Where is the new Arri Matte Box + FF combo?

[Mitch Gross]

Hi Mitch
You may remember me. I will be in NY on Monday then i will leave same day afternoon. If your NY office has stock can i go and pick the items? (mattebox and ff)
Ergin

Absolutely. Try to make it earlier in the day as I have a meeting out of the office in the late afternoon.

 

[Mitch Gross]

to be honest.. i have never worked on a pro set with a mb20...
but def ff4 is standard. its really either lmb-5 , mb 14 or 18

I would say that is because those matteboxes have been around longer so there are more of them in rental house and private owner stock. I don't think there's anyone in the industry who scoffs in any way at the MB20.

 

[Evin Grant]

I like the MB-20 alot but it's in a sort of no-man's lands for big shows. It's not really light weight like the LMB-5 nor can it take the 6x6 filters most DPs have in their kits. Personally I'm really stoked about the MB-28. Mitch, when is this baby hittin' the streets?

 

[Mitch Gross]

It will likely be a 2009 Arri product. I think it doubtful they will be tooled up to ship before then end of this year. I agree that the MB28 is very nice, but we are talking about a different ballgame here.

 

[Ergin Ozturk]

Hi Mitch
Yes i will arrive NY early in the morning and i can come to your NY store around 10am. Will you be there? Do you think that they will have a stock to buy? (matte box + ff+ 19-15mm adaptors)
Thank you for your support.
ergin

 

[HD Hildebrand]

It can be clamp-on or rod mount. It has a rear rotating stage, which also means more weight for the assembly.

Clamp-on option is great to hear.

As for weight - what is it?

Weight for other contenders in consideration:
Vocas MB315: 395 grams (.87lbs)
Vocas MB325: 495 grams (1.09lbs)
Vocas MB350: 650 grams (1.43lbs)

 

[Michael Lindsay]

I like the MB-20 alot but it's in a sort of no-man's lands for big shows. It's not really light weight like the LMB-5 nor can it take the 6x6 filters most DPs have in their kits. Personally I'm really stoked about the MB-28. Mitch, when is this baby hittin' the streets?

I really feel like this. I made a mistake with this one and am definitely looking to replace my 20 with a 28. If it's hand-held the LMD 15a goes on so size isn't that big a deal. I also need a MB that can work with a UP 12mm. (I hear you can make it work)

Hope they are a bit aggressive with the 28 pricing as the world has changed to a buying market.

Michael

 

[Sidney L. Plaut]

Thanks for the advice guys,

Thats settled then - also saw the video on your site Mitch. Ill buy the new one.

Buying a Follow focus is a funny thing - because they are so cheap to rent, but on the other hand you will need one everytime you shoot... so at some point you are going to go "doh" if you dont buy...

Mitch do you know how much customs will be if I order from you guys?

Fantastic Idea having you on this forum Mitch - cant believe none of your european competitors don´t do the same... their loss

best,

Sidney

 

[Mitch Gross]

Hi Mitch
Yes i will arrive NY early in the morning and i can come to your NY store around 10am. Will you be there? Do you think that they will have a stock to buy? (matte box + ff+ 19-15mm adaptors)
Thank you for your support.
ergin

I will be there before 10.

We have stock for the most part, but I do know that a lot of orders came in so I'm not sure what is left in our first allotment. We get more later in the week. Also, I think we're waiting on the next production run of the universal rod adaptors from the machinist.

 

[Mitch Gross]

Clamp-on option is great to hear.

As for weight - what is it?

Weight for other contenders in consideration:
Vocas MB315: 395 grams (.87lbs)
Vocas MB325: 495 grams (1.09lbs)
Vocas MB350: 650 grams (1.43lbs)

I'll let you know weight when I get back to my paperwork in the office on Monday morning.

The mattebox can be used as clamp-on but please note that the rear ring is 138mm clamp and so far the only light trap ring (aka drop down ring) for this size is the one for the EX1 lens, which off the top of my head is about 85mm outer diameter. Other rings will come soon, and if they listen to me at all then it should be 114mm to fit on the two small RED zooms, plus the small Optimo zooms and some other lenses.

 

[Mitch Gross]

Thanks for the advice guys,

Thats settled then - also saw the video on your site Mitch. Ill buy the new one.

