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Compact Matte box

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Tony Ditata

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Hello all. Any recommendations on a good compact matte box option for the Raven? Preferably budget friendly. I will be using smaller dslr lenses and rokinon cine primes for the time being and just need something basic for filters.
 
We used the MB-15 for a while and liked it very much.
 
This is just super slick. At first I was concerned about it being 3D printed.

After holding one, it rules.

Abracam

http://www.abracam.eu/?flag=0&onglet_h=products&onglet_v=Clip-one+3F&id_langue=1&mentions=

or or if you're using dslr lenses you could just get a slotted filter holder like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Fomito-Professional-System-Aluminum-Square/dp/B00LO3UCF0

or go with screw in filters with a gang of these :

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00F8...words=xume&dpPl=1&dpID=41Rg34ZvLDL&ref=plSrch
 
Abracam seems like a nice option after the Bright Tangerine Misfit Atom. Only problem is, where the hell do you buy it??
 
Dan Kanes said:
This is just super slick. At first I was concerned about it being 3D printed.

After holding one, it rules.

Abracam

http://www.abracam.eu/?flag=0&onglet_h=products&onglet_v=Clip-one+3F&id_langue=1&mentions=

or or if you're using dslr lenses you could just get a slotted filter holder like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Fomito-Professional-System-Aluminum-Square/dp/B00LO3UCF0

or go with screw in filters with a gang of these :

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00F8...words=xume&dpPl=1&dpID=41Rg34ZvLDL&ref=plSrch
Click to expand...



Looks interesting. Where can you buy though?
 
David W. Jones said:
What do you consider budget friendly?

$3K
$1.5K
$500
Click to expand...


Thanks David, Cheaper is always better of course but I was thinking $500-$1000 on the high side. I don't want to sink too much into a matte box at the moment but I understand you get what you pay for. Leaning to the Bright Tangerine Misfit Atom, like several have suggested but always up for cheaper alternatives.
 
Unless you want to impress clients/friends AND for your budget,
you may want to consider other options for filtration and blocking stray light (increasing contrast).
Series 9 filters and a large collapsable rubber lens hood is a great cheap alternative.

The filters themselves are are bigger then 82mm and slightly smaller then 86mm, so they'll cover a lot of lens - pretty cheap used on flea bay too (sometimes as little as 5-10 bucks per filter, usually no more then $60)
b&h sells them as well, including ones made by Schnieder.

You need an adapter ring that screws into your rokinons (or whatever photo glass you have), the filter, the retainer ring, and finally the rubber collapsable lens hood (hood is like $6 on amazon)
Schnieder makes a really big rubber hood for series 9 thats north of a hundred bucks, they also make the adapter and retaining rings.


Matte boxes are nice if they don't suck, give a pro look either way, and I use them of course.
But at the end of the day, unless you're using BIG movie glass or any kind of anamorphic, matte boxes can sometimes be more hassle then they're worth.

I did some casual testing a couple years back, mattebox 5.65" vs series 9 w/ big hood, and I couldn't tell the difference in final picture.
I did check recently on 6K dragon and there was some minor falloff in the corners but no hard vignettes on a contax 18mm;
which makes sense as the 18 takes 86mm filters, and the 9s are something like 84.5mm - I also lacked the proper adapter and thus had to mix in a step down ring which no doubt added to the falloff.
No problems w/ anything else, even triple stacked 9s.

On a side note, try to avoid light hitting the camera in general.
Its not too uncommon for me to put a flag on a c-stand to shade the camera and optics area.

Also, surprising some matte box aren't the most "matte" and add internal reflections;
I've gotten into the habit of flocking the inside of matte boxes to soak up stray light.

Thor Labs makes a great sticky flock paper:
http://www.thorlabs.us/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=190#2538



Tony Ditata said:
Thanks David, Cheaper is always better of course but I was thinking $500-$1000 on the high side. I don't want to sink too much into a matte box at the moment but I understand you get what you pay for. Leaning to the Bright Tangerine Misfit Atom, like several have suggested but always up for cheaper alternatives.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Abracam looks very smart. Any reviews? The problem with the Misfit Atom is you cannot rotate the filters so a polarize is a no go.

New Woooden Camera Matte box is really smart. You can go from full production matte box with swing away arm to breaking it down to just a simple filter holder.
 
They rent the Abracam over at digital film studios - 818-771-0019.

they were telling me about how they were getting in this new tiny Mattebox for gimbal use, etc. and I was like "yeah, whatever - how good could it be?" I spent some time playing with it and loved it. I haven't rented it because I'd rather use my MB-15 or screw on filters since I already own them, but if I find myself with more time on my hands I'll do a review.
 
Honestly, I'd keep an eye on the Marketplace 3rd-party area. I think I got my O-Connor O-box for about $750, then bought a couple extra pieces for my setup from Adorama or B&H. Under $1000 for my setup.

The Misfit Atom is nice, but lets not kid ourselves about its functions compared to a more traditional matte box. You don't have independent top and side flags, you've got no rotating stages, no circular filter option. I think the Misfit Atom is best suited for when you've got thousands of dollars in really nice 4x5.65 filters but you can't use your heavy matte box/rails on your gimbal and it's cheaper to spend $700 on the Atom than to re-purchase all of your filters as screw-ons (or in the case of cine lenses, you may not have another filter option other than matte box!).
 
Dan Kanes said:
I find myself with more time on my hands I'll do a review.
Click to expand...

Hey Dan,

It would be awesome if you could do a video review of the Abracam Matte box. Looks really smart and a great price.

It's hard to tell from the pics, but is it easy to swap out the 4 x 5.65 filters since it does not have trays?
 
I have a Bright Tangerine Strummer DNA mattebox, so I'm a fan of their products. This is my regular 19mm/15mm studio system.

However, the Misfit isn't all that cheap for a cheap matte box, so I bought this for a 15mm LW system, and, to my surprise, it's not as shitty as the price would seem to indicate - nor as crappy as the picture looks. (...how's that for a ringing endorsement?).

It's a fairly sturdy build, 2-stage, with a rotating filter. A very simple and straightforward system. $175.

http://www.adorama.com/FPVMBM3.html
 
Thanks Daniel. I am definitely considering going for this type of solution at first and expand as needed.

Thanks Gene and Josh, you raise some very good points on the Atom.
 
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