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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

MATTEBOX: What's your preference?

Nothing beats the Arri MB-19 in my mind. Light, swing-away, LW15mm and studio15mm or 19mm mounting. Very durable, will last you a decade or longer. A great long term investment. I particularly like the way the flags attach. Very secure. My 2cents.
 
Does Arri make a flexible ring of any kind to accommodate lens that lenthen when focused for the Arri MB-19? that would be my perfect set up.
 
Yaque Silva-Doyle said:
I do not know any thing about these Movcam products but they do look very much like some sort of ARRI copy.
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they look good, just wish someone had hands on experience with it so we could get some insight.
 
Trevor Meeks said:
I prefer the clamp-on. A.) Weight is significantly reduced B.) No light leakage/consistent "seal" around the lens and C.) Convenience. My CP.2s are all the same size, so it takes a single ring to fit to all 5 lenses. With the Redrock or anything else that uses donuts, every time you change a lens (notably lenses that aren't the same physical size/diameter) you're having to adjust the positioning of the mattebox, and/or choose different "donuts" to fit to the lens. I like the simple setup. Mattebox comes off, lens comes off, lens goes on, mattebox goes on. Takes a couple of seconds more than a swing away.... and it's a lot simpler IMO. Just depends on your specific gear obviously.

Here's the Genus on my Scarlet
395195_529454643507_201600113_30587112_956495497_n.jpg
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Theres a swing away option for both these too.
 
Depends on your uses. For more lightweight run/gun work, I'd get the O'Box but only with a full set of O'Bars. I use them on a current job I'm shooting for Cartoon Network and they've been a revelation. There is no tougher MB out there. You can pick the camera with it if you choose. With the O'Bars, it really makes hand held super convenient. I just throw on a shoulder pad, grab and go. No reconfiguring. Also, with so many 1/4" and 3/8" points along the MB frame, it's no problem mounting a monitor on the MB (which I sometimes do for hand held).

It's not perfect. The rear stage knob is too small and hard to access. Also, if you plan to use 15mm LWS your stages won't rotate completely, so you'll have to go with 138mm round pola, which isn't bad but will narrow your widest angle slightly. Also, there's no swingway (but if there were you wouldn't be mounting grips on it).

Some here have posted that you can use swing way adaptors. They all suck if you're using 15mm LWS. If your lenses aren't uniform length you'll find yourself having to re-adjust your rod length (and everything else on the rods) with every lens change. They're only worth it if you're using 15mm studio or 19mm.

The other MB I use and own is an Arri MB 20. It's an amazing and completely configurable MB. It's reasonably lightweight for a studio MB and has every adjustment you can imagine. The build is precise. Cheap MB's will only give you grief especially when your filters don't line up at a perfect right angle to the lens. If I had to choose just one, it would be the MB 20.

Another route to go is get a studio box like and MB 20 and have an ultra lightweight clip on MB like Red or MB 15. Some people love clip ons, I myself prefer to have my MB rod mounted even for handheld. I like that a hit transmits to my baseplate and not to my lens or lens mount. Also, I've seen many a clip on fall off the lens for a variety reasons.

My two cents.
 
For the MatteBoxes that attach directly to the lens, is there a danger of damaging the lens from the weight or if the MatteBox is jarred?

I've got a Canon 24-70 pre-ordered, and considering my choices.
 
Just got the O'connor O-box, awesome, rugged, compact, multiple mounting options. Everyone I've rented to really likes it as well. For the price/quality you can't go wrong.
 
Arri LMB-15 3-stage for 4x5.65 clip on. Arri MB-19 for lightweight 4x5.65 swing away. Chrosziel is great if you need a rotating multi-stage MB in lightweight 15 rod mount without the swing away. They are a little flimsy but super lightweight. I like their swing away mechanism but haven't seen one those at the rental house in a while.
 
Les C. said:
For the MatteBoxes that attach directly to the lens, is there a danger of damaging the lens from the weight or if the MatteBox is jarred?

