are other lesser-featured 4K webcams, often for more money (Inst360 Link and Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra)
Performance: 90 – could not fault it over the many tests. We are concerned about the heat, but it appears not to affect it.
Ease of Use: 90 if you know what you are doing. The App has so much that it is not for amateurs.
Design: 95 – Excellent quality, metal construction, and good looks, too.

Osbot Privacy Agreement

OBSBOT-User-Service-Agreement Download