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Best cheap Matte Box?

Lucas Wilkinson

Lucas Wilkinson

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Looking for a cheap, light matte box. A friend has an Arri MMB-2 and I like everything about it. I'm after something similar but cheaper as I won't use it extensively, so can't justify the spend. Thoughts?
 
Oconnor is good both to own and rent out, pretty tough designed, has minor ergonomics problems. Get it if you need PRO for bucks. Bright Tangerine - both Rolls Royce & Ferrari of all matte boxes - get one if you can. Entry level models like fotga, etc. might be good if you using DSLR lenses. Saves money, do the job and don't make you cry if broken :) I would say - get one cheap and easy for a start, and when you can - get Bright Tangerine. They eons away from competitors. But I'm staying with Oconnor because it is TANK.
 
I am going to weigh in here and say that Vocas mattebox's are tremendous and ergonomic. I find them stronger than most ARRI and Bright Tangerine actually. Additionally they have quick release mechanisms, so no concerns about the screw down mechanism needing to be replaced which is a common problem on many mattebox's. Additionally they have internal eyebrows and even place for a tilt mechanism to eliminate reflections. They are owned by ARRI by the way.

On another note if you want to save money and get a really good mattebox which is one quarter the price of BT (in Europe at least), take a look at Movcam's mattebox's. This is not cheap chinese junk. I have to say I saw a MM102 today and I was really impressed. Fotga doesnt compare. Definitely as strong as a Viv (looks to be made of the same material with strong metal attachments) and actually you could probably build stages in a very similar way to BT. I could definitely take the lock down mechanism and stages apart and replace them with the larger 5.65x5.65" for instance. The build quality is very, very surprising. If I was on a budget I would defintiely go down this route, heck even if I wasn't on a budget.
 
Anyone recommend an ultra cheap clip on matte box for Zeiss Cp.2's? Just need a cheap backup one
 
When I first started shooting Epic in late 2011... I realized my "ENG/EFP" mattebox wasn't going to work with my PL lenses. I went on the hunt, looking for a new mattebox. I went through the usual suspects, Chrosziel, Arri, Vocas. What I found truly surprised me... I was having vignetting issues in 5KFF. Most of these companies at the time hadn't really designed matteboxes for this large of a frame. I found that some of the Arri and Chrosziel matteboxes would work, but I had to step up from a "PV" size (4x5.65) to 5.65x5.65 or larger for the mattebox to actually clear the lens in 5KFF. I didn't really want to do this, as I had several thousands of dollars of filters... I tried MovCam. I really liked the build quality. James Lee at 16x9inc. was terrific in trying to help me. He personally modified several matteboxes, filter trays and the like trying to make them work with the Epic. However, at that size, with PL glass, I was just out of luck. (Nikon glass was a different story).

This is what led me to Bright Tangerine. I found them by accident at NAB... the owner, Andy was truly fantastic. He allowed me to play around with them on the show room floor. He then allowed me to demo a model, where I took the unit from his booth to the RDC booth! I was elated to find out that the Strummer did indeed clear at 5K! So did the VIV! The build quality on both are off the charts! They have features not found on any other system either. Bright Tangerine has removable filter stages, on all of their matteboxes. The Strummer allows the user to utilize different filter sizes. They are all made out of aluminum and carbon fiber. All of the matteboxes in their line clear in 5K FF too! That is what sold me!

I caution anyone on buying a mattebox that they haven't had the opportunity to demo with their own equipment, or like equipment. Trust me, there's nothing worse than buying something and then finding out it won't work with your infrastructure! Beyond that, build quality and feature set are also important. I try to adhere to the motto of buying once, and buying quality over just buying based on price alone.
 
Adam Johnson said:
Anyone recommend an ultra cheap clip on matte box for Zeiss Cp.2's? Just need a cheap backup one
Click to expand...

Have you ever seen the Bright Tangerine Misfit? It weighs less than 1/2 of a pound. They have several different sized back rings for them, so it fits on a host of lenses... if you want, there's now a swing away feature that you can add at any time! It's a sweet, light little mattebox at an affordable price! I so wish I still owned mine. I had to sell it to purchase other gear... one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made.
 
Lucas Wilkinson said:
Looking for a cheap, light matte box. A friend has an Arri MMB-2 and I like everything about it. I'm after something similar but cheaper as I won't use it extensively, so can't justify the spend. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I've owned or tried matteboxes by nearly every company out there. I think it depends on what all you want, feature-wise, the build quality and the over all value for the price. Also, how would you define 'cheap?' Does that mean a mattebox that has no problems, needs no maintenance, can grow with you as your needs increase? Or does that simply mean, you want a low priced mattebox, basing everything on price alone? We've all been there, sometimes, that is what you have to do! I really take into consideration the value of the product I'm looking at. I'd rather spend a little bit more money today, and keep it for years, than to replace a product because I bought based on price alone and the quality wasn't up to my standards.

