Rotate Between 3 Lenses at Once with These Multi Turret Lens Mounts
A look at how the Multi Turret Vertigo lens mount options can help shooters change lenses faster, and easier, than ever before.
Multiturret Vertigo Rotating Lens Mount
In what sounds like an exasperated joke (as Multi Turret puts on its own website), the Vertigo series of triple-lens mount options has turned a novelty concept into something that’s actually more practical than you might think.
Great for documentary shooters and other videographers that need to hot swap lenses quickly and often for different projects, these Vertigo triple lens mount systems could be a great option for the right solo shooter or small team looking to think outside of the box.
Or, in this case, outside of the camera bag.
So, if you’re looking to consider any off-the-wall options for your own multi-lens camera projects and setups, here’s a fun solution that might be more worth considering than you’d think.
The Multi Turret Vertigo Triple Lens Mount
Designed to give you the lens you need when you need it, this Vertigo system developed by Multi Turret is exactly what it sounds like a triple lens mount built on a rotating platform that attaches to the front of your camera rig to allows shooters to quickly, and simply, rotate between their favorite lenses.
Developed by a documentary cameraman, the Vertigo harkens back to the hand-cranked Bolex and their spinning disc “turrets” which allowed shooters the ability to change between lenses with a flick of the wrist.
From the “manifesto” section on their site, here’s Ian Kerr CSC on his invention:
"Out of desperation, I began to experiment with not switching lenses but switching camera bodies, one with a wide prime lens, the other with a long lens. This style of work was similar to that of photo-journalists but it meant carrying TWO built cameras at a time. To be effective, the camera form-factor had to be small and light (e.g. A7s) which were not ideal doc cameras…
…So I decided to reach back in time and build something from the pre-zoom lens days: a re-imagined lens turret with a twist. By using the flange focal length difference between a traditional camera lenses and those of mirror-less digital cameras, I could eke out enough space to jam two spinning plates in there and the first turret was re-born."
Overall, it’s a really fun invention that’s a nice reminder that there’s innovation in the film and video industry that’s not just AI or camera-to-cloud technologies. And that sometimes analog solutions are better than the latest tech trends.
Different Vertigo Options
Today Multi Turret offers four models of the Vertigo with the M1, M2, E, and S for different mount types and uses and stands firm as the only lens turret for modern cinema cameras as well as the world’s first removable cinema lens turret.
The Vertigo systems are all sealed against dust and moisture, and with the Vertigo M1, you’ll be able to swing between EF mount lenses with the flexibility of a zoom. The M1 model retails at $2,400 (or an extra $200 for an FX6 accessory kit) and all models can be purchased on the Multiturret website.
