A little over a year ago, Insta360 unveiled the Link 2 and 2C web cameras. Now the company is introducing “Pro” models for each, which pack larger 1/1.3” sensors – that’s a massive upgrade over the 1/2” sensors of the non-Pro models.
Insta360 Link 2 Pro (left) and Link 2C Pro (right)
Here’s a quick introduction. The Insta360 Link 2 Pro uses a gimbal that can track you as you move around the room. The camera can optionally be paired with the Wave Speakerphone for conference calls.
The camera has an 84° lens (f/1.9) and you can use the Insta360 app to define a Tracking Area – this allows you to reserve part of the room as a sort of “backstage”. Another option is the Pause Tracking Area – while you are inside that zone, the gimbal will hold steady.
The new 1/1.3” sensor is a lot larger with 2.23x the light-sensitive area of the regular Link 2. There is Dual Native ISO with HDR to handle tricky lighting conditions.
The sensor features “2.4µm equivalent pixels”, which we suspect is due to binning. It also offers 4x in-sensor zoom and PDAF. It offers real-time bokeh mode.
The Insta360 Link 2C Pro is almost the same thing, just without the gimbal. Instead, it uses the in-sensor zoom to crop in from its 84°/24mm lens. The crop is intelligent and will “zoom out” if another person joins you. The 2C model also has a physical shutter that closes over the lens for privacy.
Both models support 4K @ 30fps and 1080p @ 60fps (though note that bokeh mode doesn’t work above 1080p @ 30fps). There are two microphones on board with four pickup modes depending on what you are doing. There’s AI noise reduction as well.
You can find the new cameras on Insta360’s online store. Naturally, they cost more than the original Link 2 pair. The Insta360 Link 2 Pro is $250/€270, while the Link 2C Pro is $200/€220. For comparison, the original Link 2 was $200/€230 and the 2C was $150/€170.
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