Description
From the brand
Product Description
What’s the benefit of having a 3-axis gimbal on a webcam?
Insta360 Link’s 3-axis gimbal provides more stability and an ultra-wide range of motion for the camera lens to achieve diverse modes like AI tracking, whiteboard mode and uncropped 9:16 portrait livestreaming.
Which video conferencing platforms does Insta360 Link support?
Link is compatible with most major platforms, including: Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, GoToMeeting, Webex, RingCentral, BlueJeans, and Tencent Meeting. Link also supports live streaming software including OBS, PotPlayer, and XSplit.
What is AI Tracking?
Insta360 Link’s AI Tracking detects the presence of people and tracks them as they move to keep them in the frame. The position, tracking speed and frame size can be set via gestures and in the desktop Link Controller.
Can you live stream to mobile platforms with Insta360 Link?
Yes, Link supports 9:16 live streaming for mobile. To enable, first turn on “Streamer Mode” in the Link Controller, then go to your streaming platform and select 9:16 res (e.g. 1088×1920 or 736×1280). Check specific streaming platform requirements.
Can you use Insta360 Link without the Link Controller desktop software?
Insta360 Link can be used without Link Controller desktop software. However, it’s recommended to use Link Controller as it allows you to control a range of advanced settings such as image settings, mode switching, and more.
Important information
Visible screen diagonal
2″ / 6 cm
Adam –
Great Webcam with Smooth GimbalThe 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.
Victor Flores –
This does not work on tablets.I have no big complaints about this product except for one thing, you cant use is on your iPad (any model) nor Samsung tables (any model) it is strictly for those who only work, tied down to their desk and not for those who travel.My second complaint is the company service. We are still working out on the problem but they keep asking the same questions from my for like the 4th time and I have already explained to them (4x) the problem. So far. The problem is that when I was done using the camera, I went to pull out the cord from my computer port when the silver plug came off! it was stuck inside my computer port and came off from the cord it was attached to. So I contacted INSTA360 so i could get a replacement, (which lots of places do that with no problems) I get an email asking “…..May I confirm whether you find this issue while opening the package or not? If so, could send us a pic of the package you have received, and also the broken part? And pls provide purchase proof or our order No. for further confirmation.” I replied as follows: “The silver part of the plug came off the cord and was stuck in my computer port till I was able to get it out. I would show you the problem but I am unable to locate the damaged cord.” So they replied, again: “In order to make sure that we are on the same page, do you mean that the cord cannot work normally with the camera? May I know if you have tested the camera and the cable with another camera or tried to insert it into another USB port of your Pc? It will be highly appreciated if you can provide us with a video about your testing process so that we can further help you. My reply was: “It appears that you don’t trust me when I say that the part of the power cord that plugs into the computer some how broke off and was stuck in my computer till I was able to pull it out. I can not show you the damaged cord because I throw it away thinking there would be no problems from Insta360 replacing the cord but I see, I was wrong. Never mind, I will just purchase a new cord. From Best Buy. Which they replied, again: “I understand how frustrating it can be and will try my best to help you. We asked for the above information in order to understand the details of the problem to provide a better solutionCould you kindly also provide the Amazon order No and purchase link?” Which I already sent them and I am waiting for their reply which is now 2 weeks sine this started. Is it I that is misunderstanding therm?
Bruce Searl –
Wow. Finally a Web Cam That I LOVE!As a professional photographer, I’m used to images coming off of $3K camera bodies with $1000+ lenses. I don’t expect a little web cam to match that, but I’ve always felt like there was no reason why they couldn’t at least try. Most have fuzzy, low contrast, poor color balance and badly focused, overly compressed, soft images that constantly disappoint.Not the Insta360 Link. It’s trying to kick-in the door of the streaming with large sensor DLSR cameras ball game – and it’s more than splintered a few boards.You can read what everyone else is saying about this great feature or that one, how some work great or need improvement. Nothing is perfect. But this little gem is the least less then perfect web cam I’ve ever run accross so I’m just going to two main questions:How does the insta360 Link compare to one of the current “best” web cams, Elgato Facecam and to a much more expensive dedicated DLSR / Lens / Capture device setup?Simple – It’s better in every way to the first and good enough (and far simpler and more flexible) in most cases for the second.Mainly… image quality is very good. not as good as my Nikon Z7 with f/1.8 S glass ($4000) and not as good in low light… but I don’t need that for game streaming or even 90% of the professional stream situations if I have good lighting to keep things within it’s capabilities.Anyone could use this camera to create a pro looking stream or training/sales/courses/promos or web shows. With just some good lighting and a little tweaking, only professionals would ever notice that it’s not as good as a setup costing 10-20x or 50x’s as much! It’s that good.In low light, it blows the Facecam away (which really blew everything else in the web cam world away just last year!Much less sensor noise at higher ISO’s and lower noise in the dark shadows in low light too. Much more color accurate image and pretty decent dynamic range. You don’t have to fuss with it much, you can if you want to (including photoshop like curves and LUTs), but it just looks really nice from the get go.The Insta360 Link is not just trying to get into the ball park of professional quality video for streaming, it’s standing on the home plate looking and pointing to the left field fence!Great little camera. Better than everything else. Home Run!
