Insta360Link - PTZ 4K Webcam with 1/2" Sensor, AI Tracking, Gesture Control, HDR, Noise-Canceling Microphones, Specialized Modes, Webcam for Laptop, Video Camera for Video Calls, Live Streaming

The Insta360 Link is likely the Best Webcam I’ve ever used. Though I have never used another gimbal-based camera, it is truly a quality webcam with some pretty slick features. Over the course of the past week or so, I’ve been using the Insta360 Link to record videos, and have video calls through Skype and Zoom. I also wanted to test it as a second camera angle for use during my live stream which I’ll get into as well.Upon unboxing the Link, I plugged it in using the included (maybe 3-foot long) USB-C to USB-C cable and it quickly installed the drivers and I was up and running. Unlike other cameras that I’ve used that had a shorter cable, this one seemed like the perfect length to not only use with a laptop but have enough length when using with a desktop setup located on the floor. Obviously if you needed to put the camera at a longer distance, you could pick up a cable from one of the popular manufacturers here on Amazon.First off, as I mentioned, there are a number of slick features that combine the flexibility of the gimbal-based hardware with the power of the Insta360 software. Besides the things that you would expect in a webcam like auto exposure, auto-white balance, etc, the Link offers a really novel usage of A.I. motion tracking with gesture control to enable or modify certain features.When enabled in the app, hold up your hand and the LED light on the webcam flashes from its normal Green to Blue to indicate that motion tracking is turned on. You can also do this by simply single tapping on the front of the camera base and then tap again to turn it off. I gotta say, this is a nice implementation to toggle the gesture control feature on and off.There are three modes that you can modify in the app including Normal (default), Fast and Slow. During my usage, I pretty much stuck with either Normal or Slow as I think fast could make people on the other side of your video call a little nauseous. If you think you will be moving around at a normal speed, then Normal is perfect. However, if you only plan on making small movements, use the slow setting. The camera did a great job to track and follow me, pretty much without any lag.There are two other gestures that you can use including holding your left hand up in the shape of an L to enable zoom. While holding your hand in that position, either raise or lower the “L” to zoom in or out, respectively. It works pretty well but it worked a little better when I was located 3-4 feet away from the camera vs when I had my laptop on my lap. There is also a whiteboard mode that you can enable by making the “V” gesture with your hand. I tried it and it turned on the mode but since I don’t have a whiteboard, couldn’t really test this feature.There are a few other modes that you can enable in the app including a slight downward angle which is good if you are trying to capture an image of your keyboard or something right in front of the monitor. There is also a true “overhead” view that would be incredibly handy if you had the proper setup to utilize this mode. I definitely have to play with this one more. I believe that Insta360 offers a specific extendable tripod for the camera that can be screwed into the quarter-20 thread on the bottom.Overall, the color and brightness is good and sharp, especially in a properly lit scene. If you are using a ring light or something like the Elgato Key Light, Godox ES45 or the Boling P1 Vlogger, this camera will shine and make you look fantastic. If you are using the camera in a darker environment, you may have to tweak the brightness to your liking. I had to bump it up by 6 or 7 notches in the app to get it where I was happy. Again, in a bright setting, the HDR looked great but it was a bit too dark for my taste when the lights were turned off. I think this is more of a function of HDR vs the way the camera handles it.As I mentioned, I’m also a live streamer, so I wanted to see if it would work with my current setup. I personally use a software called VMix and it did struggle a bit with the video, making it look a little jumpy. I THINK this is more of a problem with VMix since the other 2 or 3 webcam’s I’ve tried also faced the same issue. When I opened up OBS, and added the Link as a camera source, the video was smooth as normal. I’d love to see Insta360 contact VMix to see if some optimization could be done.Final Thoughts: I REALLY like this webcam and think it would make a great addition for anyone that is constantly on conference calls, especially if you tend to move around a bit. Comparing to the video in my Dell XPS 15 laptop and it truly not a fair fight. Exposure, color and the ability to enable motion tracking are all really well done.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my Logi BRIO 4k. However, the Insta360 Link is a revelation. The software is powerful and simple—I had it up and running in moments. I messed with all the settings, trying out 4k, 1080p, light and other picture settings (full disclosure: I’m an IT guy and A/V more-than-enthusiast). The magic of the Insta360 Link comes from its PQ, for sure, but really delights when you start using the tracking features. Just turn it on, and you’re on your way! The first time I held up my hand to it, it immediately recognized that signal to turn on tracking. I can walk all around my room, get up from my desk (or sit down), sit back in my chair or lean in—and the Insta360 keeps my head in the right spot at all times! I can set the PTZ speed to normal or fast speed (I chose fast). It moves smoothly, giving a very professional video presence. It also has a deskview and whiteboard features, but I have not used those yet.I use this for both Teams/Zoom on Windows (work) and FaceTime on Mac (personal). Both work equally extremely well.My only (truly, minor) nitpick was the initial firmware update. I had to download it, put the device into a drive-like mode, and copy the firmware .bin file to the drive. For me, it was no big deal, but for others that may feel intimidating. The Insta360 was working fine without the update, but as I always do I want the latest bug fixes and improvements. I am hoping that future updates will be more simple.In all, I am likely to buy another one for our living room, where we run a Mac Mini to do FaceTime on our big screen…because I don’t want to give up mine in my office! Anyone want to buy a very loved BRIO?

