Matte box suggestions for Canon 7D?

[Rick Rock]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[mcgeedigital]

The Genus ones are perfect for the 5D and 7D.

[griffin86]

On P bloom's site I saw the genus mattebox which seemed pretty nice, I haven't tried it on for size myself but it is worth a look and others with experience can chime in here.

http://genustech.tv/

[Michael Olsen]

I'm looking at the cinevate mb...not sure how its been reviewed, though.

[Tracey Lee]

I am actually looking at the Genus one as well...it seems a bit smaller than some which is what I am looking for.

[Daygola814]

What about the RedRock Mico Matte Box? Has anyone tried to use that with a DSLR (namely, the 5D)? I'm hoping it will fit on the 7D lenses.

[mcgeedigital]

What about the RedRock Mico Matte Box? Has anyone tried to use that with a DSLR (namely, the 5D)? I'm hoping it will fit on the 7D lenses.

Way too big for VDSLR's IMO.

[Rick Rock]

Alright, thanks for the suggestions.

Hey Paul, you might be interested to know that a few months back, I boxed up about 3-4 years worth of Videomaker magazines from my shelf and shipped them off to Afghanistan for US soldiers to read. My sister was sending a shipment of books out, so I thought I'd donate. Hope they made it there.

[J Davis]

How much is the basic Genus, couldn't see a price on the website
anyone know?

[Michael Olsen]

How much is the basic Genus, couldn't see a price on the website
anyone know?

$749.00

http://www.genusproducts.com/servlet/the-1/mattebox-matte-box-genus/Detail

[manglerBMX]

can anyone chime in on if the genus has adjustable height from the rail mounts? i'll be using xlr adapter, probably juiced link and vertical grip/dual battery. so i see that probably adding close to 3-4 inches of camera lens height. but i'll probably be mounting on the zacuto mini baseplate which should help out with the excess lens height since they usually suggest that dslr height booster thingy.

[KeithAndrews.TV]

There's no way in hell I would spend $750 for a mattebox like the Genus. I'm sorry but that's price gouging. I mean physically look at the product. Does it look like it's worth $750. I think manufacturers in this industry have gotten carried away with their products thinking that they can justify charging as much as they do simply because we use high-end pieces of electronic devices. It's been that way for a long time too and I think we need to start looking elsewhere for our accessories. I'd buy a mattebox from Cavision for $450 before I bought anything from Genus.

I mean in the case of hdslr cameras you need something to physically hold ND filters in front of the lens because the current selection of cameras doesn't have built in ND like our video cameras. So why would you spend so much on something that you may not even use all the time. Unless you are the kind of person that is insecure and needs to put a mattebox on your camera simply for aesthetics. I'd rather keep the weight down and use a good screw on polarizer filter and ND filter and shoot all day. Plus, a lens shade will prevent flare and unwanted light from entering the lens just as well and you can buy those for around $40.

[mtan]

You can combine these two products for a decent mattebox for $80 and use circular filters. There is no way I would spend over $150, and that is still high, for a plastic sun shade.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=workaround.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=310723&is=REG

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=workaround.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=310701&is=REG

These soft matteboxes are cool also for $99, especially since they can fold up. Also has filter holder add on accessory.
http://www.cinetactics.com/Detail.bok?no=1

Here is one that holds filters for $165
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/335937-REG/Cavision_MB385PW_MB385PW_Wide_3x3_Matte.html

[KeithAndrews.TV]

My first mattebox was a Cavision and I had it mounted to my Sony PD150 with carbon fiber rails. I would highly recommend the matteboxes from them. Good build quality and great price, especially for what they are being used for.

One thing to consider when using a mattebox that hasn't been mentioned is the cost of 3x3, 4x4, and 4x5 filters. They are considerably more expensive than their screw on counterparts. I would only recommend buying a polarizer and ND though, because everything else you can produce in post. Most DP's will recommend to shoot clean and effect in post anyway, but the polarizer and ND will actually help you to control exposure in the field. Something that can't always be recovered in post.