Cassidy –
Amazing quality webcam crippled by bad softwareI got this camera because I spent a full half of my day in virtual meetings some days.The hardware is amazing, and picture quality is far better than anything else out there at the time of this review short of hooking a professional camera to your computer.The only 2 real cons are 1. The price and 2. The software is badly thought out and buggy.Software (the biggest one for sure):my monitor is a bit high up and far away from me, so I have to zoom my camera in a little for it to be framed nicely. But this webcam won’t remember your settings like every other webcam I have ever used will. Meaning you zoom it in and get it setup right, and as soon as you stop using it for a few minutes, then go to do your next meeting the camera turns on and all your settings are wiped out… no zoom, no tracking, nothing.I spoke to customer service and no, this isn’t a bug, that’s how the software is intended to be… I put in a request for a basic feature like that to be added.I tried their auto zoom feature to see if that would help, and it does zoom in perfectly, but has some serious bugs that make it zoom in and out and in and out all the time. I spoke to customer service about this and provided a video clip to show them the issue upon request. I’m hoping this gets fixed soon as it seems to be a common bug.It seems that the only real workaround is to keep their software open 24/7 and setup a preset for how I want the camera to be, and I literally have to go to the software and click the preset every single time I want to use the camera. This can be dozens of times per day…So overall it’s an amazing webcam with the best quality picture on the market. I just hope they can get the software sorted out soon, currently it’s half baked at best.
klutzak –
Awesome hardware; software needs work. Expensive!The insta360 Link far surpasses all my logitech cams in functionality and image quality.I made my purchase after reading many reviews online and I can say it definitely lives up to the (sometimes sponsored) hype. I haven’t compared it personally, but I watched enough video reviews to reach the consensus that it is far superior to the similarly functioning Osbot; although its also twice as expensive…FUNCTIONALITY:the Insta360 allows you to control its PTZ features, either in the app or using hand gestures; or automatically based on your movement. It tracks you really fast and the gimball makes it very smooth. You can adjust the speed at which it moves. If you’ve used other webcams or security cams with similar features, this will blow that experience out of the water.IMAGE QUALITY:The surprisingly large image sensor, quality optics and AI insures that the image quality is pretty amazing.The default settings appeared kind of dark in my setup, but not with any of the typical low-light distortions of other cams.And the app allows you to adjust the image Exposure (with compensation in Auto mode), white balance, and all the usual image adjustments: Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, and Sharpness.The auto focus is ridiculously fast and smooth to the point where I don’t really notice it happening.The AI does a good job and keeping the image consistent and I find I don’t have to constantly adjust it even if I have most settings on Auto mode and I change my shirt color or the amount of light on me fluctuates. My other webcams struggle a bit with that.Prior to this, I had been using an older Google pixel 4a I bought second hand as my webcam… which STILL provides better image quality than any USB webcam – when combined with a mobile and desktop app combo like CAMO STUDIO.However, the Insta360 comes pretty close. And its PZT functions make it a much more versatile solution for multi-cam streaming setups.FIRMWARE/SOFTWARE:Here is the one place where the Insta360 could use some improvement and the reason I deducted a star from my rating.The app DOES provide a fantastic user experience for setting the PZT – allowing you to drag directly on the image to reposition. And the image adjustments are easy to set up, and precise to control.But it is a little frustrating that there is no way to SAVE multiple image adjustment settings… and the ability to save ONE setting is a little strange in that it is a toggle and its not clear how it works.Oddly, You CAN save multiple PZT settings, which makes the software design seem inconsistent.And when it powers up, The cam DOES remember the last image settings; but it doesn’t automatically return to the last (or any saved) PZT settings, so you have to go into the app to re-select it.So overall the app seems a little unfinished.So in summary:The best solution for a fixed webcam experience is still a relatively recent mobile phone (google pixe, iPhone, or Galaxy?) and a software app such as CAMO STUDIO. This may be a more economical proposition too, if you have an old phone or don’t mind using your current one.But when it comes to the functionality and image quality provided by the Insta360 Link, you can’t find a better out of the box webcam solution, in my opinion.Hopefully, at some point the Insta360 Link software will become as functional as the CAMO STUDIO app. Until then, it seems a little half-baked.In any case; you have to decide if the additional functionality and convenience of the Insta360 is worth the steep price tag. (Currently ~$300.)
