REVIEW – So you’re sitting at your desk, prepping for a Zoom, tinkering with your PTZ webcam to get framed up properly, and you start thinking… What if you could control a camera like that… away from a desk, away from power, maybe even with more than one camera? Well as luck would have it, that’s what Obsbot’s Tail Air can do in conjunction with a smartphone. It’s a ticket to serious creativity and production value that far exceeds the cost of the components.
Price: $499 – Tail Air | $79 – Tail Air Smart Remote Controller | $99 – USB-C to Ethernet Adapter | Other bundles and accessories available
Where to buy: Obsbot.com and Amazon
What is it?
Tail Air is an AI-Powered 4k PTX streaming camera, complete with internal battery, remote control capabilities and even the ability to hardwire for data with a USB-C to Ethernet cable. Paired with the Obsbot Start App, this camera is an incredibly powerful tool to add to your arsenal.
What’s included?
- Tail Air PTZ Camera
- Zippered storage case
- USB-C to C cable
- USB-C to A adapter
- USB-C splitter
- Instruction cards (not shown)
Tech Specs
CAMERA
Image sensor: 1/1.8” CMOS
Pixel info: size:2.0μm*2.0μm | Effective pixels: 8.4 million | Effective pixel resolution: 3856×2176
Lens system: 8 Optical Lenses | Zoom range: 4X digital zoom
FOV (D):85° | (H):77.3°
ISO range: 100-6400 | Exposure value: ±3EV | Electronic shutter speed: 1/8000 s to the limit of frames per second
Focus: Auto Focus/Manual Focus | Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Equivalent focal length: 23mm | White balance: 2000K-10000K
Gyroscope: 6-axis Gyroscope
SHOOTING
Photo resolution: 4K, 1080P
Video resolution: 4K@30/29.97/25/24 fps | 1080 or 720@/60/59.94/50/48/30/29.97/25/24 fps
Max video storage bit rate: H264: 100Mbps, H265: 80Mbps
Video format: MJPEG, H264, H265
2-AXIS GIMBAL
Gimbal installation: Non-removable
Range: Controllable: Pan: ±150°; Tilt: -65°~32° | Mechanical: Pan: ±160°; Tilt: ±90°
Max controllable speed: 120°/s | Angle jitter: ±0.02°
AUDIO
Input: Built-in Two MEMS Microphones | 3.5mm TRS Connector (AUX) | Support MIC IN/LINE IN
Audio: Modes: Noise Reduction/Stereo Sound | Format: AAC/PCM
WiFi
Operating frequency: 2.4 G/5.8 GHz | Signal transmission range: 2.4G 140m, 5.8G 80m
Transmission power: 2.4 GHz: <18 dBm | 5.1 GHz: <15 dBm(FCC/CE/SRRC/MIC)| 5.8 GHz: <15 dBm(FCC/CE/SRRC)
CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth: Protocol: BLE 5.0 | Operation frequency range: 2.400 GHz to 2.4835 GHz) | USB 2.0
CHARGER & BATTERY
Input: 5V/2A | Charging time: 90 Minutes (Power off status)
Operating time: 154 minutes *Laboratory test environment while recording 1080p/30fps video (for reference only)
Battery: Type: Lithium Polymer(Li-po) | Capacity: 1500mAh | Energy: 11.4Wh | Voltage: 7.6V
MEMORY CARD
Type: Micro SD Card (≤512GB) exFAT (Recommended)/FAT32; U3 card (min. write speed 30MB/S) recommended.
OPERATING ENVIRONMENT
Camera working temp.: -10°C-40°C | Battery charging ambient temp.: -10°C-40°C | Battery operating ambient temp.: -10°C-40°C
DEVICE
Dimensions: 70 x 74 x 136mm | 345g
Design and features
The Tail Air takes cues from Obsbot’s other desktop cameras and hides a battery inside the main body allowing it to go where tethered cameras cannot. The LED bar provides visual feedback without needing to look away from the lens, while the 4 pinpoint LEDs on the main body provides battery level at a glance showing 25% increments.
The underside has a 1/4 20 threaded insert compatible with standard tripods and mounts.