[alexdias]

The Genus seems to be the best cost effective option for now.
It's well built and very functional.

[Daygola814]

The Redrock seems to give you more than the Genus. And it's cheaper. I dunno. The RedRock is bigger though... Depends on if you mind that or not. I don't.



Alright, thanks for the suggestions.

Hey Paul, you might be interested to know that a few months back, I boxed up about 3-4 years worth of Videomaker magazines from my shelf and shipped them off to Afghanistan for US soldiers to read. My sister was sending a shipment of books out, so I thought I'd donate. Hope they made it there.


That's awesome man! That was a very kind thing to do. I hope they made it there too!

[tony404]

Im curious why cant you use the lens hood thats comes with the lens? All my canon lens come with some sort of lens hood.

[mtan]

you can, it just won't look as cool. And if you get a $700 matte box instead of a $100 one, you can look especially cool among the professional crowd. But kidding aside, a matte box with a flag will prevent more lens flare than a regular petal hood but this is not enough to justify paying $700 for in my opinion.

[ProjX v2.0]

The Cinevate swing-away mattebox looks like a solid option. It swings open for easy access to swap lenses and it has a cage built around it that you can grip.

Video Clip:
http://www.cinevate.com/website/flash/swingipod.mp4

[Michael Olsen]

The Cinevate swing-away mattebox looks like a solid option. It swings open for easy access to swap lenses and it has a cage built around it that you can grip.

Video Clip:
http://www.cinevate.com/website/flash/swingipod.mp4


Cost is even more prohibitive there...$900. It looks very solidly built, utilitarian, and would likely be something I'd have for quite a while. I'd love to hear opinions about it...

[mtan]

there must be some rich people here

[tony404]

They look cool but I cant see spending half the cost of the camera for something that's not a lens.

[Boz]

there must be some rich people here

Heh. No doubt. There are people here on the list with full Red One rigs. They also seem to buy every camera that comes out. I understand though, most are pros who make a living from this stuff, so cameras are a business expense. Must be nice!

Back to Matte boxes; the CaVision stuff looks like the most affordable option. I'm not sure about build quality though, having never seen one first hand. Studio4's Indi Mattebox looks promising as well: http://www.indifocus.com/products_indimattepro.htm

[Eddy Robinson]

Matte boxes have their benefits, but it might be more economical to rent - if you're getting some lights, stands, flags, a dolly, and enough stuff to fill a van you may well be able to wangle one for cheap or free.

It's not something you will use every day, and like a dolly it's the sort of thing that attracts attention, whereas the lens hood won't, allowing you to much more latitude in locations which might tolerate or ignore photography but not video. Even on fully budgeted film shoots I have very often seen light spill problems solved with the aid of black wrap.

[mcgeedigital]

$749.00

http://www.genusproducts.com/servlet/the-1/mattebox-matte-box-genus/Detail

Or:

Try $539.00

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/544775-REG/Genus_GWMC_77_GCM_77_Matte_Box_with.html

[KeithAndrews.TV]

Like usual you have to consider all of the parts that make a complete package. In the same way you can't buy a 5D, or 7D and start shooting without a lens, it doesn't make much sense buying a matte box if you aren't going to use any filters. For the cost of a Genus matte box alone, you could have a Cavision matte box, rails and several large glass filter.

[Michael Olsen]

Or:

Try $539.00

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/544775-REG/Genus_GWMC_77_GCM_77_Matte_Box_with.html

Well done, sir. That could definitely be worth looking at...

[Jean Dodge]

That genus mattebox from B+H is out of stock. Also, is it the correct height for your rails? The bracket doesn't look to be adjustable to me.

One distinct advantage of a mattebox over lens hoods is the hope that your investment covers the filtration for all the lenses you own and might rent with whatever camera body you use movig into the future. In film-only days most DPs owned their own set of filters -and most still do, but the kit is more basic now since most color correction is done in post. Still the leaves close up diopters, effects softening and diffusing filters, neutral density solid a graduated filters and others like polarizers and whatever else you might need - like an optical flat that simply protects the front element from dust or splatter.