UPDATE: 6/23/2023I just raised my rating up from 3 stars to 5 stars.They shipped back a replacement super fast once they'd made their determination. It's running like a top. This was a fantastic customer service experience.UPDATE: 6/22/2023I just raised my rating up from one star to three! Customer Service has been taking great care of me. They're working hard to get this resolved. They are now in the process of shipping back a replacement, now. I'll update this review with 5-stars when I get the replacement, and I've verified the replacement is working correctly. But, it sure looks like my concerns that there would be aversive customer support have been met with a warm and earnest hand-holding experience. Once they got the camera things started moving a lot faster.Here's my first review from a week, ago--which I now see was not accurate to the bigger picture of Insta360 Customer Support."The customer service was kind of mixed so far. This thing of making me take a video, post it somewhere and send them a link, is unexpected, but modern. Then after that, they said they were meeting to discuss next moves for a number of days. The result: They told me to send it in. But, they told me I was sending it in so they could determine if I broke it or if it was faulty. Most companies don't act so suspicious. I didn't buy their product to be treated like a suspect in a crime against webcams-kind. I've babied this thing.About a week ago, it stopped being controllable manually or by its AI. The blue light shut down, and double tap was unresponsive.Maybe the suspicious tone has to do with exhaustion from the Great Resignation. But, since I'm here... There are somethings I like about this camera and some things I don't.LIKES:1. Customer service didn't make me pay for shipping it to them. LOVE IT.2. I like the picture. The color isn't as amazing an a7Siii with great lights. But, it still so much better than any other webcam when using great lights, and not. Much better than a Brio 4K. So, I disagree with the other one stars about picture quality. LOVE IT.3. I love the presets. I had one that made the camera look up, so that I could stand while I'm teaching. And the others were very cool too. Every pre-set is like an additional camera you don't have to buy. SO AWESOME.4. My no-shortcuts DISLIKE just turned into a liLIKE, because vMix has a workaround for the LINK no-shortcuts issue.*ISSUE: No shortcuts for the LINK pre-sets.Shortcuts are keystrokes or button taps. IF a PTZ cam has a keystrokes feature, you can easily turn those keystrokes into a button tap on a Stream Deck, or other button controller. IF you can have these shortcuts specifically for custom camera positions, instead of grabbing your mouse and navigating to the LINK's little preset bar to change position and zoom presets, you could just tap a button! Shortcuts can even be used for automated switching with a timer. Such a modern webcam, yet it forces 1990's mouse clicking on a strip of vMix presets that covers part of your monitor screen. It causes stress in high pressured recording, live streaming, and Zoom meeting/class situations. I hope they add shortcuts in a firmware update. Meanwhile.*WORKAROUND: VMIX added functionality to control the LINK in their latest version (26). One of those vMix-for-LINK options is that you can control the LINK by setting up vMix inputs of each custom camera position that has the different scenes you want with your specific PTZ positioning. Just like you can with LINK presets. Once you have these configured in vMix, you can control them with keyboard or button shortcuts (Stream Decks etc.). This means you can additionally setup hands-free automatic switching between them using vMix playlists.DISLIKES:1. Who needs a PTZ webcam that tracks you by putting your head down at the center of the picture? This wastes 50% of the picture. Why do it that way? We just need an inch above our heads). This ignores the basic small-space-above-the-head rule.2. Accidental chaos! When I wave at my students over Zoom , I accidentally make AI tracking burst into action, slamming my head to center screen and then my students/subscribers can't see what I'm doing and I have to put my stuff down and scramble for the mouse. And then mouse my way back to the pre-set controls and then click the pre-set. Then pick up my stuff and proceed. What that means is I don't get to use AI tracking. And that's just sad. It really does look like you have a camera operator. And that is through the roof cool. But, we don't get to use it because of the head position problem. This got old, fast, for my online students and I.4. If you're in AI tracking mode, and you walk around the side and behind the camera it loses it's mind and gets stuck looking behind and has to be detached and reattached so it can reset and go back to normal.If my LINK hadn't broken I would have continued working around those things without griping on Amazon, because all I want to do is keep working. But, when it broke, it halted my forward motion with my zoom and youtube stuff. Then, of course, I had to slam on the getting-my-work done brakes, to contact support and to ship it back.