Andy Zahn/SlashGear

RATING : 9 / 10

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If you need a camera to film or livestream yourself without the need for a human camera operator, or you need a camera which can execute precise movements, then a PTZ camera such as the Obsbot Tail 2 might be just what you’re looking for. The first thing to understand is that the Tail 2 isn’t exactly a PTZ camera, it is in fact the first PTZR camera. PTZ stands for Pan, Tilt, Zoom, but what’s new here is the R, which stands for Rotate. This means the sensor and lens inside of the housing can rotate 90 degrees to shoot vertical video. Considering the massive increase in the popularity of vertical video for platforms such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts, this capability is potentially a real gamechanger.

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For solo content creators and livestreamers, the Obsbot Tail 2 could be a highly compelling option for expanding creative capability beyond a static webcam or tripod-mounted camera. On paper, it features an impressive list of capabilities, but does that translate to equally impressive real-world performance? Obsbot provided the Tail 2 for this review.

Unlike most cameras I test, we’re starting off with the autofocus and subject tracking here because it’s arguably the most important job with which the Obsbot Tail 2 will typically be tasked. For large subjects such as humans and dogs, the tracking is remarkably sticky, not only accurately tracking subjects, but also being able to keep track of specific subjects in a crowd, and being able to recognize and reacquire a subject if it moves temporarily out of frame.

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During an hour-long recording of myself building the world’s ugliest birdhouse, the Tail 2 kept up with me as I moved around the shop, regardless of how close or far away I was, and even if I was partially obstructed. On occasion I would leave its vision, but it would snap back to following me when I reappeared. The only error that occurred here was as I was talking and making hand gestures; I accidentally made the particular gesture to cancel subject tracking. However, once I realized what had happened I merely had to gesture again to reacquire tracking.

I also filmed myself mounting the birdhouse on the sheep shed using the zoom function. I ran into a few issues, the first of which being that the camera suddenly lost tracking and looked directly downwards, before flipping upwards to gaze at the clouds. I suspect that I likely accidently bumped the remote control, which I had unwisely stuck in my pocket. The second issue was as I was being chased at full speed by our overly playful ram, Bjorn, the camera lost sight of me behind a fence at a distance, and my speed and distance prevented it from reacquiring me in my frantic escape from the sheep.

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Andy Zahn/SlashGear

The Obsbot Tail 2 seems to track humans better than other subjects, but it still did fairly good work following our two dogs as they raced around the back yard. It even does well in relatively low light indoor scenarios, and any subject it doesn’t automatically recognize can be tracked by drawing a box around it on the screen of the device you’re using to control it.

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It’s not so good at tracking smaller, quicker subjects. Birds at the feeders (including hummingbirds) gave the Tail 2 a lot of trouble, because while it would indeed track them while they were at the feeders, once they flew away the tracking broke off. It also had a difficult time autofocusing in these super telephoto scenarios featuring a small, erratic subject, resulting in a tendency to backfocus. However, these were fairly extreme scenarios, and with larger subjects, autofocus and subject tracking both worked very well.

Andy Zahn/SlashGear

Considering the high price point of the Obsbot Tail 2, it’s reasonable to expect high quality image quality, and fortunately it doesn’t disappoint. Its 1/1.5″ CMOS sensor isn’t stupendously large, but it’s paired with a quite remarkably bright f/1.8-3.0 aperture and a dual native ISO that help it deliver better image quality than you might expect, even in dark conditions. It outputs crisp 4K footage, but just be aware that if you go past the 5X optical zoom, video quality does start to degrade. With that said, I found even the farthest end of the 12X hybrid digital zoom to be more useable than I’d have expected.

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To give you an idea of what that zoom range is in real terms, on a full frame camera its optical focal length would range from 22mm to 110mm. Also, keep in mind that thanks to its small sensor, the bright aperture won’t deliver extremely out of focus backgrounds, but I was happy to discover it does offer some background separation. To put it in full frame terms, you need to multiply your aperture by 5 to find out your equivalent depth of field. That makes its brightest aperture of f/1.8 the equivalent of f/9, meaning that unless your subject is really close to the lens then there’s not really going to be much background separation. However, as stated, there is some bokeh on display, and it helps make the footage produced by the camera look that little more professional.

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With all that aside, the Obsbot Tail 2 delivers crisp, high quality 4K video that’s more than good enough for streaming and is absolutely up to the task of being implemented in many professional creative applications.

Andy Zahn/SlashGear

The Obsbot Tail 2 is one of the more solidly built cameras I’ve ever encountered. Its dense metal shell is absolutely packed to the gills with glass elements, electronic guts, and a big battery. I was able to film 4K video for more than an hour straight on a partially charged battery, and still have some left in the tank afterwards. For internal recording you’ll need a microSD card.

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Andy Zahn/SlashGear

In terms of IO and connectivity, the Tail 2 is positively bristling with ports. For power delivery you’ve got USB-C and PoE+ (Power over Ethernet). That ethernet port also offers a network interface capable of up to 1000 Mbps. A second USB-C port is available for data transfer and as one of several methods of direct control. Video can be output over USB-C, 3G-SDI, or HDMI 2.0, and for audio, you have separate 3.5mm jacks for input and output. One thing to note is that there is no onboard mic, so you will need to plug one in to record audio.

Andy Zahn/SlashGear

I tested the Tail 2 with the optional Tail Air Smart Controller, which is a much better way to control the device than through the app. Don’t get me wrong, the app for IOS and Android is well designed and quick to pair with the camera, as is the desktop application, but the tactile controls of the Smart Controller are certainly to be preferred.

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There are a few extra features I do wish were integrated into the Tail 2. The ability to operate it over the internet via the app would be awesome, and I wish there was a way to program it to film motion-timelapse videos.

Andy Zahn/SlashGear

At $1199 on Amazon, the Obsbot Tail 2 is by no means inexpensive, but then you’ve got to consider that PTZ cameras for videography can cost around $10,000 for something like the Panasonic AW-UE150AKPJ. Taking into account the fact of the Tail 2’s unique rotation capability, there’s a good argument to be made that the Tail 2 is actually a relative bargain. However, for the average person looking for a camera for their creative endeavors, $1199 is a lot to spend, so it’s all a matter of perspective.

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A few potential alternatives exist for people who want to save money and don’t need some of the more exotic functionality of the Tail 2. The DJI Pocket 3 is an absolutely fantastic, highly portable gimbal-stabilized camera with a large 1-inch sensor. It’s my go-to solution for a desktop webcam, and I use it for most of my video projects, and it costs around $600. The Insta360 Link is a very capable gimbal-mounted camera that is remarkably affordable at $200. Note that these are very limited compared to the Obsbot Tail 2, such as in their lack of zoom capability and output options.

Andy Zahn/SlashGear

Few products have made such an immediately positive impression on me as the Obsbot Tail 2. It really needs to be emphasized how quickly the quality of this device and the software behind it became apparent. It’s very obviously a professional tool, and despite some hiccups with the tracking (which may have been user error), and the lack of an internal microphone, I was extremely impressed with its performance over the course of my time testing the camera. With regard to the microphone situation, I can understand why Obsbot decided not to bother with it, as the advanced users they’re targeting are almost certainly going to use a high quality external microphone.

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For streaming or video recording applications where a static camera just won’t cut it, and where you might not be able to have the camera nearby to your filming location, the Obsbot Tail 2 is absolutely ideal. It really is like having a robotic camera operator assistant who never gets tired. It’s an invaluable tool for solo content creators.

The Obsbot Tail 2 is available from the Obsbot online store, and the Obsbot store on Amazon, for $1199.