A mattebox starts to pay itself off when you find yourself shooting all day with lenses of different barrel sizes, constantly changing. A swing-away is great then... Zacuto has a swing away bracket that turns a fixed one into a swing away, but like everything they sell it is very well machined and so not cheap. A mattebox also allows the placement of strong backlight that is flagged well if you use the sides and an eyebrow. The other handy tool is a french flag, which is another item/expense to take into account when designing a digital cinematography rig.

In the field it is true that the mattebox and an eyebrow cover 80% of your needs. A mattebox with sides is nice when you can get it but a cheaper one, without sides and a french flag usually can get the job done since often the stray light is coming from one specific source on set.

Covering the back of the mattebox is another issue. Ideally, like on Arriflex units you have a round stage at the back of a mattebox for large round filters such as a 138mm round - that way with a two stage mattebox you could take care of polarizing this way and leave the two front stages for effects filters - like a softening pro-mist and then a graduated ND that only blocks the bright sky and not the dark colored earth, for example. This round stage then has a rubber-step down/ accordian effect that terminates in a ring that fits your prime set (again ideally all the same barrel size) and your zoom/s, which are usually different barrel size. when this isnt the case - assitants employ "donuts" which are just a ring cut from neoprene like a computer mouse pad and fitted to the end of the lens so stray light cant come frmo behind and strike the filter, but the lens barrel can still rotate freely for follow focus.

Having said all that, I still don't see a mattebox as essential to the majority of shooters. It just depends on how far you want to take all this. Once you commit to a follow focus unit of some sort you are building a system with rods anyway so it seems to start to make sense to look into getting the right mattebox that you will hang onto.

But again, remember it mostly makes sense if you have a lot of prime lenses of different thread/barrel sizes and only want to invest in one set of really decent filters in 4x4 size. If you are shooting with one zoom most of the time, or a zoom and one wide angle, stick with lens hoods and a round filter and invest in a good french flag that you can use like an eyebrow when you start needing it. The canon reversing zooms, that is the ones where the barrel gets LONGER as the focal length gets wider benefit greatly from this design when it comes to the effectiveness of the lens hood - it can be designed in such a way as to cover the most when you need it.

[robmneilson]

I would STRONGLY urge people to avoid using the cavision mattebox! I loathed the one that I had...the french flag never stayed up, the filter trays were of poor quality and it could just not stand up to the abuse that I gave it.

Luckilly I bought an old arri mattebox on ebay for a very cheap price. It's 20 years old, but looks and works better than my one year old Cavision!

[Boz]

Thanks for the detailed description of Matte boxes and how they work, Jean. Having never personally used one before I found the information very helpful.

Rob, thanks for the headsup on the CaVision matte box. Since I can't see/use most of this gear in advance of buying it, it's good to know what's crap.

Anyone tried the IndiMatte matte box? Looks promising at a decent price:
http://www.indifocus.com/products_indimattepro.htm

[robmneilson]

Definetly try searching ebay...I got my new (old) arri mattebox for 250 bucks!

[Jean Dantes]

Damn, just when I thought I'd found a bargin in the Cavision.

Why are matte boxes so damn exspensive? I think there is definitely something wrong with the way they're priced. Some sort of monopoly going on here with the big players...

[Michael Olsen]

I think it has to do with the way they are cut from the steel or aluminum stock. There must be a lot of unavoidable waste involved. Of course, one can get a plastic mattebox...and another...and another...

[open-heart burglary]

What about these matte boxes.

http://www.geardear.com/

has anybody here used them or heard anything about them. I like the modular aspect of them. And you can add more filter stages if you need them and replace parts easily.

