How to Shoot Vertiscope: The Complete Guide to Vertical Anamorphic Filmmaking

Introducing Vertiscope with the Blazar Beetle

Vertical video has become a dominant format across modern platforms, but anamorphic lenses typically wouldn’t work well for vertical delivery. That’s because a widescreen anamorphic image requires a massive crop to get to a 9:16 vertical frame. That changes with Vertiscope, the ideal solution for bringing authentic anamorphic aesthetics to vertical content creators, filmmakers, and professionals.

This guide walks you through everything from how Vertiscope works to desqueezing options and post-production. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to shoot anamorphic for any platform.

Understanding Squeeze Factor, The Foundation of Anamorphic

To shoot anamorphic properly, you must understand the squeeze factor.
A squeeze factor tells you how much additional horizontal information the lens compresses onto your sensor.

Example:
A Blazar Beetle 45mm lens with a 1.33× squeeze takes the field of view of a 45mm lens and squeezes in 1.33× more width, effectively capturing the horizontal field of view of a ~34mm lens.

This anamorphic squeeze gives you:

• Wider field of view
• Compression of a longer focal length (Large Format Feel)
• Cinematic oval-shaped bokeh

Understanding your squeeze factor is essential for properly framing, de-squeezing, and calculating delivery formats. Different aspect ratios, squeeze factors, and orientations produce a variety of results.

How to Calculate Final Aspect Ratio

Final Aspect Ratio = Sensor Aspect Ratio x Squeeze Factor

To determine the final output frame after desqueeze, use this formula:

(Simplified Aspect Ratio × Anamorphic Squeeze = Final Aspect Ratio)

Example Calculations:

• 16:9 (1.78:1) with 1.33x Anamorphic = (1.78 x 1.33 = 2.37:1)
• 17:9 (1.89:1) with 2x Anamorphic = (1.89 x 2.0 = 3.78:1)
• 3:2 (1.5:1) with 1.5x Anamorphic = (1.5 x 1.5 = 2.25:1)

Simple, right? But real-world framing often requires a crop to a standardized aspect ratio, such as 16:9, 2.39:1, or 9:16

Cropping for Standard Delivery Formats

• 2.39:1 (Feature Films, cinema standard Scope delivery format for anamorphic)
• 16:9 (YouTube, TV broadcast, general web media)
• 1:1 or 4:5 (Instagram, Facebook)

Don’t feel like doing the math? Try the new Blazar Anamorphic Calculator. Compare all your anamorphic options in seconds with a built-in visualizer that shows exactly how your final crop will look.

Using the Blazar Anamorphic Calculator to Preview any Anamorphic Setup

Blazar’s new Anamorphic Calculator is an essential tool for planning your frame, allowing you to determine which anamorphic lens and sensor combination best suits your needs for delivery.

You can:

• Input camera resolution or aspect ratio
• Select lens squeeze factor
• Check the checkboxes for Camera OR Lens in vertical orientation
• Preview your fully de-squeezed image dimensions
• Compare delivery formats (9×16, 4×5, 1×1, 2.39:1, etc.)
• See exactly how much cropping is required

The visualizer is especially helpful when shooting for multiple aspect ratios or when designing content specifically for vertical delivery.

Unlocking Vertiscope with the Blazar BEETLE’s Rotating Lens

One of the BEETLE’s standout features is its rotating front anamorphic element, which allows you to switch between horizontal and vertical anamorphic shooting quickly. This flexibility is invaluable for creators working across multiple platforms.

With just a twist, you can reorient the lens to match your project’s needs, whether you’re producing a 9:16 Reel, a YouTube widescreen film, or both on the same shoot!

Creative Benefits of Shooting Vertical Anamorphic with BEETLE

• Cinematic look for vertical formats – Bring widescreen visual language into vertical video.
• Wider field of view – Capture more of your scene in portrait framing without stepping back, achieving a medium format look, and a more square aspect ratio
• Signature anamorphic aesthetics – Horizontal lens flares, oval bokeh, and subtle distortion all translate beautifully into vertical orientation.

