Insta360’s Link 2 Pro webcams add a larger sensor, smarter tracking, and real production flexibility, pushing webcams closer than ever to camera territory.
Insta360 is on a bit of a roll at the moment, with the successful release last year of the Ace Pro 2, X5, and X4 Air 360 cameras, as well as a new Anti Gravity A1 360 drone system. There was also the release of the Link 2 web cameras, which introduced a new level of image quality and intelligent tracking to an often neglected market.
Now, the company has introduced two new web cameras, adding the “Pro” moniker to the line with the Link 2 Pro and Link 2C Pro. Just like the standard Link 2 cameras, the new pro models are available in two forms. One with a two axis gimbal to allow realtime tracking of individuals and groups, and a non-motorized model for those who don’t require advanced tracking abilities.
The new Link 2 Pro cameras are at first glance almost indistinguishable from the standard models. The only detail that sets them apart visually is a gold colour surround around the lens. As with all Insta360 products, the build quality is top-notch, with the main body being of all-metal construction. These are high quality feeling devices.
The top of both cameras features a large microphone housing that can be set to record in different environments. For example, you can record all the original sound, isolate voices in noisy environments such as cafes.
The build quality is extremely solid, with a very premium feel in the hand. The cameras are mounted to your laptop by way of a magnetic base that hooks over the top of the computer screen. The base can have its tilt angle easily adjusted, and it can even be attached to a tripod by way of the built in 1/4” screw thread.
Setting the Link 2 Pro cameras up is an absolute doddle. Insta360 supplies its Link Controller desktop software, which gives you full control over every aspect of the cameras. For the Link 2 Pro, you can control the gimbal position, as well as define limits on how far the camera will pan and tilt during tracking, just in case there are parts of your room you want to keep private.
For both cameras, you can set their resolution and define each aspect of the image setup, from exposure and saturation through to more in-depth settings such as sharpness. In found that dialling the sharpness down to around 25% gave a good balance between a natural look and not becoming too soft. Your final settings can be saved as a custom preset.
The cameras also support various effects and filters. For example, there’s a “natural bokeh” effect, which defocuses the background in a much more natural way than the OTT effect you will be used to seeing in the likes of Microsoft Teams. The Link 2 Pro cameras do in fact produce their own shallow depth of field look due to the 1/1.3 sensor size, but the natural bokeh effect can enhance it, with full control over how much is applied.
You can replace your background. This can be done with any of the pre-supplied images, or you can use a green screen and fully customise things.
Resolution and frame rate wise, both cameras support resolutions as low as 360/30p up to 4K/30p. 24p and 25p are also supported.
Once the camera is set up, you can either use the Link Controller software to record a video locally, or you can quit and the camera will stay in that current setup ready for use in your favorite conferencing or video chat app.
One thing to note is that with the effects applied, you’ll need to choose “Insta360 Link 2 Pro Virtual Camera” from your camera list, otherwise any effects you have chosen such as natural bokeh won’t be shown.
The Link 2C Pro, the model that doesn’t feature a gimbal, can also perform a limited amount of subject tracking within the sensor frame. It achieves this by digitally zooming in slightly, and then reframing the image as you move around. It’s a neat effect, though I do wish there was some gradual easing of the movement rather than suddenly starting and stopping, so that it could be made to look a bit more natural and gimbal-like.
Lastly, the Controller software can also be asked to produce an AI summary of any presentation that you give.
Something else to note is that the Link 2 Pro cameras are fully compatible with the Elgato Streamdeck system. So, you can have full control over multiple cameras. You can also control them via your mobile phone.
The picture quality from the Link 2 Pro cameras is certainly a step up from the usual webcam. The fact that they support a dual base ISO along with a 2.4 micrometer pixel pitch means that even in the dingiest light, they produce a high quality image that any camera built into the average laptop would find nearly impossible to achieve. For reference, the light capture area of the Link 2 Pro cameras is 2.23 times that of the standard Link 2 devices.
In good light, the quality of the image is exceptionally pleasing to the eye when set up to taste. The only issue I’ve found is that occasionally, possibly due to the processing required for some of the effects, there can be the occasional stuttering. This also afflicted the standard camera models and can be due to a limitation of computational resources. Although having said that, even though my M1 Max MacBook Pro is a few years old now, it should still be more than powerful enough to handle such things with ease, yet the fan does seem to kick in when I’m running the Controller software. So maybe it’s something Insta360 can improve upon with future software updates.
The HDR option also appears to function nicely, coping with harsh, contrasty light in a natural looking way.
The camera’s phase detect autofocus system works very quickly and accurately, and can quickly hone in on objects that are being held very close to the camera lens.
Audio wise, the built in microphone does a good job of filtering out unwanted noise. Things can occasionally sound a little bit metallic, but it’s certainly a lot better than the mic you might have built into your laptop. One thing I did find with the current software however, was that when I set the microphone to “Original” sound quality, there was still noise reduction being applied. So hopefully that’s a bug that will get squashed soon. You can, of course, use any other microphone you prefer.
Both cameras support gesture control. For example, holding up your palm tells the cameras to enter tracking mode. There are also gestures for zooming in and to focus on a whiteboard. In practice, the cameras seem to home in on and recognise the gestures quickly and accurately.
Such functionality makes the Link 2 Pro cameras very easy to manage and control if you’re located a distance away from them.
The Link 2 Pro cameras can be thought of as much more than just webcams. They can be used to record local presentations and videos rather than needing to setup a dedicated and bulky mirrorless camera as much as they can be used as a conferencing and streaming device.
They have been well thought out, with the ability to expand out their capabilities with products such as the Elgato Streamdeck and Insta360’s Wave speakerphone, which allows the Link 2 Pro to automatically detect and pan between multiple speakers.
The image quality, even in low light, is commendable. The ease of setup also means that these are cameras that anybody can use, even if they aren’t fully tech savvy. If you want to step up and make your conferencing look more professional, or you need a camera you can use very quickly to record segments to, the Link 2 Pro series is certainly worth your time to look at.
The gimbal-based Link 2 Pro is available now from the Insta360 store for $249, while the non-gimbal Link 2C Pro costs $199.