I truly like the Bright Tangerine line. They make several models for different needs. I've owned all four at one point or another. The Strummer is beautiful! It's like owning several matteboxes in one! You can change filter stage sizes (4x4, 4x5.65, 6.6x6.6) and work with it in both 15mm and 19mm set ups. It's a ROD ONLY based system. If you're in a 'studio' environment... it's fantastic. If you are using large Optimos or wide Ultra's, like the 8mm... the Blacklight is phenomenal. If you want something lightweight and fast, the Misfit is awesome! It weighs less than 1/2 of a pound! Bright Tangerine truly listen to their customers... they modified the Misfit and Blacklight so they can add swing away features. These two were clamp on boxes only, now, thanks to customer input, they sport the ability to be rod mountable too! (and in either sized rod/position!) I personally fell in love with the Viv! It's about 1.5 pounds. It too can use rods or clamp on. It can swing away too. I do a ton of hand-held and 'run and gun' work, and this mattebox fit all of my needs! Two of the three filter stages rotate. Not bad for about $1600-1700! I like that it can grow as my needs change too! The build quality is out of this world on all of these matteboxes. One other slick feature that can be added to any of them is the filter tilt. It allows you to combat any unwanted reflections and such. Very cool indeed... it's an option and can be added at any time.

The owner worked for another BIG named mattebox company for nearly two decades! (Let's just say they are a four letter company!) So... he KNOWS matteboxes inside and out!

I don't work for Bright Tangerine. I'm just a huge fan of their matteboxes.
 
I had Movcam for 1 day about a year ago. Feels sexy and shiny but starts falling apart almost instantly after put on camera - loose bolts, etc. Worst ever. Maybe it was bad batch or so. So I refund it and get Oconnor instead. Its tough and rugged. But ergonomics are extremely poor - changing filters it is like pain, and 200$ donut for lenses always trying to pop out from its place. But I like it. It is rock solid. Does the job. But I want to get light version of Tangerine for steadicam use at my first opportunity. These are sweet. And quality Ive seen is quite remarkable. And I wish Oconnor to use more carbon if they could. And talk to at least once with some DOP how to make filter trays more useful.
 
2015 is coming up fast and OConnor is looking to sell off its limited inventory of demo matteboxes, handgrips and follow focus units.

These were used at tradeshows like NAB and are in very good condition. They come with an as new 2 year warranty. First come, first served and again we have very limited number of these sets available.

****Look under part #’s tab to see exactly what’s included in the sets****

C1243-0002 O-Box Deluxe Set
• http://www.ocon.com/products/lens-camera-accessories/o-box-wm/

C1242-0002 O-Focus Cine Set
• http://www.ocon.com/products/lens-camera-accessories/o-focus-dm-cine-set/

C1244-0001 O-Grips Single Jointed Set

C1244-0002 O-Grips Double Jointed Set
• http://www.ocon.com/products/lens-camera-accessories/o-grips/#product-overview-tab

Please contact me directly at eric.johnston@vitecgroup.com for a quote if you are interested.
 
We have a couple C1243-0001 basic O-Box Set’s that could be sold for an even $1000.00 As new, as new warranty.
Please contact me at the below address if you are interested.

Eric.Johnston@VitecGroup.com

Eric J. Johnston
Strategic Accounts Manager
Digital Cinema and Rental Houses
Vitec Videocom
 
Last edited:
Curt Pair said:
I've owned or tried matteboxes by nearly every company out there. I think it depends on what all you want, feature-wise, the build quality and the over all value for the price. Also, how would you define 'cheap?' Does that mean a mattebox that has no problems, needs no maintenance, can grow with you as your needs increase? Or does that simply mean, you want a low priced mattebox, basing everything on price alone? We've all been there, sometimes, that is what you have to do! I really take into consideration the value of the product I'm looking at. I'd rather spend a little bit more money today, and keep it for years, than to replace a product because I bought based on price alone and the quality wasn't up to my standards.

