Obsbot Meet 2 Review

Introduction

I recently reviewed the Insta360 Link 2C, an affordable and gimbal-free alternative to the Link 2. Today, we’re looking at a very similar product, the Meet 2 from Obsbot. It shares most of its specifications with the company’s Tiny 2 Lite webcam, only it lacks a gimbal, and it’s cheaper as a result.

Obsbot might not have quite the same brand recognition as Insta360, but its products are second to none, and offer a very similar feature set at a slightly lower price. I’m a big fan of the Obsbot Tiny 2 Lite, so I’ve got high hopes for the Meet 2, as well.

I want to know how it compares to its pricier sibling. Is the gimbal the only difference, or were other corners cut to the price point, and crucially, is it a better buy than its main rival, the Link 2C? Let’s find out.

Design and features

• Magnetic removable mount
• Monitor and tripod mounting options
• Auto framing and optional remote control

The first thing that struck me about the Meet 2 is its size. It’s a lot smaller than I was expecting, which means it’s easy to take with you on your travels. My webcam tends to stay mounted on my monitor at home, so size isn’t a major concern, but if you need yours to be portable then this seems like a good pick.

The camera has a boxy, retro-looking design and it’s available in three different colours. You can choose between Space Grey, Cloud White and Aurora Green. 

The latter has a pale minty finish and it’s possibly the cutest webcam I have ever come across. Meanwhile, the other two options look a little more professional. I have the white version in for testing, which is a bit more subtle than the green number, but still stands out amidst an ocean of black webcams. 

Like the Link 2C, the mount isn’t built into the camera, it’s a separate piece that the camera attaches to with a magnet. The magnet isn’t quite as powerful on this one, but it’s strong enough to keep it in place. Plus, there’s a magnet on the side of the camera, so it can be mounted vertically without the need for additional accessories – a big advantage over the Link 2C.

There’s no 1/4-20 thread on the mount, but there is one on the base of the Meet 2. This means it’ll work with pretty much any tripod or photographic mount on the market, but you should pick one with a ball head, otherwise framing could prove difficult.

There’s no privacy cover built-in, and with no gimbal it can’t automatically tilt itself down either. What you do get, is a magnetic lens cap to ensure privacy when you want it. It works well enough, but I could imagine it getting lost quite easily. It’s best practice to magnetically stow it somewhere safe, like the back of the monitor mount, when it’s not in use.

The Meet 2 connects to your computer via USB. There’s a USB-C to USB-C cable included in the box, as well as a USB-C to USB-A adapter. This means you should be ready to connect to just about any computer on the market, even ultra-slim notebooks with only type-C ports.

Performance and video quality

• 1/2-inch 48MP CMOS sensor
•  26mm equivalent f/1.8 lens
• Up to 4K 30fps video recording

The Obsbot Meet 2 has essentially the same camera specifications as the Tiny 2 Lite, it’s just missing the motorised bits. Unsurprisingly, this means the image produced is almost identical, and that’s a good thing.

By default, the Meet 2 has a very natural-looking image with accurate colour reproduction and it’s not oversharpened – which is quite a rarity in the webcam market. The best part is that Obsbot software makes it super easy to tweak the image, so if you prefer more or less sharpness and vibrance, you can change it in a flash.

Comparing the camera side-by-side with the Insta360 Link 2C, I found the default look of the Meet 2 more pleasing as the lower sharpness level looks more natural. However, with some tweaking, you can get both cameras looking nearly identical. The only area where it falls behind is in dynamic range, even with the dedicated HDR mode enabled, the Link 2C is better at highlight retention. The dynamic range is still good, and you’ll only really notice a difference in severely backlit situations.

The autofocus performance is a highlight. It might not come into play very often if you’re sitting in one spot, but if you’re the type of person who holds products up to the camera, prepare to be impressed. It’s accurate, lightning quick and has a very short minimum focus distance.

The 1/2 inch sensor used in this webcam is much larger than most webcams, and this results in a relatively clean low-light image with less noise than a lot of the competition. However, while a 1/2-inch sensor is pretty big for a webcam, it’s still tiny by camera standards, so you’ll need to set your expectations accordingly.

You won’t get a DSLR-style blurry background with a camera like this, and there’s a limit to how dark you can go before the image falls apart. With that said, this is still a webcam and it’s most likely to be used at home – so just turn an extra light on if it starts looking too grainy.

The Meet 2 has dual microphones placed on the front of the device, a lot like the Tiny 2 Lite. They sound decent enough, but they can’t compare to a dedicated microphone, and the background noise cancellation features are on the basic side. If you’re looking at a webcam of this quality, you’ll get the best results by picking up a decent USB microphone too.

Software 

• Obsbot Center for Windows and MacOS
• Lots of image control options
• Artificial bokeh, beauty filters and more

The Meet 2 uses the same software as the Tiny 2, Tiny 2 Lite and the rest of the Obsbot webcam family. However, since this camera lacks a gimbal, the feature set is a little more limited.

Instead of offering gimbal-controlled subject tracking, the Meet 2 can digitally zoom into the frame and track your face, a lot like Apple’s Center Stage feature. It works well enough, but the downsides are fairly obvious. Zooming in lowers the quality of the image, and it only really makes sense if you’re standing far away from the camera, as otherwise the range of motion is too limited.

I’ve already mentioned my favourite aspect of the software, and that’s how easily you can adjust the way the image looks. There are sliders to adjust the colour temperature, contrast, saturation, sharpness and hue, as well as preset filters to give your image a more cinematic vibe.

The software also has a comprehensive suite of beauty filters, and you can slim your face, smooth your skin, add lipstick, makeup and more. It’s not really my kind of thing, but the effects can be quite convincing. I had quite a lot of fun maxing out all the settings, which can make for some hilariously cartoonish results.

There’s also a built-in artificial bokeh effect, which can be used to simulate the look of a mirrorless camera. It works better than the background blur built into apps like Zoom and Teams, but it’s still not super convincing and the subject detection is a little hit-and-miss. 

The Obsbot Centre app can even connect to Nvidia Broadcast and use its bokeh effects if you have a compatible GPU. These results are much more impressive, but the initial setup requires some tinkering. It’s easier to just use the Nvidia Broadcast app, in my opinion.

Another feature I appreciate is Obsbot’s easy integration with the Elgato Stream Deck. If you own both products, Obsbot has an official plugin that lets you take control of webcam features using your Stream Deck keys. It’s extremely handy for Twitch streamers, and while the Insta360 Link 2C can be made to work in the same way, it’s nowhere near as seamless and quick to set up.

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Should you buy it?