$15 DIY matte box

cheezweezl

cheezweezl

Veteran
Here's my new diy matte box. made from aluminum and gaff tape. no filter holders but a great cheap way to keep unwanted light out of your lens. plus it makes your dvx look really cool.:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG) fits right on the existing factory hood with gaff tape.

the aluminum cost me $12 and $3 for a can of spray paint. i designed it so that my dvx can still sit on a flat surface such as a table without resting on the matte box. there is about 1/8" of clearance.

If anyone is interested i can post templates and instructions.


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technically not a matte box. you've built perhaps a large sunshade.

matte box

besides holding filters...back in the day...matte boxes held just that...mattes. a piece of glass that was used to mask off an area so that it could be replaced with most often a "matte"..a glass painting. think star wars before luke and leia swung across the vast gap...what you saw was a painting. say you wanted to film yourself talking to yourself. you'd place a matte masking off one side of the frame, shoot, rewind the film back, and then switch the matte and shoot yourself on the other side of the frame. that's the way it was done before PCs and CG.

matter of fact the star wars intro text wasn't done on a computer. it was a glass painting and they used a dolly to pull away from the glass to make it appear that it was scrolling.

sorry for the film history lesson...but i do like what you have done. how did you go about measuring to make sure the flag wasn't in frame...compensate for the clearance i should say/ask? my only main concern is do get yourself a support system...somebody bumps into that and the stress goes to the lens. you definitely don't want that.
 
uhhh yeah.....but it looks cool.

just kidding. yeah it is more of an oversized lens hood than a mattebox but it does serve half the purpose and since i have my fair share of screw on filters, i'm cool with it.

to answer your question, i first took some measurements, then made a paper mockup and taped it to the dvx. after 2 revisions i got it right. super easy to make. all you need is tin snips. no other tools.

and oh yes, i am trying to locate some rods now.....
 
:2vrolijk_08: in the first picture, the arm to the chair behind the camera looked at first like some kind of a plastic support system.
 
That's cool-if not technically a mattebox, it does more than just act as a sunshade. It helps the "image" of the shooter. As the DVX is a smaller prosumer camera, than say the XL2-it beefs the camera up a bit for more professional shoots.

I like it and if you could post some templates, instructions etc it would be greatly appreciated.

-Kegan
 
Hey Cheese

Ya' know this isn't technically a Mattebox.

Biotch !

noob.jpg_thumb.jpg


:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
>i designed it so that my dvx can still sit on a flat surface
>such as a table without resting on the matte box.

That's actually a nice feature. I have the Formatt FM500, and I love it especially for the price, but... you can't set on a table, the mattebox pushes the camera up. Must get rails...
 
I've been trying to figure out the easiest way to make an adjustable eyebrow addition to the current lens shade that comes with the dvx. Something removeable would be great too. Any ideas? Basically making barndoors, but for the lens. Barndoors work pretty much on a hinge, do you think it would be possible to get a door hinge and hammer it a bit so it wasn't so loose and would stay in place where you adjusted it?
 
John_Hudson said:
Hey Cheese

Ya' know this isn't technically a Mattebox.

Biotch !


:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Click to expand...


well...it's as much a mattebox as that velcro thing that advertizes here..... i could put some velcro in mine and stick 4x4 filters to it. only difference is mine only cost $15!!!!

:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
not to mention that many people who buy a "real" mattebox do so only to make the dvx look more pro... $500 is steep for cool factor.
 
cheezweezl said:
not to mention that many people who buy a "real" mattebox do so only to make the dvx look more pro... $500 is steep for cool factor.
Click to expand...

True and a box does enhance the "cool" factor while cutting out unwanted light.
The Matteblox system is nice and a little more affordable, not to mention highly compact :)

The sunshade you designed is great, but for transport and any type of outdoor shooting may prove to be more hassle than help?
 
That looks great! Where did you get the aluminum from? Would you mind posting the template, I'd love to make one of these myself.
 
Noah said:
Barndoors work pretty much on a hinge, do you think it would be possible to get a door hinge and hammer it a bit so it wasn't so loose and would stay in place where you adjusted it?
Click to expand...

Piano hinge. Still have to bang it up a bit.
 
cheez and kdawg i thought the same thing about the chair :grin: i was all "ooooooooh that's nice...oh that's the chair"

i'm working on something similar, but will be using a hinge or something to turn them. was considering a filter holder, but since i'm not using my anamorphic lens there's no need...ah maybe.
 
What did you use to cut the aluminum sheet?

BTW great job...but I can't help but wonder how much sweeter this would be if the pieces were each sewed inside some kind of fabric, and then the whole piece seamed together so it could fold flat, and attached to a velcro strap at one end which would wrap tightly around the dvx hood (maybe also using some kind of simple rubber grip - like the rolls for kitchen stuff - on the opposite side of the velcro to make it more secure)...
 
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