Unlocking Four New Aspect Ratios with the Blazar Beetle

The Beetle supports multiple shooting modes by simply rotating the lens. These four combinations each create dramatically different looks:

1. Horizontal Sensor + Horizontal Anamorphic

The classic widescreen cinematic look. ~ (2.39:1)

2. Vertical Sensor + Horizontal Anamorphic (Vertiscope)

True anamorphic quality delivered in a vertical frame. Ideal for social content. ~ (4:5)

3. Horizontal Sensor + Vertical Anamorphic

Creates vertical flares and horizontal oval bokeh—very stylized and unique. ~ (4:3)

4. Vertical Sensor + Vertical Anamorphic

Produces a tall and narrow image with vertical streak flares, essentially rotating a standard anamorphic frame 90°. ~ (1:2.39)

For modern creators, Vertiscope is the star of the show, enabling vertical shooting with horizontal streak flares, vertically stretched oval bokeh, and a square image aspect ratio, perfect for multiple delivery formats, such as 9:16 & 16:9 delivery.

Blazar beetle 65mm T3.2 – Four Anamorphic Orientations Test

The Blazar Beetle & Vertiscope: The Future of Vertical Cinema

The Blazar Beetle is the first full-frame anamorphic lens under 300g, designed to bridge the gap between social-first creators and high-end production.

It enables:

• Effortless Vertiscope shooting, quickly swap between 4 shooting modes.
• High-end anamorphic character and look
• Portability and compatibility across major mounts
• A creative aesthetic previously unavailable in vertical content

👉 Explore the full [Blazar BEETLE Product Page] to learn more, or check out the Blazar Shop to pick up a BEETLE and start shooting Vertiscope!

How to Shoot Vertiscope on Any Mirrorless or PL-Mount Camera

The Blazar Beetle is the most compact and user-friendly Vertiscope-capable lens ever made. With one button, you rotate into Vertiscope mode without removing the lens.

Available in the following lens mounts (Not Swapable):

• Sony E
• Canon RF
• Leica L
• Nikon Z

But that’s not the only option, did you know some PL-Mount anamorphic lenses allow you to shoot Vertiscope as well?

All Blazar PL-mount anamorphic lenses have cutouts on all four corners of the mount, allowing rotation for Vertiscope shooting on:

• All PL-mount cinema cameras
• All PL adapters for any mirrorless Camera system (Sony, Canon, Nikon, LUMIX, Red, etc.)
• All PL / LPL adapters for medium-format systems, such as the Fujifilm GFX mount and ARRI LPL mount.

This opens the door to shooting Vertiscope with:

• Mantis 1.33×
• Remus 1.5×
• CATO 2×
• All future Blazar PL-Mount anamorphic lenses

Each combination of lens and sensor produces a different final aspect ratio when shooting vertiscope, depending on sensor mode (16:9, 17:9 DCI, Open Gate 3:2, etc.) and your lens squeeze factor (1.33X, 1.5X, 2.0X, etc.).

How to Desqueeze Anamorphic Photography with the Blazar App

Most photo cameras (including models like the Sony A7C II) do not include built-in anamorphic de-squeeze.

The Blazar App provides a quick and easy solution for anamorphic photography desqueeze.

Workflow:

1. Transfer photos via Wi-Fi or FTP directly from your camera.
2. Import your photo into the Blazar app.
3. Select your lens’s squeeze factor.
4. Tap De-Squeeze, then export.

Your photos are instantly ready for posting or sharing!

The Blazar App is available on iOS and Android. It is not yet accessible in all countries, but we are actively working to expand availability.

How to Calculate Squeeze Factor for Monitoring Vertiscope

• 1.33× anamorphic → 0.75× Vertiscope desqueeze
• 1.5× anamorphic → 0.67× Vertiscope desqueeze
• 2.0× anamorphic → 0.50× Vertiscope desqueeze

Enter this into your external monitor to correctly preview vertical anamorphic footage.

