When the world moved into a “work from home” style of life, a lot of people needed something to help fulfill their constant meetings throughout the day. You know. Those where half the time they aren’t even listening and are just scrolling their phones because the entire meeting doesn’t involve their team. Yes, I’m talking about webcams.
At the time, I needed one too, and with my “luck” wound up with a Logitech C920. While it worked, it wasn’t great. So when the fine folks over at OBSBot sent over their Meet 2 camera, I was pretty happy to make the swap over. Especially now that I have to put pants on every Monday night to help host a “podcast”.
Join in as I talk about my experience with the OBSBot Meet 2, and whether the change was worth it. While they did send the camera over, OBSBot isn’t seeing this article before it’s published, so you’re getting my thoughts too.
OBSBot Meet 2: Specs
When it comes to the specs, I’m not a camera guy. But what was important to me in the specs, might also be important to you.
Sizing wise though, I can toss that here:
45x36x22.2mm all while weighing a paltry, 40.5 grams
By comparison that’s less than half the way of a Playdate at 87 grams. But why are you picking up your webcam this much?
The important bits include support for 4K at 30fps as well as 1080p at 60fps. Their website and software list a 4x digital zoom, and their supported field of view reaches out to 79.4 degrees. For those of you who really know what numbers and words mean, the Meet 2 also features a ½” CMOS and an f/1.8 aperture, which in general has helped to improve video quality in more dimly lit environments.
Some of the other things worth talking about mostly come from the connectivity options. USB-C on the back makes it plug-and-play. The magnetic mount is great for monitors, while the tripod mount on the bottom makes it useful for mounting and recording something like an unboxing video for some bright red metallic handheld.
While the hardware makes this camera a solid improvement for me, the software is another thing that I think is worth talking about.
OBSBot Meet 2: Software
The OBSbot Center is a small piece of software that helps provide a number of tools for recording and framing your shots. There are your basic tools like FOV switchers and settings for the microphone. But there are also tools for adjusting the image itself, from saturation and contrast to the temperature of your shot (if you turn off auto), and how you want the autofocus mode to work. I ended up upping the saturation just slightly as I felt the camera’s image was just a little flat for me.
As for other things in the software, OBSBot as well as 97% of other tech companies are pushing for things in “AI”. And in the Meet 2, that’s Auto Framing. Which, what it does is simply adjust your camera to keep your ugly mug in frame the entire time. As someone who sits alone in a living room with a static background and static seating position, it hasn’t been the most useful thing for me.
I can see how it would work well in a group setting, or where your head is moving. Also, I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of AI marketing. This one is just really solid facial recognition, and it’s a solid tool.
OBSBot Meet 2: Video Quality
Here’s the important part of the entire webcam, the video quality. If you’ve watched the latest episode of the RH Podcast, or you’ve seen me unbox something red and shiny, you’ve seen the OBSBot Meet 2 at work. As mentioned before it’s a little flat out of the box, but nothing a slight saturation bump couldn’t fix.
The first time I used it for recording an unboxing I had to mess with the autofocus, but eventually I worked out the kinks. One thing to note though, the Meet 2 does get pretty warm when recording, especially at 4k. And while that might sound concerning, I did have to ask myself one question. How often am I really grabbing my webcam after a meeting or recording? Not too much.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to the Meet 2, I think it’s a fine upgrade over something like a Logitech C920. It’s plug-and-play, and its quality is actually quite nice coming from a guy who simply knows. “Looks Good” or “Looks Terrible, Fix your Stuff”.
At $129, that feels like a high price for a webcam, but then I remind myself Logitech’s Brio Pro X is $169, and Razer’s Kiyo Pro Ultra is $299. With that kind of pricing difference in mind, I think I’ll stay content with the Meet 2, and I think you’d be content too. Maybe. Do you really need a webcam though?
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