I've got a Canon 24-70 pre-ordered, and considering my choices.
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Les, I would avoid a clip on mattebox with Canon still lenses, especially the telescoping 24-70. The lenses and mount are just too flimsy to support the weight. Cinevised Zeiss or Leicas are better but you'd still be better off mounting your MB to rods.
 
Satsuki Murashige said:
Les, I would avoid a clip on mattebox with Canon still lenses, especially the telescoping 24-70. The lenses and mount are just too flimsy to support the weight. Cinevised Zeiss or Leicas are better but you'd still be better off mounting your MB to rods.
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I ended up getting an O-Box, mounted on a Zacuto Studio Baseplate http://store.zacuto.com/Studio-Baseplate-for-SE.html along wiht an O-Focus DM, and am happy with my choices so far.
 
Check out the Bright Tangerine VIV matte box. I have the Strummer (swing away model) and love it.
http://brighttangerine.com
The VIV is the equivalent to the oBox. Vlad Eugene who 2 years ago sold me on the oBox, sold his and bought the VIV. I then bought the Strummer and am more than happy with it.
 
looks awesome, I didn't see a price on their website. If you wouldn't mind sharing, what did you pay and what did that include?
 
J Taylor said:
looks awesome, I didn't see a price on their website. If you wouldn't mind sharing, what did you pay and what did that include?
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I got it at NAB for the special pre run pricing. Don't know what it's at now. curt@picturethisproductions.net, Curt is one of the Distributors and he responds pretty quickly. The BT site is temporary until the full site launches in September (they were forced to launch early due to all the interest).
 
J Taylor, have Curt send you their price list. Due to all of the options and configurations available, it's a huge list that hasn't been posted on their site or the forums. The BT matteboxes are very reasonably priced for what they are. I'm seriously considering getting one.
 
Trevor Meeks said:
J Taylor, have Curt send you their price list. Due to all of the options and configurations available, it's a huge list that hasn't been posted on their site or the forums. The BT matteboxes are very reasonably priced for what they are. I'm seriously considering getting one.
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Hey Trevor! Glad you finally got the info you were looking for haha. I know it was frustrating for a while at the beginning.
 
Matt Ryan said:
Hey Trevor! Glad you finally got the info you were looking for haha. I know it was frustrating for a while at the beginning.
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Yes, I really appreciate you pointing me in the right direction, Matt. Damn, that really is a huge list... I totally realized why it hasn't been posted now lol. Curt was quick to respond and I'm really impressed with what I've seen from you... the BT mattebox looks gorgeous and I'm stoked to get my hands on one when the time comes. So many things to spend money on.... so little money to spend on stuff! aaaaaah!
 
Trevor Meeks said:
Yes, I really appreciate you pointing me in the right direction, Matt. Damn, that really is a huge list... I totally realized why it hasn't been posted now lol. Curt was quick to respond and I'm really impressed with what I've seen from you... the BT mattebox looks gorgeous and I'm stoked to get my hands on one when the time comes. So many things to spend money on.... so little money to spend on stuff! aaaaaah!
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hahaha I know! There are so many options and accessories. It was frustrating when people didn't understand that and kept saying why aren't prices listed on the site and I kept trying to explain. I'm glad I bought into Bright Tangerine not only because I got a superior matte box but because the company is great as well. Andy is a brilliant and kind man so I will continue to support BT. He is continually designing new add ons, upgrades, and accessories so I'm excited for the future of BT and my matte box.

Strummer.jpg
 
I'm rather taken with my Arri MMB-2. Clips straight on to the CP.2s, and with a very nifty set of stepup rings, can clip straight on to just about any still camera lens I choose to use it with.

It's lightweight, precise, and most importantly it just gets out of your way and lets you set your flags/filters and shoot. Highly recommended.
 
Mark K. said:
I'm rather taken with my Arri MMB-2. Clips straight on to the CP.2s, and with a very nifty set of stepup rings, can clip straight on to just about any still camera lens I choose to use it with.

It's lightweight, precise, and most importantly it just gets out of your way and lets you set your flags/filters and shoot. Highly recommended.
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And when your lens rotates/spins..?
 
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