Buying a Follow focus is a funny thing - because they are so cheap to rent, but on the other hand you will need one everytime you shoot... so at some point you are going to go "doh" if you dont buy...

Mitch do you know how much customs will be if I order from you guys?

Fantastic Idea having you on this forum Mitch - cant believe none of your european competitors don´t do the same... their loss

best,

Sidney

Thanks for the compliment. I really do try to help you guys out first and "push product" a distant second. There's lots of things I talk about that have little to nothing to do with any Sale, Rental or Service Abel Cine Tech could supply. And I am sure that a number of products I've mentioned have led to sales by other companies, which is just fine. It's not like we're trying to monopolize the market.

But of course it's nice when y'all remember where you heard it from... ;-)

Anyway, I don't know about shipping costs and duty/tax, but if you contact one of our Sales Reps. directly we can figure it all out for you. Feel free to contact me directly.

 

[Sidney L. Plaut]

Mitch,

This could be the beginning of a very expensive friendship... at least for me

best,

Sidney

 

[Mitch Gross]

Clamp-on option is great to hear.

As for weight - what is it?

Weight for other contenders in consideration:
Vocas MB315: 395 grams (.87lbs)
Vocas MB325: 495 grams (1.09lbs)
Vocas MB350: 650 grams (1.43lbs)

The MMB-1 is a little heavier, although you could take off the rod mount to drop the weight a bit.

In 15mm mount / bellows back configuration: 860 grams (1.9lbs)
In clamp-on configuration: 720 grams (1.6lbs)

 

[HD Hildebrand]

The MMB-1 is a little heavier, although you could take off the rod mount to drop the weight a bit.

In 15mm mount / bellows back configuration: 860 grams (1.9lbs)
In clamp-on configuration: 720 grams (1.6lbs)

Thank you Mitch. Very much appreciated. Little heavier, but the build looks solid. When you have a second, if you have the dimensions as well, that would be great.

Also, the FF - I have the Element Technica 15mm top mount rods - with the gears able to flip, could the FF top mount as well?

For those with Nikon lenses, do you know of any additional gears for Nikon lenses to use with the FF?

 

[Mitch Gross]

I have dimensions back at the office. I'll send them tomorrow.

Yes it is possible to hang the follow focus upside down from top rods, but understand that there are two different sizes for 15mm rods: lightweight 15mm rods that are 60mm apart and are supposed to be 86mm from the lens center height and Studio 15mm rods which are 100mm apart and are supposed to be 104mm from the center height of the lens (and off-center left to right as well). So you would still need an adapter for the MFF-1, which is designed for the 60mm spacing.

By additional gears for Nikons, I take it you mean something that can be mounted to the lenses to give the Nikon lenses gearing that will interface with the follow focus? There are several manufacturers for these. Abel has the Zacuto Zip gears, which are like zip-ties with gear teeth on the outside. Very easy to mount and adjust on the lenses. Also the MFF-1 comes standard with a fairly small gear but you may want to get a fat one as well that is about an inch long. This allows the lens to extend itself as you adjust focus while still keeping the gears in contact. Still lenses often expand when adjusting focus.

 

[Ergin Ozturk]

Hi Mitch,
Thank you for your great support in AbelCine NY. I returned to Turkey. I'am putting everything together. Mattebox seems fine and suited well.
But for the follow focus i think i have a problem. I installed my follow focus on top of the 19-15mm adapter. And i put 85mm nikon lenses with Zacuto zip gears to my RED And it does not fit. It seems ring of FF is so close to center of the rods. It menas FF ring is at least 10mm inside the nikon lens (Figure1). There should be a way to pull back the ring of the ff (Figure2). But i could not figure out yet.

Does anybody using new arri ff with nikon lenses? Does it really fit?
regards,

ergin

 

[david farland]

Thanks for the compliment. I really do try to help you guys out first and "push product" a distant second.

Respects on the technical advice Mitch...I mean it! Credit where it's due.

But on the other hand a lot of your posts are pitching or talking up products that Abel sells.
You really sure 'pushing product' is a distant second?

