NISI call this item the "Wizard Camera Positioning Bracket". Not a name that rolls off the keyboard. When I started researching these kinds of rotating mounts I was looking for a "rotating collar", because that's what I had the luxury of shooting with on the Sigma 14mm F1.4 lens.
The genius of that setup was simple enough: you have a rotating collar on the lens itself that can spin between portrait and landscape orientation. The camera is attached to the lens, instead of the tripod. It was beautiful for shooting auroras and quickly changing from landscape to portrait compositions. But you had to buy that great big (gorgeous) 14mm F1.4 from Sigma to play the game.
What I really wanted was the ability to rotate my camera when shooting with other wide angle lenses. That's how I stumbled on the NISI solution.
I came across several brands when researching, but the design of the NISI solutions seemed both flexible and robust. Having shot with this for over 6 months now, I am pleased to say it's proved every bit as practical as I had hoped. After 6 months of use it's showing no signs of trouble. No wobbles or catching. The ring still has a good amount of friction, while being enough smooth to rotate.
NISI BASICS
The concept is simple enough in theory, but hard to get right in practice. I think NISI have nailed this one for build quality and execution of the design. The collar has two attachment points that are connected by a rotating ring. You mount the NISI to the camera, and then use the Arca-Swiss style foot on the NISI to attach to a tripod.
It is also possible to screw other tripod plates onto the NISI foot if required. And that's it.
Unlike my favie Sigma 14mm F1.4, the NISI rotating collar attaches to the camera, not the lens, so you need a wide enough ring to accommodate free movement of the lens inside the ring. The camera rotates through 360 degrees.
RIGHT SIZE
We bought two sizes to try out. The 63mm version is just big enough for most of our Sony E-mount lenses. Shellie has been using the NISI on the Sony ZV-E1, which is her go to camera for shooting video content in the kitchen. Being able to instantly roll from 16:9 video to portrait Reels is a huge win for her.
On the L-mount lenses the 63mm rotating collar was too small, and the 72mm version was required. This proved an excellent option for my LUMIX S9 when shooting auroras in Norway. It worked with my little TT Artisan 14mm F2.8 ultra-wide, but also my chunky Sigma 14-24mm F2.8. Before buying these online, do check the NISI website for recommendations on which size is best suited to your camera and lens.
I love being able to flip instantly between portrait and landscape without resetting everything on my tripod ,and without flopping the head sideways where I am constrained by the design of the ball head. It's an elegant solution, even if the title of "Wizard Camera Positioning Bracket" feels a bit cumbersome!
NISI DETAIL
There's a few nice little details in the design, such as the yellow colour of the tension lock which makes it easier to distinguish from your other tripod handles. There's even two little screw holes for setting Arca-Swiss style plate-pins, which are great to help prevent the foot from sliding off a tripod if you fail to lock things down properly.
There's even an Allen-key magnetised to the bottom of the camera plate that is handy for adjusting the depth and height of the ring.
These rotating collars (positioning brackets) are a great idea. They are not expensive, and yet deliver some really useful functionality. Keeping your camera weight high and centered on the top of your tripod head makes for less drama when out shooting landscapes or auroras. The alternative would be an L-bracket, which is also practical but not as flexible. Especially when shooting auroras in the Arctic, when everything is happening very very quickly and the last thing you want is to lose minutes resetting your tripod.
NISI get two thumbs up from me.
– Ewen
You can find the rotating collar on the NISI website here:
https://nisiopticsusa.com/shop/quick-release-plate/wizard-camera-positioning-bracket/
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