Hollyland Astra P1 PTZ Camera Announced – UHD 4K60, 30x Optical Zoom, AI Auto Tracking, and More

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by Johnnie BehiriJune 15^th, 2026

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Hollyland has stepped into the dedicated PTZ market with the Astra P1, a UHD 4K60 pan-tilt-zoom camera built around a 1/1.8-inch 8.42MP sensor, a 30x optical zoom, AI presenter and zone tracking, and an NDI HX3 license included at no extra cost. Priced at $1,999 and aimed squarely at houses of worship, lecture halls, and live event spaces, it is the company’s most serious attempt yet to move beyond wireless transmission and microphones into broadcast-grade fixed cameras.

Hollyland is a name most filmmakers associate with wireless video systems like the Mars 4K and Pyro series, wireless microphones such as the LARK range, and Solidcom intercoms. The Astra P1 marks a clear pivot toward the live-production and integration market, where pan-tilt-zoom cameras handle unattended, repeatable coverage of stages, pulpits, and podiums. It is a crowded category, with established players from Sony, Canon, and other PTZ specialists, so the question for our readers is whether Hollyland’s first proper PTZ brings enough to the table to justify a look.

Who the Astra P1 is for

The positioning is unambiguous. Hollyland describes the Astra P1 as a solution for churches, auditoriums, conference halls, and live events, the same venues that have driven most PTZ adoption over the past decade. These are environments where a single operator (or no operator at all) needs reliable, automated coverage of a presenter who moves around a large space, often under mixed or difficult lighting. The 30x optical reach, AI tracking, and remote web control all speak directly to that use case, as does the PoE+ single-cable installation that integrators tend to prioritize.

Sensor and imaging

At the core sits a 1/1.8-inch CMOS sensor with an effective resolution of 8.42 megapixels. That is a notably larger sensor than the 1/2.7-inch or smaller chips found in many budget PTZ cameras, and Hollyland leans on it to argue for cleaner low-light performance, claiming improved per-pixel light intake for crisp, low-noise 4K in dim halls. The company rates minimum illumination at 0.5 lux at f/1.8 and quotes a signal-to-noise ratio of 55 dB.

Shutter speed ranges from 1/30 to 1/10000 second, and there is no IR cut filter switching listed, so this is not a day/night surveillance hybrid but a camera built for production lighting. Image flip and vertical mirror are supported for inverted ceiling mounting.

Lens, zoom, and reach

The optical system is the Astra P1’s headline feature. The lens covers a 7.1 to 210mm focal range, delivering 30x optical zoom with a maximum aperture spanning f/1.6 at the wide end to f/5.19. The lens closes down considerably as you push toward the long end, which is normal for a zoom of this range. We would defer to the manufacturer’s product page for the headline figure while noting the telephoto aperture for anyone planning to shoot tight in low light.

A bright wide aperture matters for a camera designed to gather light in dim venues, and Hollyland pairs the optical zoom with 16x digital zoom and a stated 0.1-degree preset accuracy, claiming fluid transitions between wide establishing shots and tight close-ups. The field of view runs from 59.2 degrees horizontal at the wide end down to 2.5 degrees at full telephoto. For control and repeatability, the camera stores up to 255 preset positions, with a pan range of 170 degrees and tilt of 120 degrees.

AI auto tracking

Like most modern PTZ cameras, including the OBSBOT Tail 2 we covered recently, the Astra P1 builds its automation story around AI. Hollyland splits this into two modes. Presenter Tracking uses what the company calls human-based logic, analyzing posture and motion to lock onto a speaker and distinguish them from the background, even in crowded or busy scenes. Zone Tracking lets you define up to four key areas (a podium, a whiteboard, a demo table, for example) and have the camera move smoothly between them as the subject transitions across a large stage. The pitch is reliable single-operator or operator-free coverage of big rooms, and intelligent face-detection auto exposure rounds out the automation by keeping the subject correctly exposed as ambient light shifts.

Free NDI HX3 and connectivity

One of the more compelling pieces of the value proposition is connectivity. Every Astra P1 ships with an NDI HX3 license included, with no additional purchase required. That is a meaningful distinction: as we noted in our OBSBOT Tail Air review, NDI activation has historically been a paid add-on on competing cameras, so bundling HX3 for free removes a recurring friction point for anyone building an NDI-based workflow with software like vMix or OBS. A single Ethernet cable carries near-lossless 4K with low latency, and the camera fits naturally into setups using switchers with PTZ control, such as the RØDECaster Video after its NDI firmware update.

The physical I/O is broadcast-oriented. The Astra P1 offers simultaneous output over HDMI 2.0, 3G-SDI (via BNC), USB, and LAN, and can deliver up to three independent HD streams. It is worth being precise about output resolution: HDMI carries the full UHD 4K up to 60 fps (at 25/29.97/30/50/59.94/60 fps), while the 3G-SDI output tops out at 1080p, which is a normal limitation of the 3G-SDI standard rather than a camera shortcoming. Audio is handled through 3.5mm TRS stereo line input and output, with embedded audio over HDMI and SDI.

Control protocols and integration

For integrators, the protocol support is broad. The Astra P1 handles VISCA and Pelco for traditional control systems, USB UVC for plug-and-play webcam-style use, IP streaming protocols including RTMP, RTMPS, RTSP, SRT, and TCP, and FreeD for AR/VR and virtual production tracking. Control connections include RS-485 (2-pin block), RS-232 (8-pin Mini-DIN), RJ45 Ethernet, plus USB-A (USB 2.0) and USB-B (USB 3.0). A browser-based web control panel gives full remote access to pan, tilt, zoom, and the rest of the camera’s settings, and a single PoE+ (802.3at) cable delivers video, audio, power, and control. An optional dedicated PTZ controller is available for operators who prefer a hardware joystick.

Physical specs and power

The Astra P1 measures 188 x 226 x 169mm / 7.4 x 8.9 x 6.7in and weighs 2.3kg / 5.1lb for the body alone. Power draw is rated at 18W, drawn either over PoE+ or via the 12VDC 2A barrel input. Operating temperature spans 0 to 40 degrees C / 32 to 104 degrees F. The box includes a remote control, power adapter, USB cable, RS-232 cable, and both wall and ceiling mount brackets, so the essential installation hardware is in the carton from the start.

Warranty and support

Hollyland is leaning on after-sales coverage as a differentiator, offering a 3-year standard warranty extendable to 5 years through product registration, backed by field application engineer support. That is a longer baseline than the category norm and a sensible pitch for institutional buyers who expect a PTZ camera to stay mounted and working for years. We will note the slight inconsistency that B&H lists the included coverage as a limited 5-year manufacturer warranty, while Hollyland frames it as 3 years standard plus 2 years on registration, so the path to the full 5 years may depend on completing registration.

Pricing and availability

The Hollyland Astra P1 is priced at $1,999 and is currently listed for pre-order, both directly through the Hollyland store and at B&H Photo, where it is marked as a new release coming soon. Shipping timelines had not been finalized at the time of writing. That price slots it well below cinema-grade PTZ options like the Sony FR7 while sitting above compact streaming PTZ cameras such as the OBSBOT Tail Air, placing it in the mid-tier integration bracket alongside established broadcast names. For context on how Hollyland has been expanding its camera range, see our coverage of the VenusLiv V2 and the recently announced Lyra 4K webcam.

This is Hollyland’s first real swing at the broadcast PTZ market, and the free NDI HX3 license plus that large 1/1.8-inch sensor make it an interesting proposition on paper. Would you trust a wireless-and-mic specialist with your live event camera angles, or do you stick with the established PTZ names? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!