CONCLUSION

    The OBSBOT Tail Air has been the best webcam to ever arrive in the lab, up until the Tail 2 made its way here that is.  From the sensor (1/1.8" 8.4‑megapixel for the Tail Air  and 1/1.5" 50‑megapixel for the Tail 2) and its lens (8‑element lens system with 4x digital zoom, 85° wide FOV and ƒ/1.8 fixed aperture for the Tail Air and 12‑element lens system with 5x optical and 12x hybrid zoom, 89° wide to 21° tele FOV and ƒ/1.8–ƒ/3.0 variable aperture for the Tail 2) to recording capabilities (4K30 recording and 8.4MP stills for the Tail Air and 4K60 recording and 50MP stills for the Tail 2) and available connectivity (USB‑C, micro HDMI, and PoE Ethernet for the Tail Air and HDMI, SDI, USB‑C, Ethernet/IP, NDI HX, and a 3.5mm mic/line input for the Tail 2) the Tail 2 is clearly a full‑fat PTZR production camera built for creators who need optical reach, higher frame rates, and pro‑grade I/O. The Tail Air is still a very capable portable 4K PTZ option for streamers and small setups so unless you want the best (which the Tail 2 clearly is), you can't go wrong with the Tail Air. So, the Tail 2 produces excellent picture quality with a plethora of advanced features including AI, does that mean it's perfect? Honestly, almost. During the 1 month I used the Tail 2 I only encountered two small bugs which isn't a lot, not for what is probably the most advanced PTZR webcam of its kind. What were those bugs? First when switching to night recording many times the Tail 2 would just freeze and disconnect from my PC. It would eventually work but it could disconnect 2 or even 3 times before doing so (this of course should be easily resolved with a future firmware update). Second is battery life and so at 4K60 recording the Tail 2 would drain its built-in 5000mAh Lithium-Polymer battery in well under 1 and 1/2 hour. This of course isn’t an issue since you shouldn’t be using the Tail 2 solely based on its built-in battery but still, certain demanding content creators may have an issue with this. The lack of a built-in microphone is also a tiny issue for people who may not want to expand their setup by including external devices for that use (although if you’re looking for such a camera, chances is you don’t mind about that).

    With just days left before Christmas the Tail 2 by OBSBOT retails for USD1199 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 1561.98Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de – several local retailers have it for less, but they don’t offer EU wide delivery) so pricing alone makes it clear that this isn’t your typical content creation camera. Again, if you’re a single content creator that doesn’t need all the bells and whistles the Tail 2 offers then I’d suggest going for the much cheaper Tail Air model which is still a great choice for its target audience. For people however who have need of its image quality and features the Tail 2 is a one way and for that it gets the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Metal Enclosure)
- Wired & Wireless Connectivity
- Image / Video Quality (50MP CMOS Sensors / 4K60 Recording With HDR / Low Light Recording)
- 12 Elements Lens System (5XOptical / 12X Hybrid Zoom)
- PTZR Function (3 Axis Gimbal / 6 Axis Gyroscope)
- 5000mAh Rechargeable Battery (Up To 5 Hours)
- Voice & Gestures Controls
- Magnetic Base
- MicroSD Card Slot (Up To 1TB)
- Beauty Mode (Streaming)
- 3G NDI / HX Support
- Available Accessories
- PC & Smartphone Software

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- No Built In Microphone
- Built In Battery Drains Fast