Sean Porter
Well-known member
Just received my Movecam MM1 mattebox from BandPro the other day. This is my third mattebox in pursuit of the best box in the >$1500 range. I've tried the Arri MMB-1, and the Oconner O-box.
I have to say I think third time's the charm!
It caught my eye at the ASC/IA600 workshop hosted at ArriCSC in NJ not that long ago. I was taken with the build quality right off the bat, and then the rep from bandpro proceeded to set the mattebox on the ground and stand on top of it (he wasn't a small guy). I think being late to the game afforded them the ability to see what else was going on and how to improve as well as avoid pitfalls. I thought the MMB-1 was the most un-user-friendly mattebox I've ever worked with, couldn't get grads at 45deg for starters and everything felt clunky. The O-box was a big step up, but some thumbscrews were hard to get at, I wasn't in love with the tray design and wasn't a fan of the fixed-size sidewings (or that you had to buy a bracket to use them!). The 138 retaining ring was also a little touchy - if accidentally overtightened, it was a nightmare to get it off. And neither were swing-away.
This thing is built solid. Everything (that I could tell) is metal - or carbon fiber. it feels solid in your hand, nothing is sloppy. It might be a touch heavier than the o-box, but that's pretty amazing considering the extra bracketry. It's got top, bottom and side flag brackets out of the box. Everything sits, rotates and slides confidently. There's no lock-off for the rotating tray, but there's plenty of tension and I don't foresee it arbitrarily rotating on its own. The new MM1's are shipping with 138mm filter-capable bellows rings, which also have standard 114mm threads on the back (my reduction rings from my o-box threaded right on). There's also a hight adjustment for the box, which hopefully you wouldn't need to use often but it's nice to make fine adjustments for your setup. It doesn't have the mechanism that pulls the box away from the lens before swinging which you are used too on the the more expensive boxes, but I feel like in most cases you can depress the bellows easily enough.
Adjustable side wings are included. And I actually prefer the folding eyebrow to keep the whole kit as small as possible. Overall I'm looking forward to putting it through the paces.
Disclaimer: Dont work for BandPro, 16x9 or Movecam, just a happy customer.
Cheers,
I have to say I think third time's the charm!
It caught my eye at the ASC/IA600 workshop hosted at ArriCSC in NJ not that long ago. I was taken with the build quality right off the bat, and then the rep from bandpro proceeded to set the mattebox on the ground and stand on top of it (he wasn't a small guy). I think being late to the game afforded them the ability to see what else was going on and how to improve as well as avoid pitfalls. I thought the MMB-1 was the most un-user-friendly mattebox I've ever worked with, couldn't get grads at 45deg for starters and everything felt clunky. The O-box was a big step up, but some thumbscrews were hard to get at, I wasn't in love with the tray design and wasn't a fan of the fixed-size sidewings (or that you had to buy a bracket to use them!). The 138 retaining ring was also a little touchy - if accidentally overtightened, it was a nightmare to get it off. And neither were swing-away.
This thing is built solid. Everything (that I could tell) is metal - or carbon fiber. it feels solid in your hand, nothing is sloppy. It might be a touch heavier than the o-box, but that's pretty amazing considering the extra bracketry. It's got top, bottom and side flag brackets out of the box. Everything sits, rotates and slides confidently. There's no lock-off for the rotating tray, but there's plenty of tension and I don't foresee it arbitrarily rotating on its own. The new MM1's are shipping with 138mm filter-capable bellows rings, which also have standard 114mm threads on the back (my reduction rings from my o-box threaded right on). There's also a hight adjustment for the box, which hopefully you wouldn't need to use often but it's nice to make fine adjustments for your setup. It doesn't have the mechanism that pulls the box away from the lens before swinging which you are used too on the the more expensive boxes, but I feel like in most cases you can depress the bellows easily enough.
Adjustable side wings are included. And I actually prefer the folding eyebrow to keep the whole kit as small as possible. Overall I'm looking forward to putting it through the paces.
Disclaimer: Dont work for BandPro, 16x9 or Movecam, just a happy customer.
Cheers,
