Technology continues to evolve and everyone is taking a stab at what AI can do for their company or product. It was only a matter of time before AI made its way into more and more consumer webcams, and the VisionMore S11 AI PTZ camera is looking to be a versatile camera, particularly with its ability to track faces and hands. I've gotten my hands on one, and it is impressive. If the price is right, it's going to be a very competitive camera.
Its features are equally impressive and overkill. It comes with a large 1/1.3" sensor (the size of the front sensor on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and slightly smaller than the iPhone 16 Pro), a much-appreciated magnetic mount, a smooth 2-axis gimbal, AI-powered chromakey, and it's all available up to 4K30 and 60 FPS available up to 1080p.
The color profile is impressive. Its default settings matched the color of my currently cluttered room thanks to a remodel, and it captured the light, wall colors, my skin color, and other random colors almost perfectly without any adjustments. Manual adjustments were extremely sensitive and hard to match with the auto adjustments, but the automatic white balance and exposure did most of the work. Even in low light, the camera did a good job maintaining exposure and keeping the image crisp without blurriness or ghosting.
The VisionMore Image Master software unlocks more of the camera's features. You can record directly from the app with your own customized overlays. I found it's a good option when you want to record a vertical video and want specific text, backgrounds, or other displays. Or maybe you want to liven up your Zoom calls with a silly customized background. For streamers that are showing other content, it doesn't have much use, but it's something to think about with specific pre-recorded options.
The S11 can track your face with AI, but the app allows you to adjust what you can track. Its basic function is made for the face. Wherever your face goes, the camera will smoothly turn thanks to the 2-axis gimbal. But you can also choose to make the camera track your hands. This is good for helicopter camera views for chefs moving their hands around while preparing a meal. You can also tell it to keep track of half your body, all of your body, or multiple bodies.
The app contains various effects that are fairly standard for most webcams at this point. You can apply a light Bokeh, and adjust image quality with your typical Brightness, Saturation, White Balance, and the like. But you can also apply an AI assisted background removal that keeps your hair intact. For my use case, it was warbly and inconsistent, but that's what happens when you have poor light and a background that looks like a construction site. But to the camera's credit, it did remove the background. It was pitch black around my body. It continued to update as I moved around, freakishly keeping up with where my hands were to blot out my wild room. Again, not an actual use case scenario, but it did its job. I needed to improve my setup for a better removal.
If that's not enough, there are Beautification effects where you can alter your appearance like it's a character creation tool. You can further enhance lighting with AI Light that brightens the scene with natural-looking light based on what the room is already producing or you can smooth and sharpen your face. But this is where it becomes overkill: You can slim your face, make your eyes bigger or move them closer or farther, you can remove bags from under your eyes or cheek lines. Maybe you want your nose longer or shorter, or perhaps you want your mouth to be higher or lower. You can narrow or enlarge your chin, or even put a subtle smile on your natural bitch face. The amount of options is silly, possibly even morally detrimental in the ongoing battle with Instagram filters, but they are there for those who'd want to use those features.
The one concern I have that I hope is fixed at some point is how hot it gets. I've never touched a camera where I felt I had to be careful. Holding it for about five seconds and I can feel it begin to sear my fingertips. I only discovered this because I wanted to adjust it on my screen and I had to move fast. And this occurs even when it's off while plugged in. I'm concerned about how well it holds up in the long run with such heat and nowhere for that heat to dissipate.
With that said, the first iteration of the VisionMore S11 looks like it's going to be a solid camera for many people. The Kickstarter, which went live recently and is nearly halfway to its goal, says the camera will be priced at $300. In comparison, the Elgato Facecam 4K is $200. It might be a price that's out of reach for some, but this feature set that's uncommon for most webcams makes it an interesting proposition.
