Obsbot's new studio-ready PTZ camera the Tail 2 is stacked brings the company's popular AI tracking tech into a 4K broadcast-capable environment, and goes further than before. It could mean that camera operators become entirely optional – even for the main camera. Atop all that it has another trick up its sleeve – rotation!
The New Tail 2 is stacked with the features you'd expect from any serious PTZ camera – NDI, RTMP, HDMI etc, – but Obsbot can call it a "World's First PTZR" (The R is for rotation, because Obsbot's gimbal is capable of working vertically).
Like Obsbot's impressive webcam-sized gimbal cameras with tracking, like the Tiny 2 which nearly knocked my socks off in review, this device boasts straightforward AI subject tracking, but on every level the specs are bumped up.
The new AI Tracking 2.0 system can still follow simple hand gestures from subjects, or remote control on app or a remote device like the Obsbot Talent. The AI can recognise over 30 animals and over 200 objects, and track zonally, frame specific things like faces and keep a group in frame at once like the dancers illustrated. If the person speaking turns to look at another the camera will frame them both automatically.
The camera boasts all-pixel phase detection AF on its 1/1.5-inch image sensor, which Obsbot say makes it fast enough to keep up with fast-moving sports like tennis. The chip also boasts dual native ISO, meaning low light should prove less of a challenge than with other camera systems.
The 12-element lens means that, up to 5x zoom, all zoom falls onto 2 nano-meter pixels, though there is the option of hybrid up to 12x zoom too, and this appears smooth and continuous from Obsbot's demos.
As well as high-end broadcast compatibility with integrated NDI HX3, the camera is equipped with the FreeD protocol which means it's able to fit seamlessly into 3D production environments and mo-cap, and Obsbot promise the built-in image stabilization system will benefit creators from virtual studios to games designers.
Connectivity is at a professional level too. The 4K 60fps capable camera boasts a HDMI 2.0 port, Ethernet, 3G-SDI, Ethernet/PoE, USB 3, Mic, Line, RS-232 in and out and a Micro SD Slot for storage. Power, too, is via a USB-C-shaped socket for convenience on the road.
The camera can operate from a 5000mAh battery to provide up to 5 hours of shooting and live-streaming using Wi-Fi 6 at up to 1200Mbps (the more common Wi-Fi 5 is 867 Mbps).
I look forward to confirming whether the camera lives up to the expectations these specs set when my review model arrives soon. The Obsbot Tail 2 comes in at $1,199 / £999 / AU$1,985 (a cheaper alternative that still has NDI capability exists in the earlier Tail Air which is more targeted at streaming).
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Read our guide to the best PTZ cameras (and, if this lives up to expectations expect to find this device in that guide soon).
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