OBSBOT Tail 2 PTZR Live Production Camera Review

OBSBOT has been a consistent force in the creator space when it comes to cameras, big and small. From their Tiny series of webcams to their latest monster, the OBSBOT Tail 2, they have been at the forefront of AI, PTZ cameras. The Tail 2 is positioning itself to be one of the most unique cameras in the market, and, when paired with more OBSBOT devices, can become the only studio you ever need.

In the box, you get the OBSBOT Tail 2, a USB-C to USB-C cable with a USB-C to USB-A adapter, a USB-C power cable and two 2.5mm male to RS232 MD8 Female serial cables. On the OBSBOT Tail 2, you’ll find a ton of I/O, including HDMI Out, SDI Out, LAN connection, 3.5mm Mic In, 3.5mm Line In, RS232 jacks, USB-C power port, USB-C port for connection to a PC and a MicroSD card slot.

When I say that this is a beefy camera, you can take that to the bank. The OBSBOT Tail 2 is a whopping 2.35 lbs (1.066kg), separating it from the webcams of the world to make this feel like a miniature studio camera that can go anywhere. It has a 1/1.5” CMOS sensor and an integrated AI chip. It has a pixel resolution of 8192×6144, providing up to 4K/60fps or 1080p/120fps photo resolution. It is capable of 5x optical zoom and 1x hybrid zoom (optical and digital)

The ways that you can use the OBSBOT Tail 2 are virtually limitless. It can be connected to your computer via HDMI, USB or NDI. It can be connected to more conventional broadcast equipment, like a switcher, via the SDI cable. It can connect to your phone via Wi-Fi. You can capture voice via the mic in, using wired or wireless mics with a receiver and add an audio mixer, instrument or whatever you want into the Line In. If you want to go huge, you can daisy chain more than 250 cameras in one setup via the RS232 input/outputs.

“The OBSBOT Tail 2’s versatility, especially for the quality of the camera, is unmatched.”

You can also keep it in the OBSBOT family by connecting this camera to the OBSBOT Talent, a multi-input studio controller/streaming device that lets you take your setup anywhere you want. The Talent will connect to the Tail two via NDI, HDMI or USB and combine it with additional cameras or other video sources like game consoles, PCs or more. The OBSBOT Tail 2’s versatility, especially for the quality of the camera, is unmatched.

To add to the versatility of the OBSBOT Tail 2, it added a letter to the PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) camera to become the first PTZR (Pan, Tilt, Zoom, Rotate) camera, able to rotate for vertical video production. You can create videos in wide or tall formats with ease. The rotate function will also keep you on a level plane if your camera tilts, which is amazing, particularly if you are in an area where you can’t level your camera with a tripod or something of the like.

With those scenarios in mind, it’s amazing that you can do everything without being tethered to a setup with a 5000 mAh battery capable of over 5.5 hours of use at 1080p/30fps. The ability to record directly to the device means that you don’t need to connect to anything to make your content. You can set your camera anywhere, capture your content and head back home to edit.

Tracking on the OBSBOT Tail 2 is better than any AI camera I’ve seen to date. It smoothly follows the subject at any speed (speeds can be controlled in the various OBSBOT apps) and the camera can identify virtually any subject, with the ability to recognize humans, more than 30 different animals and over 200 other objects, such as vehicles. A simple double click on your phone’s screen will instantly frame the shape of the subject and keep it in frame. Even when the camera loses you because you are obscured by another object or you straight up leave the room, it regains its sight on you the second you’re back in the picture.

What can be said about the quality of the OBSBOT Tail 2? It is, without a doubt, the best camera quality that I have seen for less than $2000 USD. There is nothing on my Sony A7iii with a 16mm Rokinon lens that cannot be recreated by the Tail 2, with their advanced background blur giving you a level of bokeh that you see fit and full control over the exposure of the shot.

“Tracking on the OBSBOT Tail 2 is better than any AI camera I’ve seen to date.”

It has all of OBSBOT’s filters and beauty options available in their OBSBOT Center application on your PC. You can also toggle between automatic and manual exposure, focus and white balance, all of which are great, but this is OBSBOT’s best autofocus to date. It is lightning fast, and you don’t get much of that breathing effect that you see as the autofocus tries to find its subject. The Tail 2 has a phenomenal picture, and I, frankly, would replace my Sony right now for all video production.

Connecting to your phone via the OBSBOT Start App gives you full control of the camera and the ability to record to the OBSBOT Tail 2 as well as stream to an RTMP server, Twitch, YouTube or Facebook using their incredibly simple to use UI. While it’s not as robust as OBSBOT Center, which has simple and professional UI’s that you can select between, it gives you everything you need to get to air in the field.

But now it’s time to go super professional. Let’s, for the moment, stop thinking of this as a camera you can use to stream or capture some action and think of it as one of potentially many cameras in a pro-level studio. The OBSBOT Tail 2 can become the camera of your dreams from a small studio, using professional devices like PTZ keyboards and switchers, or connecting the camera to any broadcast application you can think of. OBSBOT Center’s ability to control four devices at once means you can have one person at the helm of your entire production, framing up the shots from all four cameras (or letting the camera’s tracking take the lead on that) and switching between them.

So if the camera is for so many different use-cases, from a simple stream to a complicated broadcast, who is the OBSBOT Tail 2 not for? I could only think of one general use that a different camera would be better for, and that is when you need a camera while you are on the move. When stationary, whether indoors or outdoors, the Tail 2 is ideal, but it’s not going to replace a camera in your hands if you are walking around and vlogging, or you want to take it on board as you ride a skateboard or the like. That’s not what it’s designed for. But it’s happy to stay in one place and follow you around as you do those things, and is more than capable of doing so really well.

If you want to go to an even higher level of pro that was too high up for me to get into the weeds on, let’s talk FreeD. OBSBOT’s FreeD protocol, compatible with Unreal Engine, Blender, Maya, and so many more graphics programs, and can match the OBSBOT Tail 2’s camera movements to a virtual setting, able to navigate it as if you and the camera are inside the world and not just in front of a green screen.

The OBSBOT Tail 2’s $1199 USD price tag is nothing to sneeze at, but I cannot make an argument that this camera is too expensive for what it is and what it does. You can get a Tail 2 for less than the price of a mirrorless camera with similar capabilities with a decent lens, and if you need more than one, multiple mirrorless cameras cannot compare to the way that multiple OBSBOT cameras can be used together, not only because of the quality, but the potential for wireless connection and simple, yet complete control is unparalleled.  

Overall, the OBSBOT Tail 2 is my favourite camera that I have tested for CGM. It is the perfect camera for more scenarios than I can think of. The one thing missing from the Tail 2, though, is the inclusion of some kind of carrying case similar to what is offered for the Tail Air and even the original Tiny webcams. That aside, I want the OBSBOT Tail 2 by my side for the vast majority of my productions.

<div data-conversation-spotlight></div>