The lite version of an OBSBOT camera doesn’t always have the latest and greatest hardware in the company’s series of webcams, but they never feel like a downgrade. OBSBOT usually puts a lot of work into making sure you get frequent updates from generation to generation, while still keeping a more accessible price point than its flagship model. The OBSBOT Tiny 3 Lite leans hard into this philosophy, taking small steps and giant leaps worthy of your attention.
In the box, you get the OBSBOT Tiny 3 Lite, a USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB-A adapter, and documentation. The reason that it doesn’t come with a monitor mount is that it has one built in. It’s actually why the Tiny 3 lite is larger than its flagship: 41x41x58mm and 73g. The build quality feels excellent, and the built-in monitor mount (with 1/4” threads at the bottom) holds the camera firmly in place and is a very convenient configuration, especially for a webcam you may take on the go.
The specs on the OBSBOT Tiny 3 Lite show a lot of upgrades, but a few places where they stood still. The Tiny 3 Lite has a 1/2” CMOS sensor at 48MP, the same as the Tiny 2 Lite. It has a 79.1-degree field of view, slightly smaller than the Tiny 2 Lite’s 79.4 degrees. That’s not to say that the latest model doesn’t have some tricks up its sleeve. It offers the same 3-mic setup with various audio modes (including Pure Audio, Spatial Audio, Smart Omni, Directional and Dual-Directional) as the OBSBOT Tiny 3.
The Tiny 3 series also offers high-framerate shooting, which allows you to shoot 120fps at 1080p and 720p for some good slow-motion video. At normal speed, the OBSBOT Tiny 3 Lite can deliver up to 4K/30fps video. The Tiny 3 series doesn’t offer video in an H.264 format anymore, after the Tiny 4K and Tiny 2 used it in the past. You can still shoot in MJPEG and YUV, however.
“You can really get a lot out of the OBSBOT Tiny 3 Lite without putting in a lot of effort.”
My immediate impressions of the video quality after having tested the OBSBOT Tiny 3 are that the Tiny 3 Lite definitely delivers less detail than the flagship, but also does a great job capturing even light on your face, even in the absence of a light source. The smaller sensor size is apparent, but the differences aren’t between good and bad, but between great and really good.
The sound quality of the OBSBOT Tiny 3 Lite’s mics lines up with the Tiny 3. They are head and shoulders above the mics of most other webcams, but the distance between you and the camera weakens your voice and doesn’t really provide a broadcast quality. However, it is crystal clear for Zoom calls or any kind of work meetings. It also does wonders for the new voice tracking offered on the Tiny 3 series, where the camera will find you based on where the sound is coming from.
The OBSBOT Tiny 3 Lite is also compatible with OBSBOT’s new microphone, the VOX SE. Through the OBSBOT Center app, you can connect two VOX SE transmitters to the camera to capture your subjects’ audio at a close, consistent distance, even when you’re moving around the room. This can save you the need for mixers in some content creation scenarios.
At $199 USD, the OBSBOT Tiny 3 Lite is at a competitive price with many of the popular webcams in the space. It is actually reasonably competitive with those webcams in terms of specs as well. As an example, the Tiny 3 Lite’s sensor is only a little smaller than the Elgato Facecam 4K, but it offers a full PTZ solution at the same price. Adding to that, OBSBOT is offering a trade-in on any webcam, giving $20-$40 off for older cameras, all the way up to $100 for the OBSBOT Tiny 2, taking this camera to under $100.
You can really get a lot out of the OBSBOT Tiny 3 Lite without putting in a lot of effort. The simplest settings in the app can make up so much ground on the Tiny 3 at just over half the cost, while still offering the bulk of the flagship’s newest features. It may be priced like the budget option, but to me, it may just be the first choice between the two.
