When it comes to video content, like a lot of people, I don’t love being on camera. But over the years through podcasting and whatnot, I’ve learned to embrace it as much as I possibly can. One area that I’ve always needed to upgrade was the webcam I used. Recently, I was able to ditch my old webcam and check out the Insta360 Link 2 Pro. While I don’t claim to be a webcam expert (slaps the roof of my monitor), the Insta360 Link 2 Pro is an impressive piece of technology that should be considered if you’re on the hunt for a new webcam.
Priced at $439 RRP, the Insta360 Link 2 Pro is a high-end webcam that offers 4K recording at 30fps, AI tracking, and a built-in gimbal, so if you’re reading off the box, it sounds like a pretty feature-packed unit. Plus, it comes from a good pedigree, with Insta360 making waves in the camera market since being founded in a dorm room less than 10 years ago by Liu Jingkang.
Inside the box you’ll find everything you need to get it started, and setting it up takes less than a couple of minutes. The camera magnetises to the tracking gimbal and has a sturdy lip so that it sits snugly on your monitor without dominating the top of it – I recently bought a monitor that is wafer-thin and had no issues. It connects to your PC using the included lengthy USB-C to USB-C cable, and there’s a USB-A adaptor thrown in for those who need it.
Design-wise, the Link 2 Pro has a charcoal grey colour and a deliciously small form factor. And it feels premium too – it’s made from metal and other components that give it good weight that doesn’t make it feel cheap, like something worth $400 plus.
The camera quality is the star of the show, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given Insta360’s growing reputation. The Link 2 Pro sees the camera’s sensor receive an upgrade over the previous model, with the improved sensor allowing the camera to capture more detail. And quite frankly, the image clarity is incredibly impressive, even in low light environments (if my lamp was on), the quality exceeded my expectations.
4K capture is limited to 30fps, but the Link 2 Pro can do 1080p at 60fps if you want a higher frame rate. 4K is a nice-to-have, but you’ll seldom find yourself using it given that most popular video call software (Discord, Teams, etc.) tap out at 1080p. I did notice a slight lag when recording a video at 4K through the included software, which was a little off-putting, but the recording itself was in sync. The webcam also supports HDR and has fantastic autofocus that has a snappy response time when the camera needs to adjust.
The InstaLink software (Insta360 Link Controller) is simple to use and has plenty of tools for users to play with. Common needs like blurring or customising your background are there, and if you want to adjust image quality settings (like brightness, etc.) or turn off HDR and other options you can.
You can record video, take screenshots, and even set up a teleprompter if you need. Worth noting that if you’re planning to use any effects, you’ll need to ensure you’ve selected Insta360 Virtual Camera for your video input. Perhaps annoyingly for some, 1080p at 60fps isn’t available when used through the virtual camera.
The Link Pro 2 features AI tracking, which will come in handy if you’re someone who moves around a lot or does video calls/recordings in a group. If you’re unsure what exactly this is, essentially, the camera follows you as you move around. I’ll be honest, for the most part, I had this disabled while using it, as it wasn’t a feature I needed to utilise, and when I did have it enabled, I found it a little distracting.
The webcam responds to specific gestures to perform certain tasks, such as holding your palm in front of it to activate the AI tracking. These are likely not for everyone and can be disabled in the software, but annoyingly AI tracking would find itself enabled as I was still using gestures, but thankfully you can turn off gestures individually.
Other features include a whiteboard removal tool, and Desk Mode, which is supposed to give a bird’s-eye view of your desk. However, I found it didn’t really work as it should. And if you really want to, you can connect your phone to the webcam to use as a remote.
Most content creators will have a setup that includes a dedicated microphone, and while that’s the preferred recommendation, the built-in microphone does a good enough job to get you out of a jam or if your main use is video calls for work thanks to the Link 2 Pro software’s four different microphone settings to choose from.
Final Thoughts
It’s expensive, but the adage “You get what you pay for” feels apt when talking about the Insta360 Link 2 Pro. Of course, you can get a webcam that does the job for less (such as the Insta360 Link 2C), but if you want a webcam that gives you excellent image quality and a ton of features to play with, then this is a great option.
Review unit supplied by the manufacturer
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