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Insta360’s new webcams go the full distance in making you look good
Summary
The brand makes the shift from the outdoors to the workplace with cameras for creators as well as professionalsFrom the X-series of 360-degree cameras to the Leica-packing, GoPro-challenging Ace Pro, Insta360 has carved a niche for itself in the outdoor action/adventure camera segment. With the Link 2 ( ₹24,990) and the Link 2C ( ₹16,990), the brand makes the shift from the outdoors to the workplace, applying its AI smarts to a pair of webcams that will benefit working professionals, professional educators and live streamers alike. And boy, does Insta360 deliver—but are these impressively engineered peripherals worth the hefty price of admission?
Link 2
Insta360 launched the original Link webcam with a rather simple premise—a built-in gimbal that would use the brand’s AI-tracking chops to follow you around the room, plus high-quality optics and microphones that would change the way you look and sound on your next virtual meeting. That premise hasn’t changed—on the Link 2, you get a 2-axis gimbal that can pan and tilt the camera and mic assembly to keep you in the frame. The whole setup sits atop your monitor on a magnetically attaching mount, and there’s a standard thread on the base of the mount so you can attach it to a tripod for a better vantage point, say in a conference room. Fun fact: the magnets are strong enough to attach to any magnetic surface, so whiteboards or metal cabinetry work too.
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Setup is just a matter of plugging in the camera on your Windows/macOS system and installing the aptly named Link Controller app, which gives you granular control over image settings and filters, gimbal movements and AI tracking features, plus a whole bunch of gesture controls to turn tracking on/off (hold up your palm) or to zoom in and out (make an L shape with your thumb/forefinger). The gestures themselves take a little getting used to, so do practice them before you decide to use them on an important call!
In particular, two features really impressed in their implementation—first, the Link 2’s whiteboard modes, which automatically recognizes whiteboards and can zoom in on them, enhance the image and even perform some amount of keystone correction if the whiteboard is not directly in front of the screen.
The other is a desktop mode which lowers the camera to your desk to show what you’re writing/sketching, particularly handy if you’re an online educator and using your notebook to illustrate a point. The Link 2 is compatible with all the major video calling software like Zoom, Teams and Google Meet.
Yet, as you should expect from a web cam that costs this much, the Link 2 arrives meaning serious business, with a 0.5-inch sensor mated with a wide 26mm equivalent f/1.8 lens that can record 4K at up to 30fps with HDR support. The picture and video quality on the Link 2 is nothing short of phenomenal, and miles ahead of conventional laptop cameras and most dedicated webcams you may have tried previously. Flip side: it also highlights all the blemishes and facial features that lower quality webcams would often overlook, and more than one morning, I had to intentionally bump down the resolution to avoid having the other person seeing me in my ultra-high-definition morning glory.
What was even more impressive was how well it handled conventionally tricky conditions for web cameras, like keeping your face evenly exposed even when you have a window with strong back or quickly locking focus on you even if you are pacing the room frantically. Even in darker conditions, where some amount of noise in the image is to be expected, the Link 2 manages to track one across the room and maintain a natural looking exposure. Audio capture too checks all the boxes—it picked up my voice rather well and was able to filter out some pretty heavy background noise when set to the AI-noise-cancellation-driven Voice Focus mode.In quieter environs, you should have no issue and I even found the voice capture a bit better than the 16-inch MacBook Pro’s studio-quality three-mic array.
Link 2C
If you’re balking at the Link 2’s price point and are looking at something a little more reasonably priced, but without the fancy gimbal action, you would do well to consider the Link 2C. It looks like a Link 2, sans the gimbal, and it shares much of the same specs – the same sensor and lens - without the wider range of motion. While it limits the subject tracking capabilities – the camera is resizing and cropping from the larger image instead of physically moving around to track you – the upside is a smaller and more travel-friendly form factor.
If you’re constantly on the move, the Link 2C is a better bet, as it still does 4K/30fps like the Link 2, still supports the hand gestures to control the tracking features and keeps on par with the Link 2’s stellar video and audio capture. Interestingly, while the Link 2 automatically flips down after 10 seconds of inactivity, the Link 2C has a slide-down, easy-access shutter to block the camera lens.
Verdict
You’re getting a lot for your money with both the Link 2 and Link 2C, and that’s a common trait I’ve observed with Insta360 products. Like the old Avis slogan, Insta360 tries harder, and if you’re looking for a no-compromise webcam that does a stellar job at making you look good at your job, this is it.
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