The Insta360 Link packs a half-inch sensor and HDR, plus gesture control and artificial intelligence
(Image credit: Insta360)
Insta360, the company best known for producing action cameras with a 360-degree view, has revealed its first webcam. Called the Link, what instantly sets this webcam apart from any other is how it employs a three-axis motorized gimbal to keep its 4K, 30fps camera stable, while panning and zooming to keep you in frame.
Intended for educators, streamers, and those who want to look their very best in the weekly Zoom meeting, the Insta360 Link operates much like the camera of a drone, employing a gimbal to always stay level. But, because your computer monitor is unlikely to shake about while on conference calls, the gimbal also works as a way to pan and tilt to keep you in frame.
While other webcams zoom in so pan from one side of their field-of-view to the other, the Link can rotate by more than 180 degrees, while also tilting vertically and horizontally by 90 degrees. Using artificial intelligence and object tracking, the camera moves to keep the subject (in other words, you) neatly in frame. It can then zoom in if you move away from the camera.
Read our Insta360 Link review to see what we think of this amazing little camera. We were sent a sample ahead of the launch to try it out.
There is also a manual zoom function, up to 4x, which is controlled with hand gestures. Hold your hand up with your thumb and index finger making an L shape to get the Link’s attention, then move your hand upwards to zoom in, or down to zoom out. AI-powered tracking is switched on or off by holding up a hand with the palm facing the camera.
Insta360 has also given the Link a portrait mode, where the camera rotates 90 degrees for an uncropped 9:16 view, perfect for streaming to the tall and narrow display of a smartphone. Another mode is called Overhead, where the camera faces down to focus on your desk or keyboard in a top-down shot, and there’s Whiteboard mode to enhance a designated area in your recording environment to give students or call participants a better view.
An integrated tripod screw hole means the Link can be mounted in a variety of ways to help content creators and YouTube get the right shot, while there’s also a standard monitor mount for gripping the top of your display.
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There’s no privacy lens cover, but instead the camera points directly down, at its own gimbal, when inactive for 10 seconds, then lifts up and focuses on your face when summoned upon. Insta360 says the Link is fully compatible with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype and Google Meet, and works on Windows and macOS. It can also be fine-tuned using the free Link Controller app.
The Insta360 Link is priced at $300/£309/AU$569 and is available to pre-order now.
Alistair has been a journalist since 2011 and used to be Deputy Technology Editor at IBTimes in London. His specialist tech subjects include smart home gadgets, phones, wearables, tablets and dashcams. He is the host of The AutoChat Podcast.