Solutions for On-Camera Anamorphic Desqueeze

No cameras currently support custom de-squeeze values, and many lack any desqueeze functionality altogether. Here are a few solutions to properly monitor your anamorphic footage:

Option 1 — Mobile Phone Monitoring (Budget-Friendly)

Using apps or wireless systems like:

• Sony Monitor & Control app
• DJI / Hollyland / Accsoon Wireless Video Wi-Fi Transmission (For Mobile)

You can apply de-squeeze in the app, bypassing the camera’s limitations; however, there is often no option for custom desqueeze.

Option 2 — External Monitor (Recommended)

External monitors, such as those from SmallHD and other high-end monitors, can allow for:

• Custom desqueeze ratios for Vertical Anamorphic
• Image Rotation for Vertical shooting
• More accurate framing with frame guides for the final crop

Having a Custom desqueeze is essential for Vertiscope shooting; however, many external monitors only support common anamorphic desqueeze ratios, such as 1.33x, 1.5x, or 2x, and some offer no desqueeze support at all. It ultimately depends on the specific monitor.

Option 3 — VPU (Hardware Processing)

For live production or to utilize a monitor that doesn’t support custom de-squeeze, a Video Processing Unit (VPU) can:

• Accept HDMI input
• De-squeeze the feed
• Rotate the image
• Output clean anamorphic Vertiscope imagery

VPUs are still emerging, but they’re crucial for live broadcast and multicam setups that want to shoot anamorphic, and could be a handy way to upgrade any monitor with custom anamorphic desqueeze.

How to Desqueeze in Post-Production

Final Thoughts: Why Shoot Vertiscope?

Vertiscope isn’t just vertical video, it’s vertical cinema.

It delivers:

• Strong oval bokeh
• Cinematic horizontal flares
• An expanded horizontal field of view
• A large-format feel on smaller sensors
• A cinematic look and depth that’s impossible to replicate with spherical lenses

It brings true cinematic language into the vertical world, perfect for high-end social campaigns, music content, short-form storytelling, and hybrid cinematic/socials projects.

Tools to Make It Easier

Math doesn’t have to be manual. Here are some tools to help:

• Blazar Anamorphic Calculator
• Blazar App
• Blazar Lens Aspect Ratio Tables
• In Camera/ in Monitor Desqueeze + Frame Guides
• Apps like Cadrage or Artemis Pro for mobile planning with anamorphic framing

Master Table: Sensor and Squeeze Factor Combinations

For a complete breakdown of all sensor and anamorphic combinations—including Vertiscope setups—we’ve created a reference chart. This includes crop factors, final aspect ratios, and recommended workflows.

Final Thoughts

The Blazar BEETLE 1.33X Anamorphic Lens makes vertical anamorphic shooting (Vertiscope) practical, flexible, and creatively exciting. With its rotating front element, multiple orientation options, and signature anamorphic look, it’s a powerful tool for filmmakers and creators producing both widescreen and vertical-first content.

For Reels, TikTok, Shorts, and beyond, the BEETLE unlocks new creative possibilities.

👉 Explore the full [Blazar BEETLE Product Page] to learn more.

Using PL-Mount Blazar Anamorphic lenses for Vertiscope gives you full creative control over your image. With multiple squeeze factors available, you can create anything from a subtly widened 2:3 vertical frame with a 1.33X squeeze on 17:9 DCI, to a full-on 4:3 horizontal image when shooting open-gate with 2X anamorphic, all the way to a perfect 1:1 square image when pairing 1.5X anamorphic with open-gate Vertiscope, the possibilities are nearly endless.

Make sure to check out the Blazar Anamorphic Calculator to get a better idea of how aspect ratio and squeeze factor affect Vertiscope Shooting, and check out the Blazar Lens Series Comparison to see how each lens series stacks up in an apples-to-apples Test!

Explore the full Blazar Anamorphic Lens Lineup, and discover how your camera can go wider, look richer, and feel more cinematic, frame by frame.

Ready to shoot in anamorphic?
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