I truly like the Bright Tangerine line. They make several models for different needs. I've owned all four at one point or another. The Strummer is beautiful! It's like owning several matteboxes in one! You can change filter stage sizes (4x4, 4x5.65, 6.6x6.6) and work with it in both 15mm and 19mm set ups. It's a ROD ONLY based system. If you're in a 'studio' environment... it's fantastic. If you are using large Optimos or wide Ultra's, like the 8mm... the Blacklight is phenomenal. If you want something lightweight and fast, the Misfit is awesome! It weighs less than 1/2 of a pound! Bright Tangerine truly listen to their customers... they modified the Misfit and Blacklight so they can add swing away features. These two were clamp on boxes only, now, thanks to customer input, they sport the ability to be rod mountable too! (and in either sized rod/position!) I personally fell in love with the Viv! It's about 1.5 pounds. It too can use rods or clamp on. It can swing away too. I do a ton of hand-held and 'run and gun' work, and this mattebox fit all of my needs! Two of the three filter stages rotate. Not bad for about $1600-1700! I like that it can grow as my needs change too! The build quality is out of this world on all of these matteboxes. One other slick feature that can be added to any of them is the filter tilt. It allows you to combat any unwanted reflections and such. Very cool indeed... it's an option and can be added at any time.

The owner worked for another BIG named mattebox company for nearly two decades! (Let's just say they are a four letter company!) So... he KNOWS matteboxes inside and out!

I don't work for Bright Tangerine. I'm just a huge fan of their matteboxes.
Click to expand...
'


We got it. You like Bright Tangerine.
Not taking anything away from Andy, but what is it about Reduser that inspires people to continue to bang on and insist on a premium product even after the OP has explicitly stated that he wants a cheap Mattebox? If he can only afford a Honda, stop trying to sell him a Rolls Royce!
I understand everyone wants to give BT a push to help out a new line with well thought out products, but you have now made three seperate posts about BT in this thread and it is this kind of insistence that seems more than overbearing. This kind of behavior is very tiresome. Somewhere you must recognize this because you feel the need to make a disclaimer. Once again it starts to feel like the hard sell and it is surrounding products from BT. Please give it a rest, folks.

I am not a BT hater. I have seen BT's products and I like them. I may even own one at some point. But I don't find them as revolutionary as others here. Call me a flawed individual, but for me other manufacturer's continue to exist. Further, Movcam's first generation had issues, but no, I do not agree with Dmitry (who absolutely has the right to his point of view) about the current generation. I know the build quality, have and used it and in no way did I have the sense that it will fall apart in the way he is describing. In fact I think it is surprisingly good, excellent even for what I expected to be cheap 3rd market junk. It is one quarter the price of BT for an MM102 (in Europe at least) and a far better fit than the Misfit (which does not even having rotating trays) for the OP's needs.

Beyond even the Movcam, it sounds like the OP may still want to go cheaper. An inexpensive or used Genus might do the trick too. I have one and I find it very practical for it's small footprint. He could probably find a used Genus Elite. Personally, I use a Vocas MB-255 for my CP.2's (114mm) and it is perfect as a clamp on. The only thing I wish is that they had made a 4x5.65" filter version. However, 4x4" does have the advantage of being lighter and is perfectly adequate for most lenses up to this diameter.
 
Clayton Burkhart said:
'


We got it. You like Bright Tangerine.
Not taking anything away from Andy, but what is it about Reduser that inspires people to continue to bang on and insist on a premium product even after the OP has explicitly stated that he wants a cheap Mattebox? If he can only afford a Honda, stop trying to sell him a Rolls Royce!
I understand everyone wants to give BT a push to help out a new line with well thought out products, but you have now made three seperate posts about BT in this thread and it is this kind of insistence that seems more than overbearing. This kind of behavior is very tiresome. Somewhere you must recognize this because you feel the need to make a disclaimer. Once again it starts to feel like the hard sell and it is surrounding products from BT. Please give it a rest, folks.

I am not a BT hater. I have seen BT's products and I like them. I may even own one at some point. But I don't find them as revolutionary as others here. Call me a flawed individual, but for me other manufacturer's continue to exist. Further, Movcam's first generation had issues, but no, I do not agree with Dmitry (who absolutely has the right to his point of view) about the current generation. I know the build quality, have and used it and in no way did I have the sense that it will fall apart in the way he is describing. In fact I think it is surprisingly good, excellent even for what I expected to be cheap 3rd market junk. It is one quarter the price of BT for an MM102 (in Europe at least) and a far better fit than the Misfit (which does not even having rotating trays) for the OP's needs.

Beyond even the Movcam, it sounds like the OP may still want to go cheaper. An inexpensive or used Genus might do the trick too. I have one and I find it very practical for it's small footprint. He could probably find a used Genus Elite. Personally, I use a Vocas MB-255 for my CP.2's (114mm) and it is perfect as a clamp on. The only thing I wish is that they had made a 4x5.65" filter version. However, 4x4" does have the advantage of being lighter and is perfectly adequate for most lenses up to this diameter.
Click to expand...

I agree with you Clayton, the BT is just out of the OP's Price Range. I have a couple of matteboxes, here are my opinions:

I love my Bright Tangerine Strummer dna. It's a 6.6 x 6.6 mattebox and I own it mainly to use with my Cooke 18-100mm and when I rent big cinema glass like the 24-290.. Having said that, it was super expensive and it's BIG!