The lens is a beauty and rests upon a built in gimbal that allows near 360º rotation along with tilt all at resolutions up to 4k.
The rear of the device is where you will find the USB-C charging port along with the power button.
The left side of the body has a Micro SD card slot and an HDMI Mini port.
The Obsbot Live App provides a live view, different canvases to swap between and the ability to pair multiple Tail Airs as well as the front or back camera from iPhone. Left below is Tail Air 1, center is Tail Air 2, and right is my rear iPhone camera, all from the Live App.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
Getting started really just comes down to plugging in the USB-C cable to charge the camera’s battery and then downloading the Obsbot Live App. From there, you’ll be up and running in no time. Additionally, the Obsbot Start App will let you dive in even deeper.
Performance
A while ago I wrote a review for a kid’s ebike. That was my first experience using the Obsbot Tail Air. I was able to easily install it onto a very sturdy tripod and set it up in the nearby high school’s outdoor basketball court area. There, I was able to use my phone to focus and lock onto my son, who was testing the bike. The Tail Air was able to track the motion without any additional action taken on my part. In this video, you can see that when action gets pretty close to the tripod, it can have a little trouble panning fast enough. Pretty impressive though.
At the time, the only available App was Obsbot Start. On initial use it feels like a phone control version of the PTZ controls you have over the web cam for your computer. A lot like the description in my opening paragraph in fact. There’s a great full screen view of what the camera sees, an on-screen joystick you can bring up for PT control and a Z slider for zoom. There’s a bunch of extra detail control over framing, presets and more to explore.
Since then the Obsbot Live App was launched. This one further captured my imagination as it lets you pair multiple Tail Air cameras in a very intuitive way and even add one of the camera’s from your phone. The canvas layouts allow you to establish side by side, picture in picture, or full screen shots with the ability to bounce between them with real-time transitions allowing for incredibly professional content that doesn’t take genius level programming to figure out. Here’s a pic of 2 Tail Airs on my kitchen table. The one on the left was set up with more of a close up view. The one on the right was zoomed out further.
In the app, I was able to set my iPhone’s rear camera as a 3rd input and then use a canvas that presented all 3 sources at once, resulting in this. You can see my iPhone in the center aimed at the Tail Air on the right. In the app you have the ability to switch to each individual feed, or show them together like this. Very cool.
The molded, zippered storage case protects the Tail Air very well as it keeps the lens pointed down at the main body. This means any kind of impact to the case does not have a direct path to the lens. There’s also enough room to store the charging cable and 2 adapters in the mesh pocket of the opposite side.
Obsbot does a great job with firmware updates and software releases, including improving the delivery and installation methods. Some of the first Obsbot products I reviewed were challenging to update from a Mac. This time around the app tells you there’s an update and allows you to install directly, making it very easy to keep things current and experience new features as they are released.
An optional Smart Remote Controller has a joystick and button array that are very similar to the PTZ control layout from their webcam apps. This makes it easy to switch between cameras, screen presets, start/stop recording and control the pan, tilt and zoom from afar or while on camera.
Additionally, the same AI that Obsbot has baked into their webcams is present here, allowing for gesture control to zoom in/out or activate tracking.
Another accessory is a USB-C to ethernet adapter should you want to have your Tail Air hardwired for a studio setup with an IP address. Could be pretty useful if you routinely need to shoot similar content in a consistent fashion.
To close out, here’s a quick video talking about a few of the features while being recorded on one of the Tail Airs.
Final thoughts
The Obsbot Tail Air is a powerful camera with a ton of features. If you’re a content creator and already know a lot about live streaming, you’ll likely be able to jump right in. For me, the learning curve was a bit steeper than I’d like and I feel like I’m barely scratching the surface on what this thing can do.
What I like about the Obsbot Tail Air
- Fantastic image quality in a robust form factory
- Battery powered PTZ camera you can take where you need to
- More than one Tail Air can be used simultaneously to switch between views
- Onboard Micro SD Card expansion
- Useful accessory ecosystem, and continual App updates
What needs to be improved?
- Some simpler “getting started with Tail Air” content could make the learning curve easier
- Some streaming options are behind additional purchases
Where to buy: Obsbot.com and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Obsbot, who did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.