[Shawn Murphy]

Just thought I would mention that I'm selling a FORMATT FM-500 MATTE BOX w/72mm adapter (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=182033):

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=182033

And a Schneider Optics 4x4 True-Pol Polarizer (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=181711):

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=181711


~Shawn

[pressphotographer]

All matteboxes are not the same. Wasted a lot of cash along the way. I've got the following:

Formatt FM500 - hated it, clip on only, span around a lot, widest lens usable about a 28mm.
Cinetactics HD velcro on mattebox - hated it, great idea but in reality a PITA to get on and off and keep in position. Widest lens about 24mm.
Cinevate MB (original version) - quite well made but didn't give very wide angle coverage, was height adjustable. Not tried the new one but it looks pretty big to me.
Redrockmicro MB - As I've said before the Redrockmicro is great but I only really use it on set as its not very portable and quite heavy, if you don't do any run and gun ever then its a good option. Good value for money. I'm keeping this one.
Genus GWMC - OK, I'm going to pin my colours to the mast as a Genus mattebox boy. I finally settled on this one and am very happy with it. It allows proper wide angle coverage to almost 17mm on a 5DmkII for video (stills cut off at corners) , its beautifully put together but still light weight enough to run around with. I keep it in my bag the whole time. It may be expensive compared to some of the others mentioned but then its professional kit that meet my criteria, so to me its good value. I make my living from video and most of the other matteboxes mentioned here just don't cut it for me.

Oh and be careful there are 2 versions of the Genus Mattebox, the older one is the one on B+H I think and it is not as wide angle, you want the GWMC for that.

Dan

[boulder]

$190. Has filter holders, metal flags etc.

http://dvcity.com/dve/product_info.php?cPath=70&products_id=188 (http://dvcity.com/dve/product_info.php?cPath=70&products_id=188)

you can then purchase a rail mount for it on the same site.

[PaPa]

lol $750 for a small piece of plastic with no flags or swing away mechanism? Next.

[PaPa]

Thanks for the detailed description of Matte boxes and how they work, Jean. Having never personally used one before I found the information very helpful.

Rob, thanks for the headsup on the CaVision matte box. Since I can't see/use most of this gear in advance of buying it, it's good to know what's crap.

Anyone tried the IndiMatte matte box? Looks promising at a decent price:
http://www.indifocus.com/products_indimattepro.htm

I own the indi matte box, and although it's good for the price, be aware of the fact that it rocks back and forth at the joint area of the magnet/swing away bracket if you are doing some handheld work, so its not very very solid. But yeah, good for the price.

[Boz]

$190. Has filter holders, metal flags etc.

http://dvcity.com/dve/product_info.php?cPath=70&products_id=188 (http://dvcity.com/dve/product_info.php?cPath=70&products_id=188)

you can then purchase a rail mount for it on the same site.

Looks good except I see zero support for a rails system. I don't know if I want 2 lbs hanging off the end of my lens with no support.


I own the indi matte box, and although it's good for the price, be aware of the fact that it rocks back and forth at the joint area of the magnet/swing away bracket if you are doing some handheld work, so its not very very solid. But yeah, good for the price.

Thanks for the info! It's good to know the pro's and con's of each piece of gear. Hmm... I may need to take a trip to Samys in LA to see if I can try some of these matte boxes first hand before buying. I'd hate to drop $300 - $700 and end up with something I'm not happy with.

[boulder]

You can buy rail support for it (DVcity), user on HV20 has one
http://www.hv20.com/showpost.php?p=249744&postcount=1877

[editman]

I plan on using my current Mattebox with the 7D also from dvcity:

[Rick Rock]

Man...sooo wish the 7D had an articulating LCD. :cry:
.

[boulder]

no doubt...that is sweet

[simonfilm]

It makes think twice to buy a piece or two of plastic/metal with a hinge.

http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/248/2041/1588/store.apple.com/Catalog/regional/amr/macbook/img/overview-hero.jpg

[pressphotographer]

It's the same old argument, just try tooling up to make a decent mattebox yourself for a small volume run and see what you have to charge to make a profit. If making a mattebox is that easy then there would be plenty of perfect matteboxes, sadly there are not and I have many budget ones lying around gathering dust to prove it. Indian copies are improving in quality but I would not want to use one for a professional production given the reports here.

