Andy Zahn/SlashGear

RATING : 9 / 10

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A PTZ camera, such as the Obsbot Tail 2, may be the perfect solution for you if you want to film yourself or livestream without the need of a human operator. Or if you need an advanced camera that can perform precise movements. The Tail 2 is not a PTZ, but a PTZR. PTZ stands as Pan, Tilt and Zoom. What’s new is the R which stands for Rotate. This means that the sensor and lens in the housing can be rotated 90 degrees to shoot video vertically. This capability could be a game changer, given the massive rise in popularity of vertical videos on platforms like TikTok or YouTube Shorts.

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The Obsbot Tail 2 is a compelling option for solo content creators or livestreamers who want to expand their creative capabilities beyond a webcam or tripod mounted camera. It has a long list of impressive capabilities on paper, but will it translate into a performance that is equally impressive in real life? Obsbot provided a Tail 2 for the review.

We’re starting with autofocus and tracking subjects, because this is arguably the most important task that the Obsbot Tail 2 has to perform. The tracking is very sticky for large subjects like humans and dogs. It can track them accurately, as well as recognize and re-acquire the subject if they move temporarily out of frame.

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The Tail 2 stayed with me for an hour as I built the ugliest birdhouse in the world, no matter how close or distant I was and even if there was some obstruction. It would follow me even when I left its view. As I was making hand gestures and talking, I accidentally made a gesture that would cancel the subject tracking. Once I realized what happened, I simply had to gesture again in order to regain tracking.

I also filmed me mounting the birdhouse onto the sheep shed, using the zoom feature. I had a few problems. The first was that the camera lost tracking and suddenly looked downwards before flipping up to look at the clouds. I believe I accidentally bumped the remote, which I had foolishly put in my pocket. The second problem was that as I was being chased by our overly playful sheep, Bjorn at full speed, the camera lost track of me behind a fence. My speed and distance prevented the camera from recapturing me in my frantic flight from the sheep.

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Andy Zahn/SlashGear

It was able to follow our two dogs around the backyard as they raced. It works well even in low-light indoor scenarios. Any subject that it doesn’t recognize automatically can be tracked on the screen using the device used to control it.

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It is not very good at tracking smaller and faster subjects. Birds at feeders (including Hummingbirds) caused the Tail 2 to have a lot trouble. While it tracked them while they were there, the tracking stopped once they flew off. In these super-telephoto scenarios with erratic, small subjects, it also had difficulty autofocusing, leading to a tendency to reverse focus. These were extreme scenarios. However, with larger subjects, both autofocus and tracking worked very well.

Andy Zahn/SlashGear

The Obsbot Tail 2 is a high-end camera, so it’s only reasonable to expect excellent image quality. Fortunately, it doesn’t disappoint. It’s 1/1.5″ CMOS isn’t huge, but it has a dual native ISO and a bright f/1.8-3.0 iris that helps it produce better image quality even in low light conditions. It produces crisp 4K footage. However, the video quality starts to suffer after 5X optical zoom. Even the farthest end 12X hybrid digital Zoom was more usable than I expected.

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For a real-world example, the optical focal length of a full-frame camera would be 22mm to 110mm. Keep in mind that due to the small sensor, you won’t get a lot of out-of-focus backgrounds. However, I was happy to find it did offer some background separation. Multiplying your aperture by five will give you the equivalent depth of field in full frame. This means that its brightest aperture, f/1.8, is equivalent to f/9. This means that unless the subject is very close to the lens there won’t be much separation between the background and the foreground. As stated, the camera does produce some bokeh, which makes the footage look more professional.

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The Obsbot Tail 2 is a robust design that’s bursting with IO

Andy Zahn/SlashGear

The Obsbot Tail 2 has one of the most solidly constructed cameras I have ever seen. Its metal shell is packed to the gills full of glass elements, electronics, and a large battery. I was able film 4K video continuously for over an hour on a partially-charged battery and still had some left. You’ll need a MicroSD card for internal recording.

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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 using the optional Tail Air Smart Controller. This is a better way to control it than the app. The desktop application and the IOS and Android apps are both well-designed and easy to pair with the camera. But the Smart Controller’s tactile controls are much more convenient.

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I would like to see a few more features integrated into the Tail 2 camera. It would be great to be able to control it via the app and to create motion-timelapse videos.

Andy Zahn/SlashGear

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The Obsbot Tail 2 costs $1199 on Amazon () but you have to remember that PTZ cameras used for videography, such as the Panasonic AW -UE150AKPJ, can cost upwards of $10,000. The Tail 2’s rotational capability is a great selling point. It’s all about perspective. For the average creative person, $1199 may seem like a lot of money.

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There are a few alternatives for those who want to save some money but don’t require the more exotic features of the Tail 2. The DJI Pocket 3 has a 1-inch sensor and is a fantastically portable, gimbal stabilized camera. It’s the desktop webcam I use for all my video projects and costs around $600. The Insta360 Link gimbal mounted camera is very capable and is available for only $200. These are limited in comparison to the Obsbot Tail 2 due to their lack of output options and zoom capabilities.

Andy Zahn/SlashGear

Few products have left me with such a positive impression as the Obsbot Tail 2 has. It is important to emphasize how quickly this device and its software became apparent. It’s a very professional tool. Despite some tracking issues (which could have been caused by user error) and the lack an internal microphone, its performance was excellent during my testing. In terms of the microphone, I can see why Obsbot didn’t bother, as advanced users are likely to use an external microphone.

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Obsbot Tail 2 works perfectly for streaming or video recording where a static cam is not enough, and you may not be able have the camera close to the filming location. It’s like having a robotic assistant camera operator who never gets tired. It’s a great tool for content creators who work alone. The Obsbot Tail 2 can be purchased from the Obsbot Online Storeand the Obsbot Store on Amazonfor $1199.