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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 :)

RED PRO Mattebox

RED MATT BOX AND RED 17-50 ZOOM

RED MATT BOX AND RED 17-50 ZOOM

Does the RED PRO MATTEBOX work with the 17-50 RED PRO ZOOM?
Looks like its 1 silly millimeter short.......
 
I kinda hate to do this, but I am very curious and I hope nobody will mind too much.

The RED Mattebox looks like a work of art and a very sophisticated device. As a result I have no doubt it's worth $1,200, especially since everyone on this thread says it is, and they know much more than I.

Why is it so complex and expensive to have a thing that, as far as I can tell, does nothing more complicated than attach a filter to the front of a lens? I mean, it sounds like it should be so simple and yet clearly it is not.

What is it doing that makes it so complex and valuable?

D
 
David Dennis said:
What is it doing that makes it so complex and valuable?
Click to expand...

I'm certainly no engineer, but I'll give it a stab.

1. Material cost. Carbon fiber is a relatively expensive material, as is high quality aluminum. These both provide...

2. Structural Integrity. Though I have never submitted by equipment to harsh treatment, it seems that people have rather high expectations of how equipment should handle both regular wear and tear and the extremes. Structural integrity is important, though, because if ensures lifelong...

3. Precision. It is my understanding that when dealing with optical glass like filters, they should ideally be placed perfectly perpendicular to the long axis of the lens. This works to prevent additional reflections and/or distortions. So the trays and the box itself should fit together in such a way that there is little room for error.

4. Design. RED seems to be making this into a "modular mattebox" which would undoubtedly require a little bit more foresight than making a simple WYSIWYG product.
 
Michael Olsen said:
I'm certainly no engineer, but I'll give it a stab.

1. Material cost. Carbon fiber is a relatively expensive material, as is high quality aluminum. These both provide...

2. Structural Integrity. Though I have never submitted by equipment to harsh treatment, it seems that people have rather high expectations of how equipment should handle both regular wear and tear and the extremes. Structural integrity is important, though, because if ensures lifelong...

3. Precision. It is my understanding that when dealing with optical glass like filters, they should ideally be placed perfectly perpendicular to the long axis of the lens. This works to prevent additional reflections and/or distortions. So the trays and the box itself should fit together in such a way that there is little room for error.

4. Design. RED seems to be making this into a "modular mattebox" which would undoubtedly require a little bit more foresight than making a simple WYSIWYG product.
Click to expand...

I was curious about this as well. Thanks for the answer.
 
Jarred Land said:
1296260968.jpg
Click to expand...

that beautiful !!
 
Jarred Land said:
ha ha ha streak filter? really? my lord. I was sure those all got shipped to a remote island many, many years ago and turned into CocaCola bottles.

no problem Rob. More than happy for you to move on.. i promise my feelings wont be hurt :)

and for the rest of you.. if you decide to put a streak filter in our mattebox.. no matter how clever or creative you think you are being... your warranty is void.

heh heh heh.
Click to expand...

HA! on the floor
 
Jarred Land said:
We are all family here.. so don't take it personal.
Click to expand...

Okay dude...Jarred, you're really killing me. Corporations are not supposed to talk like that. You mean we're allowed to be human, and seeing we're men (well, primarily anyway - don't take offense ladies here) -- we should be able to take a jab or two without going all...squishy.

This is so cool - it hurts. Seriously. Damn.

Change my effin' name. Welcome to the party pal!

does this mean that should someone google my name, they will potentially return info from the forum? don't mean to thread-jack, but doesn't that present a potential privacy issue?
 
David Dennis said:
What is it doing that makes it so complex and valuable?
Click to expand...

Thanks for putting it so much more eloquently and diplomatically than I :)

Michael Olsen said:
I'm certainly no engineer, but I'll give it a stab.

1. Material cost. Carbon fiber is a relatively expensive material, as is high quality aluminum. These both provide...

2. Structural Integrity. Though I have never submitted by equipment to harsh treatment, it seems that people have rather high expectations of how equipment should handle both regular wear and tear and the extremes. Structural integrity is important, though, because if ensures lifelong...

3. Precision. It is my understanding that when dealing with optical glass like filters, they should ideally be placed perfectly perpendicular to the long axis of the lens. This works to prevent additional reflections and/or distortions. So the trays and the box itself should fit together in such a way that there is little room for error.

4. Design. RED seems to be making this into a "modular mattebox" which would undoubtedly require a little bit more foresight than making a simple WYSIWYG product.
Click to expand...

You make a lot of sense for sure, but I feel like all those arguments are equally applicable (and then some) to, say, a mini prime. I'd be really curious to hear from the engineers on this.

For the record, if there was one company I would never question about pricing structures, it's Red. If you look at their cameras and lenses alone, it's clear their business is quality equipment at reasonable (downright dirt cheap, if you look at the Scarlet's price point) prices. Probably at the end of the day, all that matters is that it's the cheapest and most useful (given that it's modular) solution out there.
 
David Dennis said:
I kinda hate to do this, but I am very curious and I hope nobody will mind too much.

The RED Mattebox looks like a work of art and a very sophisticated device. As a result I have no doubt it's worth $1,200, especially since everyone on this thread says it is, and they know much more than I.

Why is it so complex and expensive to have a thing that, as far as I can tell, does nothing more complicated than attach a filter to the front of a lens? I mean, it sounds like it should be so simple and yet clearly it is not.

What is it doing that makes it so complex and valuable?

D
Click to expand...

It's economics 101! If they sold them at Walmart as a household item and expected to sell 3 million a year, they'd cost $49.99. But when you expect to sell 4500 units a year, they need to cost a bit more.
 
David Dennis said:
I kinda hate to do this, but I am very curious and I hope nobody will mind too much.

The RED Mattebox looks like a work of art and a very sophisticated device. As a result I have no doubt it's worth $1,200, especially since everyone on this thread says it is, and they know much more than I.

Why is it so complex and expensive to have a thing that, as far as I can tell, does nothing more complicated than attach a filter to the front of a lens? I mean, it sounds like it should be so simple and yet clearly it is not.

What is it doing that makes it so complex and valuable?

D
Click to expand...

Actually, your points are valid, and I thought much the same way... untill I had to ise the RedRock Mattebox for a couple of days.

After that I thought more like:
I cannot really see (from a picture) what makes the Arri MB's so different, but there's the little things:

Durability
Faultproof
Solidness
Quality of screws and material

That really makes one work and the other fault.

Is that worth all that money?
The moment you lose a shot because of poor build quality: Yes!!!

Are accessories overpriced compared to the cost of building them?
Depends how you see it. Most companies have inproporsonal pricing of accesories. Have you ever seen what the shops actually pay for computer- or hifi cables?

Do I know that the RED MB is of good build quality?

Nope, but I'd guess so. The few times RED has put out affordable but not "best" equipment, they have been severely burned by it. Even though it has been bullseye stuff for the intended market.

I think that lesson is learned. And that's why they have decided to go "pro" all over.
 
Gunleik

just to take your point one step further, retailers make almost nothing on computer sales. On more bargain models they often lose money. Which is why you see a huge profit margin in the accessories. Because they have to keep their doors open, after all!
 
Pietro Impagliazzo said:
Yeah, a mattebox for two stages? I just stack my screw-ons and call it a day.

:biggrin5:
Click to expand...

I'm with you if you have a good general-purpose zoom (or if you're shooting the whole movie on one lens, like The Wrestler), but when you start changing lenses, that gets to be a pain in the ass real quick.
 
My bomb squad guy is telling me it could be a while... I'm guessing the first batch sold out within 30 seconds of it getting listed in the store.
 
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