If you don't need a mattebox then fine, but understand that it is essential kit to some here and until someone actually makes a cheap one that kills the opposition I suggest the sarcasm stops. Hell stop complaining and bring one to market, I'd be a happy camper if someone did manage it.

Macbooks are made in far far higher volumes. I'm not saying that expensive is always better, but the best things in life are not free either.

Dan

[Illya Friedman]

Hello All,

In the last week or so I officially became a Genus dealer. I should be able to beat any authorized dealers "in-stock" price if I can round up enough people for a powerbuy. Probably need at least 5 people.

Any interest?

[filmmaker's gang]

man..

suply a 1080p anamorphic adapter
& a PL mount for 7d

it is enough

[speedracerlo]

id be interested in the new version genus matte box if we can get a reasonable group buy price

[mcgeedigital]

Hello All,

In the last week or so I officially became a Genus dealer. I should be able to beat any authorized dealers "in-stock" price if I can round up enough people for a powerbuy. Probably need at least 5 people.

Any interest?

Damn, just bought one a few weeks ago.

They are the PERFECT size for the 5d/7d.

[Justyn]

This package price seems like a good deal:

http://dvcity.com/dve/product_info.php?cPath=92&products_id=276

[Jean Dantes]

http://www.indifocus.com/products_indimattepro.htm

- $349

[cjwolff]

I would only recommend buying a polarizer and ND though, because everything else you can produce in post. Most DP's will recommend to shoot clean and effect in post anyway, but the polarizer and ND will actually help you to control exposure in the field. Something that can't always be recovered in post.

Another 'we'll fix it in post' comment. As I've started my video production 'career' as a post-guy I'll give you my $0.02 here. The DSLR phenomenon at this stage will mandate accessories for clean perfectly exposed shots in camera because there's only so far you're going to stretch H.264 instead of redcode raw. DSLR's will push those artists who wish to use them to become better with lighting, better with set design, and better with composition.

The cost savings in the DSLR 'brain' will be made up in accessories to perfect the shot and system. Steadicams will become more mandatory than optional as will matteboxes and filter kits.


Thank you.

[Filmmaking Innovations]

This one is lightweight and does not require rails. It attaches directly to the lens. It's a great way to reduce side lens flares and it makes your still camera look like more like a movie camera.

http://videotools.movierich.com/

It's on eBay too.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHu1AfXjIsE

[Joseph Ray]

You can combine these two products for a decent mattebox for $80 and use circular filters. There is no way I would spend over $150, and that is still high, for a plastic sun shade.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=workaround.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=310723&is=REG

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=workaround.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=310701&is=REG

These soft matteboxes are cool also for $99, especially since they can fold up. Also has filter holder add on accessory.
http://www.cinetactics.com/Detail.bok?no=1

Here is one that holds filters for $165
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/335937-REG/Cavision_MB385PW_MB385PW_Wide_3x3_Matte.html

I will be getting the 60d when that comes out later, the last one you linked in that post, would that be a good fit for a 60d?

[Sure Shott]

This one is lightweight and does not require rails. It attaches directly to the lens. It's a great way to reduce side lens flares and it makes your still camera look like more like a movie camera.

http://videotools.movierich.com/

It's on eBay too.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHu1AfXjIsE

This is a joke. I am sorry but this is a rip off of a 4 dollar DIY. Check the DIY forum for DIY Mattebox, you will see this is made from an index card box.

[chrismagicc]

why hasn't anyone posted the cinecity mattebox?

this thing looks pretty well equipped with rail supports, 2 filter holders (4x4) and a french flag.

does anyone have this mattebox??

its called the proaim

http://cgi.ebay.com/V11-Sunshade-Mattebox-fr-xm1-pd150-z1-fx1-T2i-gh1-DSLR-/140439995613?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20b2e044dd

[Sure Shott]

Just got this, I will post soon about my new rig as well as my thoughts on that Mattebox