I love my O'Connor O-Box as a clip on mattebox and for lenses like CP.2s. I think this might very well be one of the best clip on matteboxes you can buy. It's fairly light and really nicely built. Takes 4 x 5.65 filters, has a 15mm rod mount, top flag etc etc. If you can afford it, i'd suggest you get this one. I am not sure of the price of the Arri MMB-2 but it might be the same ballpark, so probably still a bit expensive.

I also have a Genus Elite Mattebox. It's quite a nice piece of kit. It's built very nicely and I've had it for longer than both the O-Box and Strummer. It's never failed, nothing has broken and it's been with me around the world for at least 50.000 air miles, to rural china, africa etc.. It's bigger (wider than the O-Box) but it's still very light weight. It can clip on to a wide variety of lenses with the adapter rings you can buy or you can mount it to 15mm rods. Again, top flag and side flags are available for this too. It's the same mattebox that TLS (True Lens Services) sells in the UK. It's about 500 bucks cheaper than the O-Box.

Again this is just my opinion. I like my Bright Tangerine the most when it comes to big lenses, but when I shoot with a compact setup, it's mostly overkill! Just some of my thoughts, hope it helps mate!
 
Genus Elite, demo/ open box sale. I have one. at the time or purchase it was @$500-600. I believe you can add stages and a swing away. But for me the simplest, sturdiest solution often works best in the field.

My other matte box is an Arri MB28. Sometimes you simply need the size of a 6.6x6.6 mb. Most of the time we just use the Genus.

Other MB's I've owned:
O'Connor O box,
Arri 4x4 matte boxes (forgot the actual model numbers, but compact and studio versions)
Chrosziel Superwide (originally S16mm) 4x5.6 MB
Cinetech 4x5.65 (very light but no longer made)
Lanparte MB
Movcam 4x5.65 3 stage swing away.

Arri matte boxes are industry standard for a reason. I'm not too far from Arri Blauvelt and Ijust had Arri service my MB28. That is a huge convenience. But if it's a small shoot, small crew, I just use the Genustech Elite.

O'Connor somehow missed the mark with their accessories- Obox, FF units

The Cinetech was nice- especially if I didn't upgrade it to a swing away. Simpler=better more times than not. Their rod mount however kinda sucked.

Lanparte was a Redrock micro knock off. Simple, but not well designed- the rod mount got in the way with follow focus units with primes. OK for zooms. Build quality was ok. Bigger hardware, which is good, however clumsier looking (didn't matter to me). Basically all the limitations of a Redrock matte box.

Chrosziel is a Chrosziel, but right now not worth the price (to me).

The Movcam looks really nice. Midrange hardware. It was ultimately too small, too many little screws, etc.

When it comes to camera accessories I have a very simple philosophy- Arri or something very inexpensive and highly functional. For me, the Genus tech Elite fits the bill for a matte box. I prefer it to the MB28, but as stated before, size sometimes matters.
 
I wrote about this already, but figure this may help anyone searching for "best cheap matte box"

Douglas Quill said:
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Click to expand...


Well...


...I recently had a little hands on time w/ the camtree mb23, and I was impressed for how much bang there is for the buck.

camtree-mb-23-mattebox-sunshade-18_1.jpg



Throw-Away pricing ($230+S&H) and surprisingly well constructed (especially for the price)

Carbon fiber hood, aluminum, 2 stage, and swing-away:
http://www.amazon.com/CAMTREE-MB-23...8&qid=1448601661&sr=8-1&keywords=camtree+mb23



It does not have a mount for a bottom flag/lip
And the included filter trays are plastic(the only thing that is) for 4x4


However, you can swap those for metal trays like the cheapish ones made by cavision:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/310681-REG/Cavision_MBH4X4M_6_MBH4X4M6_4x4_Metal_Filter.html


Also, 4x4s are adequate for the most small compact primes such as the Contax 2.8 "speeds" (77mm and series 9 filters do).
I suspect they will work for Leica's too (it is stills glass and 4x4 is bigger then 77m/series 9 filters).



Would it stand up to rugged weekly production schedules for years?... I doubt it

But for the price(well under $300) its definitely worth checking out (comes w/ custom hardcase too).
 
I replaced a stolen Arri MB20 II with a Movcam MM1A, which is about 1/5 the cost of the Arri. It's a good low cost matte box which works with both 15mm & 19mm rods. Has 138mm rear filter insert, 4x5.65 fixed, and 4x5.65 rotating filter positions. I expected to replace it once the insurance check came in, but that was exactly 2 years ago and I'm still using it without issue.
 

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