Obsbot Meet 2 4K Webcam Review

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In terms of specs, the camera can record video up to 4K30 or 1080p60 with or without HDR. It has a 79-degree field of view, which is narrower than competitors like the Logitech MX Brio and Elgato FaceCam Pro (both of which max out at 90 degrees), but it’s still wide enough, comparable to the kit lenses found in mirrorless cameras and DSLRs. The field of view also just about avoids image distortion (a distortion that comes with having a wider field of view), which is nice because that’s usually a telltale sign that you’re using a webcam. I don’t mind it, but if you want to show a lot of your streaming area, this might not be the camera for you.

Obsbot is leading the way with its AI features and software. Obsbot leans heavily on AI in its cameras – I know, the most abused term of 2024 – but it’s actually used to good effect here. Within the software, you can enable smart object tracking. This isn’t unusual in itself, but with the Meet 2 you can specify the type of shot or even the part of your body you want tracked. Looking for a pulled-back view so you can present standing? There’s a toggle for that, and the shot will adjust its FOV below its maximum range to capture your upper body. Looking for a zoomed-in headshot for your face cam? It’s a button away and the camera will keep that subject centered in the frame even as you move. It can also recognize when there are multiple people in the frame and adjust whether one of them should move away.

There are also some pretty excellent photo and beauty enhancements you can apply. The best of these is adding background blur where the AI ​​engine intelligently tracks you and keeps you in focus, keeping the background blurred. It’s miles better than the built-in blurs in Zoom and Google Meet. If you look closely, you can still sometimes see where the transition is happening. But generally it’s something you have to actively look for to notice, and it’s generally very well implemented.

Like Snapchat and countless photo apps, you can also apply a variety of cosmetic filters. Skin softening, coloring, eye size, and more can all be adjusted. It’s not revolutionary or something I’d ever personally use, but I can certainly see others finding it a useful feature. When used in moderation, the improvements are quite compelling.

Elsewhere in the software, you’ll find a wide range of image controls. Simple sliders let you adjust brightness, contrast, sharpening, color temperature, and exposure compensation. You can set the focus manually or leave it on automatic. If you’re comfortable with camera settings, you can even manually adjust the ISO (100 to 6,400) and shutter speed (1/30 to 1/6,400s). There are also options to capture in portrait or landscape mode if you need vertical video.

The autofocus is one of the best available in a webcam today. It uses phase detection, similar to Sony’s mirrorless cameras, and can reliably switch between your face and something held close to the camera in seconds. It can also be set to focus on faces or apply it universally to objects in the scene, and in Face Lock mode the switch back from the object held close to the camera is almost instantaneous.

The Meet 2 also comes with a pair of omnidirectional microphones for capturing audio. They’re on the quiet side, but offer good clarity and detail. People on the other end of the line who were about two feet away reported that they could hear me very well. In test recordings in Audacity, it never approached the level of a standard desktop microphone (-12 to -9 dB when properly configured). But there was also minimal ambient noise. That’s a drawback, but they’re pretty good quality for built-in webcam microphones.

Obsbot Meet 2 – Achievements

The Obsbot Meet 2 is an overall great camera, taking great photos in most situations. With reasonably good lighting and the bokeh effect (applied lightly), it could pass for video from a mirrorless camera. That’s high praise for a webcam that costs just $130 and is as portable as it is.

When I test webcams, I start with three different lighting scenarios: well lit, normal room lighting, and low light. For the well lit scenario, I have two main lights bouncing light off the ceiling and walls, one normal floor lamp, and a third light outside the scene in the back. The “normal” scene includes a single floor lamp in the corner of the room and the light from my monitor. The low light scenario is completely dark except for the light coming from my monitor.

In good lighting, the Meet 2 shines – it’s sharp and clear. At 4K, you can see fine details in my hair and beard and my cat’s fur. The white balance, saturation, and contrast are all very good, producing an accurate image. With just a lamp, it still performs very well. This image is still accurate and doesn’t actually lose much detail at all.

If you turn all the lights off, you get the expected graininess, but it still offers a surprising amount of detail and accurate colors. The max ISO of 6400 and the ½-inch sensor ensure that it gathers enough light to still be very usable. When investigating this mode, I also noticed that the camera can’t go below 30 FPS, so the motion remains smooth as well. In the same scenario, more mainstream streaming webcams like the Logitech C922 become very blurry with any kind of movement. It’s less of an issue with modern 4K webcams, especially those with STARVIS sensors like the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultrabut they are usually considerably more expensive.

The HDR implementation is a bit more mixed. It mostly seems to just brighten the image and drop some contrast, making it appear flatter. Overall I like the image better with HDR off. Under bright lights in SDR mode, skin shine hotspots can sometimes be an issue (as with most webcams). HDR mode tends to remove these and results in a more balanced image, so it has its uses.

I mentioned it above, but it bears repeating here: the autofocus on the Meet 2 is phenomenal. It can be set to Global or Face mode, and in either setting you can still hold objects up and the camera will shift focus. The big difference is that in Global mode these focus changes are almost instantaneous, whereas Face mode attempts to linger on your face for a few seconds and is only instantaneous when you return. Crucially, the close-up detail it can deliver is excellent.

The biggest disappointment is how it integrates portrait mode. Instead of cropping the image to 9:16 like you’d expect from a social media-friendly mode, it just adds ugly black bars at the top and bottom. A letterboxed landscape is not what anyone has in mind for portrait mode.

It’s also not great with bright backlighting. In the most challenging scenario, where the sun is shining through a window behind you, the exposure drops as low as possible, leaving your face in the dark. This is a tough scenario for any webcam, but it’s an important one to avoid.

And if you want a built-in privacy shutter, you’ll have to look elsewhere. There’s a lens blocker included, but it’s a small magnetic disk that you’ll almost certainly lose over time. It’s better than nothing, but it’s certainly not an integrated shutter like the MX Brio.