At a look

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• 4K webcam with 1080p/60Hz choices
• Extensive configurability
• Excellent 360-degree face monitoring as you progress round a room
• Manual pan and zoom
• Good mics

Cons

• No privateness shutter, only a privateness mode
• Autofocus will be barely mushy

Our Verdict

The OBSBOT Tiny PTZ 4K webcam affords an unbelievable array of premium options for an inexpensive worth, capped off by an AI-powered capability to bodily observe your face as you progress.

Price When Reviewed

$269.99

Best Prices Today: OBSBOT Tiny PTZ 4K

$239.00

$269.00

The OBSBOT Tiny 4K actually ranks among the many finest webcams you should buy, 4K or not, interval. It affords a lot: 4K video, a 60fps possibility (albeit at 1080p), and the actual magic: an automatic gimbal that bodily rotates and dips the webcam to middle your face.

It will get higher. The OBSBOT Tiny 4K (generally bought because the OBSBOT Tiny PTZ 4K) will quickly be supplemented by the Tiny 2, with a bigger sensor for improved video. That ought to assist resolve one of many Tiny 4K’s solely shortcomings: video high quality is sweet, simply not excellent. On the opposite hand, OBSBOT is discounting the Tiny PTZ 4K in anticipation of the Tiny 2’s launch, so it can save you a big chunk off of its common $269.99 MSRP.

The Tiny 4K ships in two items: a magnetic mount, and the digital camera meeting itself, packaged collectively inside a zipped carrying case that OBSBOT offers. OBSBOT additionally offers the selection between a 4.92ft/1.5m USB-C to USB-C cable, or a USB-C to USB-A cable inside the identical field. Just be sure you join the latter to a USB 3.1 port (versus USB 2.0) to make sure that the webcam has sufficient energy.

The OSBBOT Tiny 4K feels exceptionally well-designed, with touches that you just may not want but are offered anyway. The magnetic mount holds the digital camera meeting quick, with the folding “jaws” being lengthy and pronounced sufficient to deal with even thicker shows. The mount meeting even comes with a small, sticky floor that may be peeled off to affix the mount, although you in all probability gained’t want it.

Further studying: See our roundup of the best webcams to study competing merchandise.

Mark Hachman / IDG

All advised, the webcam and its mount measures 5.59 inches tall, and a couple of.28 inches vast and deep. The gimbal and separate mount weigh 0.37lbs collectively.

The Tiny 4K has unbelievable, easy configurability

This is without doubt one of the few cameras whose utility software program, downloadable from the OBSBOT web site, feels really vital. OBSBOT provides the normal picture controls: brightness, publicity, white stability, and anti-flicker controls, but additionally auto-focus and publicity controls (metered globally, or else particularly in your face).

The premium options the OBSBOT Tiny 4K consists of are additionally controllable. The actual magic of the Tiny 4K is the way it locks on and tracks your face, and this may be triggered by way of the OBSBOT Webcam utility. OBSBOT, nevertheless, goes additional: Not solely are you able to set the auto-focusing digital camera to mechanically orient itself in your face, you’ll be able to manually configure the way you seem on digital camera, too.

A “headroom” setting tilts the digital camera up a bit to create “space” above your head, if you happen to so want. You may even manually modify the automated gimbal in order that the digital camera positions your face to 1 aspect or the opposite, for captioning or graphics. (While the digital camera will observe you round a room, for a full 360 levels, you’ll be able to manually configure the gimbal 150 levels with 45 levels of tilt.) You can even set the sphere of view (86, 78, or 65 levels) and optically zoom between 1X and 4X. The Tiny 4K’s stage of configurability is just above and past most competing webcams available on the market at this time.

Mark Hachman / IDG

OBSBOT even lets you lock the digital camera in your face via gestures: holding your hand out, palm up, identifies you because the “target”. Holding your fingers within the form of an “L” zooms out and in. All of those gestures labored completely out of the field, although I discovered that I wanted to re-identify myself on one event.

There is not any privateness shutter, although the machine will enter sleep mode if not actively getting used. You can even manually push the digital camera down; when it’s pointed down it enters sleep mode, turning off the mic and digital camera. (Windows’ Sound Recorder and Camera apps confirmed this.) The digital camera tends to neglect your preferences if you happen to unplug it or shut your PC down, although it can save you them as a preset, too.

How does the OBSBOT Tiny 4K carry out?

The Tiny PTZ 4K’s face monitoring is fairly wonderful. The Tiny 4K is sluggish, however dogged; you’ll be able to actually stroll round your show and the digital camera will comply with you, albeit slowly. That’s one of many solely knocks towards this webcam, as you’ll develop used to it monitoring you as you shift about in your seat and even tempo the room. (Just beware if you happen to lean away to blow your nostril!) It’s slightly gimmicky in the truth that most of us don’t tempo the room whereas on a video name—and if you happen to do, your viewers might even see some odd angles because the digital camera tracks you.

Mark Hachman / IDG

If it loses sight of you, the Tiny 4K will search out the final identified location of your face, then swivel left and proper and up and down till it re-acquires you. A small array of LEDs on the entrance sign if all the pieces’s okay (inexperienced) and whether or not it’s acknowledged any gesture instructions you’ve made.

The OBSBOT Tiny 4K’s video high quality is fairly good, on par if barely inferior to the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra, which appears to be like about pretty much as good as any webcam delivers. About the one complaints I’ve is that the video decision is simply adjustable within the preview mode, and the HDR adjustment can’t work wonders in a backlit room. Keep in thoughts, too, that 4K decision is simply achievable in 30Hz. If you need to seize or broadcast in 60Hz, you’ll have to step all the way down to 1080p.

As you’ll be able to see within the screenshot beneath, the autofocusing might stand to enhance, too. The twin noise-cancelling mics, nevertheless, filtered out background sounds fairly successfully, although they did a greater job paired with the noise-cancelling algorithms in Zoom, for exampe.

Mark Hachman / IDG

OBSBOT has simply launched the Tiny 2, which provides a couple of new options: voice management, quicker focusing, and a bigger picture sensor, for $329. We’ll seemingly be reviewing it quickly. Still, the easy configurability of the OBSBOT Tiny 4K elevates it to top-of-the-line webcams we’ve ever seen, and a terrific product in its personal proper. We strongly suggest the Tiny PTZ 4K.