When I had the Obsbot Tiny 2 Lite and Obsbot Meet 2 webcams on my desk, I had a feeling that the latter would be the better choice. Both have 4K quality, which for a webcam is unnecessary for most, but Meet 2 is the cheaper and nicer of the two. However, after some time spent with both, the Tiny 2 Lite is actually my favorite, and it’s not because of its crazy AI improvements.
On under $200it’s like a astute camera that happens to support 4K video at up to 30 fps. Google Meet, Zoom, and most other conferencing features can only run at a maximum of 1080p, and even Discord only supports 4K with a Discord Nitro subscription.
This assumes that you have a connection at all to stream this type of resolution to the person on the other end of the connection, and that the recipient has a connection to receive it.
However, I can see a real utilize case if you’re a YouTube creator and want to utilize your webcam to take up a decent portion of the screen, not just the petite corner at the top. If you’re making in-your-face jokes or it’s taking up a significant portion of the screen, a 4K webcam can signal the quality to the viewer.
Tiny 2 Lite specifications
Supported resolutions: 2160p 15-30 fps, 1080p 60-15 fps, 720p 60-15 fps, 480p 30-15 fps, 360p 30-15 fps
View: G): 79.4° H): 67.2°
Transducer: 1/2 inch CMOS sensor
Connection: USB Type-C
Dimensions: 48.37 x 46.46 x 64.2 mm
Libra: 91.4 g
Price: $179 | 179 pounds
As it happens, the Tiny 2 Lite has a whole host of little features that make it even more attractive. Even if you only plan on using the Tiny 2 Lite at 1080p, at this price there are still some solid reasons to make this upgrade.
What overtook the pretty good OBSBot Meet 2 for me was its booth. Where the Meet 2 struggles to stay on top of the monitor, especially when connected via a thicker USB-C cable, this stand can be attached firmly and is robust enough to withstand the gimbal spinning almost all the way around.
Even shaking the monitor (which I generally advise against) will not free it from the robust clasp that Tiny 2 Lite has. The stand also has a thread on the bottom in case you want to place the whole thing on a tripod.
When turned off, the camera tilts down, which is a somewhat gimmicky way to ensure privacy. This is a useful feature for anyone who is cautious about the camera lenses on their devices. Plug in your webcam and join the meeting to see everything come to life. This is helped by the truly amazing automatic focus, which can almost instantly capture the field directly in front of the lens.
This works well for petite and gigantic items placed in a frame, so you don’t even have to put your hand behind the item like you’re used to in Mukbangs and makeup tutorials.
OBSBot Tiny 2 Lite autofocus tests.
When recording in 4K you can get up to 30 frames per second, but in 1080p this increases to 60 frames per second. With apps like OBS supporting a 4K video feed, this is one of the best ways to get the most out of this webcam. Either way, this half-inch CMOS sensor is a marvel for its size and delivers exact colors and colorful video images.
The microphone is also adequate, not providing the clarity of something dedicated, but enough to be heard in meetings.
From a distance the camera may have some difficulty with lithe around windows, but at close range it can handle it without any problems. However, I noticed a strange AI issue when it came to lighting and colors. You can raise your hand to let the camera automatically focus on a face, or turn this feature off.
I chose to show up at the PC Gamer office in a pink coat, and against this background I could barely capture the pale pink hue of my fingers. I had to hold it just above my shoulder for it to work. I guess the Tiny 2 Lite just doesn’t appreciate fashion when it sees it.
However, this feature, apart from making it look like you’re raising your hand to ask the teacher a question, usually works quite quickly. You can tell when it’s on because the regular green lithe next to the lens turns blue. Once it focuses on your face, you can effectively walk around the room while the petite camera with its attached gimbal follows you around. Although it may be a bit niche, the camera movement is sleek enough that it does not disorientate during a conversation.
Some other AI features are more redundant. By holding your hand in an L shape, you can force the camera to zoom in on your face. This might work for a gag in a stream or video, but the approximately two seconds it takes to register the signal will allow you to choreograph the joke. You can also do this for specific facial tutorials like makeup, but once again it’s a bit niche and sluggish to utilize on a regular basis.
You can also hold the letter L in both hands and zoom in or out to change the magnification. Unfortunately, it’s also quite sluggish, which means you’ll be better off using the app if you want a very specific approximation, and running your hand through a color too close to your skin color can be a bit fiddly. Although in a pinch it works fine.
The OBSBot software that you can utilize to get webcam updates is very solid. All features, divided into ‘console’, ‘image’ and ‘more’, fall into these three main categories. In the console, you can customize how AI tracking works, from tracking you as a person to focusing on a group or hands.
The first set of tracking targets automatically follows your face, but can be set to include your upper body, a close-up of your face, a headless photo, or, perhaps strangest of all, a video tracking your lower body. I don’t know what this would actually be for, but I’m too afraid to ask at this point.
Also in the “console” you can change the lens (in the software sense) from wide, to medium or narrow and manually adjust the gimbal. If it has lost tracking or you want to change the whole thing, you can do so here. Fortunately, given how far it can turn both left and right, you can effectively get a 360-degree view with this camera, although you can’t rotate it all the way around on one side.
“Image” allows you to adjust HDR, which unfortunately has very little effect. The view is slightly brighter on my HDR screen, but I’m unannounced to assume that individual images are the result of slight changes in lighting rather than an entirely fresh feature. However, in this section you can also change exposure, focus and adjust some image settings.
Buy if…
✅ Do you like to show energy during meetings: Not only does the gimbal allow this camera to follow you, but normal tracking is solid if you move your head or body.
✅ You will benefit from 4K video recording: I know it’s a bit obvious, but this is a 4K webcam and for Google Meet you can choose the cheaper 1080p resolution.
Don’t buy if…
❌ You don’t care about your camera following you: If you’re recording or taking calls in a relatively confined space, this webcam’s built-in gimbal will be wasted.
❌ Looking for the cheapest 4K webcam: For pure video quality for the price, you’ll be better off with OBSBot Meet 2 instead.
It’s nice to have uncomplicated access to customization options, but I found the webcam to be well suited to most environments out of the box – another great feature for streamers.
With the OBSBot Tiny 2 Lite, you’re paying for 4K video quality that will go unnoticed in most streaming or video conferencing setups, but you’re not paying much more for it when even the best webcam you can get right now (Elgato Facecam MK.2) is only a few dozen dollars cheaper.
If you need a webcam capable of recording high-quality and consistent 1080p, with the option of higher-quality video if you’re so inclined, the Tiny 2 Lite strikes a great balance between budget and performance. The gimbal stand makes it perfect for conferences (or if you just have a lot of energy in those 9 a.m. meetings), and the built-in software is intuitive and customizable.
Some of the features of this webcam may be lost on the average webcam user, but getting started is as uncomplicated as plugging it in and pointing it in the right direction. Hey, it’s so functional that you practically don’t even have to do it.
