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MatteBox ... Which one do you have?

Jason beaumont

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Hey as always, before I buy I want to pick the brain of my fellow red users. I was looking at the Wooden Camera Matte Box and also The Tilta Carbon Fiber. I saw Tilta had different sizes 4x4 and 6x6. Can anyone explain the difference to me (as in how each one would help me, or which one is better) And what matte box do you have ?

I'm trying to stay between 800- 1500 give or take. Thanks.
 
I have red rock micro.. did the job for years but falling to pieces. I'm now about to buy a Bright Tangerine which I hear amazing things about. At the end of the day they all kinda do the same thing... hold filters and flags. However working with cheap products is annoying but Ive known people to buy cheap ones of eBay and get the job done

Find one with a swing open hood and enough trays to hold your filters required. And obviously one to fit you filters you currently own if any

My next box must hold 3 filters. I use 4x 5.65 schneiders. 6x6 is the size of filters and trays it takes. Would be good for ultra wide glass however I believe 4x5.65 is the industry standard?

Now everything i wrote above above could be semi wrong as I don't work in the industry but this is what I've taken in after years of reading
 
I generally don't use more than (2) stages now. I save diffusion and grads for post mostly. ND's and Polarizers are my primary uses for MB's. If you use a gimbal, you'll want a lightweight clip on. Bright Tangerine Misfit is excellent. As it is the lightest clip on and can extend from 2-3 stages. You can also add 15mm lightweight support. Incredibly well made MB. More versatile than Arri. Light as hell. If you need to go featherweight, they have the Misfit Atom. You will however have to buy a rotapola as it doesn't have rotating stages. Not cheap.

Tilta makes a great value for the money. Go for 4x5.65 MB. You'll be grateful with wide angle lenses. Cheap MB's are a pain and not worth the hassle.
 
The Wooden Camera unit seems nice and comprehensive, I started out with an Arri MMB-2 and that's been a terrific little workhorse for me, being both a rod-based and clip-on capable unit.

I really needed 3-stages though, so I've since added an LMB-25 to my kit, and that's a gem of a mattebox, can use it with just about every lens out there. A fair way out of your budget, but a terrific option when you get to it.
 
Bought a LMB-15 13 years ago. As a clamp on it still kicks ass. Love the way it works with only one top flag and then you got stages for different lenses to mask of as close to the lens as possible. Then I got a redpromattebox and a Wooden camera rubber thingy. The red pro is to big to many small bits that you lose and no rental client would touch it even though I like it for some setups.

I would get something ultra light like the atom or even better the rubber thing from WC as that one in particular cost so little. Then I would get something in the other end of the spectrum a real 19mm swing away mattbox. That one is more difficult and if it does not cost close to a fortune it´s usually not so good and or does not comply with a wide range of lenses. Simply it´s not an easy pick to make. But there is valid reasons that those that can choose what ever they want usually end up with a arri line of mattboxes. Then Bright tangerine right under that and then south from there you got all kind of setups but usually you will notice after awhile that those does not really grow on you...
 
I have the Title Carbon Fiber 4X5.65 3 stage clip on matte box. It comes with different diameter plates which switch out incredibly fast. Build quality is incredible. Also comes with an adaptor for 15mm rods but it does not swing out.
Great value for the price
 
Misfit atom and Viv from bright tangerine
 
Tilta carbon fiber 4x5.65 swing away on 19mm rods
Absolutely love it. The swing away is a must with all the lens changes I do on any given day
 
+1 for The Misfit, Misfit Atom, and the MB-20.

P.S. I know I'm in the minority here, but I am not a fan of clip on matte boxes. Unless weight restrictions force me otherwise, I will always go for a rod based matte box system with a swing away arm, because they are faster, and more secure.
 
Can't go wrong with Bright Tangerine in for that price point. Especially if weight is a concern. I use the Misfit Atom a whole bunch as well.

My big shoot workhorse is the Chrosziel MB 565 CINE.1 at the moment, but that's a bit pricier.
 
Can't go wrong with Bright Tangerine in for that price point. Especially if weight is a concern. I use the Misfit Atom a whole bunch as well.

My big shoot workhorse is the Chrosziel MB 565 CINE.1 at the moment, but that's a bit pricier.

I use a Chrosziel 565 cine1 for studio. I like it a lot.
For LW clip on, i found a used lmb25.
The misfit atom is great for weight for gimbals but it's very limited and it's kind of a pain in the ass to swap filters.
 
I have the Tilta 4x5 clip on and love it! It's carbon fiber, comes with 15mm LW adapter, 80mm/95mm/114mm/134mm backs, top flag and hard mattes! All for under $600!!
 
Really like the WC lightweight clip on.
 

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