Which is sorta weird too, as there is a 'no sales on this thread' notice.
Dave,

 

[Mitch Gross]

Hi Mitch,
Thank you for your great support in AbelCine NY. I returned to Turkey. I'am putting everything together. Mattebox seems fine and suited well.
But for the follow focus i think i have a problem. I installed my follow focus on top of the 19-15mm adapter. And i put 85mm nikon lenses with Zacuto zip gears to my RED And it does not fit. It seems ring of FF is so close to center of the rods. It menas FF ring is at least 10mm inside the nikon lens (Figure1). There should be a way to pull back the ring of the ff (Figure2). But i could not figure out yet.

Does anybody using new arri ff with nikon lenses? Does it really fit?
regards,

ergin

Ergin,

Your illustration doesn't exactly look the same as the MFF-1. There is a clamping bar that grabs the rods (or in your case the 15-19 rod adapter). Then there is a positioning bar between the clamping bar and the follow focus drive box. This positioning bar has a ratcheting handle for adjustment. The positioning bar is attached to the clamping bar and the follow focus drive box on ball joints, which makes it highly adjustable. You can use this to move the follow focus to whatever position you may need. The connection of the ball joint to the clamping bar is also on a small track locked by another ratcheting handle for even greater movement if necessary.

You should easily be able to make your follow focus fit your lens.

 

[Mitch Gross]

Respects on the technical advice Mitch...I mean it! Credit where it's due.

But on the other hand a lot of your posts are pitching or talking up products that Abel sells.
You really sure 'pushing product' is a distant second?

Which is sorta weird too, as there is a 'no sales on this thread' notice.
Dave,

David, if you look under my name it indicates "REDuser Sponsor." We pay to post banner ads on this forum. But it was actually more important to us to avoid any issue of impropriety when I mention new products or relate what we sell. I have often suggested particular products and vendors that we do not represent and will not make a dime from. I've also offered technical advice and even enjoy participating in some of the more creative discussions such as the "Best shot in a Movie Ever" thread, which certainly isn't about pushing Abel at all.

I know Jarred switched the number of posts indicator to "Who Cares?" but I have well over 1000 logged and the majority are not me selling Abel products. If someone asks about a specific product or where they can buy it, I would be foolishly remiss if I did not note that our company did not carry the product. With those posts I generally try to keep it short and sweet with a quick "Abel sells this" so as not to interrupt the flow of information in the thread or otherwise annoy people. But someone just asked where to buy Master Primes in the US and we're the ONLY authorized dealer -- should I not tell him?

By the way, I checked with Jarred and forum moderators about this way back because I was very cognizant of this as an issue. There are other companies who post on REDuser who do not pay to advertise here. Some have Sales Representatives posting. I am not a Sales Rep. I am the Applications Specialist, here to help people use their gear and know how items work and what items are appropriate to integrate together to perform the tasks desired. Me posting about setting flange depth does not sell anything for Abel. Technically our Service Dept. can do it for people at a small fee, but it's not exactly something we're looking to make money on.

David, we've had some small differences in the past but they are just that. I respect you and I hope you respect me. I spend many hours on this forum every day, including nights and weekends. It is a real commitment that I feel towards this community as I do towards the CML and Cinematography.com and others. I spend more time on REDuser than anywhere else, in part because of all the phone calls and emails I get that indicate that my input here is useful. By the way, I would say that most of these communications are not particularly about a specific purchase from Abel.

Sorry to rant on, but this is something I do try to be quite aware of. Tweak all you want but the responsibility for it comes down to the operators of the forum, not you.

 

[Larry McKee]

Respects on the technical advice Mitch...I mean it! Credit where it's due.

But on the other hand a lot of your posts are pitching or talking up products that Abel sells.
You really sure 'pushing product' is a distant second?

Which is sorta weird too, as there is a 'no sales on this thread' notice.
Dave,

David, I get what you are saying on both counts. Mitch is a great technical resource. He is always eager to help find a solution. If he happens to sell a product while he is helping us find the best solution for a problem, who gets hurt? Abel is a sponsor of the forum and helps keep the doors open. So, I personally don't mind when Mitch mentions their products in a post. I think he has found a nice balance between community service and product sales. Just my 2 cents.

EDIT: Mitch already responded while I was writing my post.