VRW –
Amazing little webcamI recently upgraded to the latest insta360 Link camera and I couldn’t be happier with it. The color quality is fantastic and the noise level has been greatly reduced. The AI focus feature is a game-changer, keeping me perfectly framed in every shot. Although the price point is high, I believe it is worth the investment. During a recent video call for work, my colleagues were impressed with the camera angle and the overall quality, with one even commenting that I looked like a tech YouTube streamer. I was hesitant to switch to a DSLR due to the added complexity, but the Insta360 Link is truly plug-and-play. The accompanying software is user-friendly and works seamlessly. I have heard concerns about the company collecting data, but they assure that they do not sell it to third parties. Overall, I highly recommend the Insta360 Link camera.
Raymond Strazdas –
The Best Webcam I’ve Used!The Link is easily the best webcam I’ve used! I’ve never been a big fan of external webcams since they typically don’t have very good image quality. Working from home though, I kind of needed to look into them and pick one up. I was hearing a lot of good things about the Insta360 Link and decided to give it a try. To keep this review short and sweet, I’m a big fan!The Link is unique, easy to setup and use, the AI tracking is precise and the image quality is crisp. I would say the image quality is borderline DSLR/mirrorless camera quality in the right lighting. It is gorgeous! The camera also works great with Zoom, Teams, OBS and basically any platform you would use. Insta360 offers a Link Controller app for Mac/PC that can be used to control the gimbal, adjust resolution, colors and all of that. Insta360 offers the total package with the Link.If you’re looking for a new webcam, this is an excellent option. It’s an easy to use, plug and play webcam that’s rich with features and excellent image quality!
VaultBoyIsBack –
Absolutely phenomenal!TL;DR: 5/5 Would recommend to anyone looking to up their video quality, and have superior AI features at a VERY good price point!The insta360 Link 4k Webcam isn’t ‘one’ of the best webcams I’ve used, it IS the best webcam I’ve used. With features like AI facial tracking, the rotating gimbal mount, and up to 4k 30fps, for this price bracket is a steal for talking-head videos, YouTube videos, webinars, streaming, or anything else you could put your mind to. I use this with OBS Studio and Nvidia Broadcast. The light levels are great when detecting low-light situations, and when presented with both bright lights and dark shadows in the same shot, somehow manages to do just fine and keep the phenomenal quality.
JT –
WOW!!! Listen, I don’t Write Reviews Often, but Wow!I really don’t write reviews often. I’ve owned a lot of webcams and I’m producing professional videos for my business, and this is right up there with DSLR/mirrorless cameras for a fraction of the cost. It’s about time someone started focusing more on enhancing web cam technology. The automatic zoom and AI tracking features are amazing – really gives the look/feel of being in a Hollywood studio as if someone is standing behind the camera following you around while you talk. It’s insane how awesome this thing is. Listen to me very closely – if you are on the fence about this, don’t be. Just get it, you will not be disappointed. The 4K video quality is outstanding and I have zero lag/delay issues in OBS or Streamyard. I purchased both the Logitech Brio 4K and the Elgato Facecam, and Insta360 Link 4K – and sent back the Logi and Elgato without even opening the boxes. This thing is insane. I’ll never use another brand or type of webcam again besides the Insta360. They nailed it.
Noel Carboni –
Good image quality, low noise, works w/o extra software, gesture control is touchy but workableThis camera plugged in to my system’s USB-C port and just worked without any trouble with Skype and Teams on Windows 10. I didn’t need any software installation at all, which I actually prefer. More features may well be available with extra software installed but I prefer to keep my PC lean and maximize resources for my work.It recognizes gestures such as the hand “L”, but doesn’t always zoom in or out reliably when I move my hand up and down. That being said, through persistence I’ve always been able to get it to zoom to the level I want.All in all image crispness is way up as compared to the Logitech C930 I replaced and noise, even when lit only by monitors, is pretty low. People also tell me my sound quality is a bit more clear as well.