Opinions on Cinevate Matte Box?

I just received my Cinevate mattebox and carbon rail system last week (very fast shipping BTW).

The Cinevate products are very well made; solid fit and nice finish. Lenses with a mattebox, 35mm adapater and external monitor can make a rig very front heavy and I chose the Cinevate rail system primarily because the tripod mount is separate from the camera mount and allows for very flexible balancing options without having to hang more weight off the rear. Also, you can change the length of the post for the camera mount which gives you virtually unlimited height adjustments.

So far I really like the Cinevate mattebox as well; it comes with two metal top french flags, metal adjustable side shades, adjustable 'eyelids', two rotating 4x4 filter stages and a handful of quickly interchangeable foam inserts to support various lens sizes. It's also comes with a rail mount that is height adjustable.

Fits right in your price range, is available now and I did I mention fast shipping?

I'm expecting my 35mm adapter this week and I'll post some close-up pictures once everything is properly setup.

Leo
 
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Why don't people who own these different matteboxes post pictures: Redrock micro (I guess only Brian could provide these), Cinevate, Geardear, Hyson. Etc. Etc.
 
Cavision 4x4 Hard Shell Matte Box is great stuff and not too expensive either. My opinion it's the best in functionality and design next to Chrosziel gear but much cheaper..Here's my unit with 15mm carbon fibre rail system and french flag.

l_ddc4cd30000e34fa335d3a6824295449.jpg
 
Does anyone reading this thread have a GearDear mate box? It looks interesting but I am a little put off by the quality of the unit and the fact that all of the parts are foam covered PVC? Does it crack or bend? Does it hold together well? The price is very low but I am wondering of their stuff will last under heavy usage?

Best,

Dan
 
Lenny, our mattebox does allow the vertical and horizontal sliding of the stages. It's a necessity when using graduated ND filters...and there is a lot of room to play with as our box is height adjustable. Measure the width of your 4x5.5 filter frames and I'll let you know if your filters will slide in.

The swing away function is nice, but not really required as every time you swap 35mm lenses, you'll have to change the mattebox position anyway. Because 35mm lenses breath a ton when focussing, you'll also have to check that the your required focus range does not have the lens body contacting the back of your filters when racking focus!
 
puredrifting said:
Does anyone reading this thread have a GearDear mate box? It looks interesting but I am a little put off by the quality of the unit and the fact that all of the parts are foam covered PVC? Does it crack or bend? Does it hold together well? The price is very low but I am wondering of their stuff will last under heavy usage?

Best,

Dan
Click to expand...


Hi Dan,

I like my Geardear mattebox alot. The foamed PVC makes it very lightweight, and the stability comes from the Aluminum slice. And the rods support is not foamed, it is massive.
It is very easy to use, easy to add filterstages and to adapt it from the HVX200 to my forthcoming Sony EX1. I have only to change the lensmount...
And if you use it with SLR lenses, you can slide it easily on the rods back and forth to adjust it to the length of your lenses. Yet I never missed swing-away...


Marc
 
Dennis:

Can you tell me how much your matte box weighs with the french flag and side wings in place? I am trying to figure out if my tripod head will have enough capacity to hold this rig.

Thanks,

Dan
 
Dan,

I have the Cinevate Matte Box and I'm going to guess that it weighs somewhere between 1 to 2 lbs with the french flag and side wings installed and without any filters.

Leo
 
marc.m said:
Hi Dan,

I like my Geardear mattebox alot. The foamed PVC makes it very lightweight, and the stability comes from the Aluminum slice. And the rods support is not foamed, it is massive.
It is very easy to use, easy to add filterstages and to adapt it from the HVX200 to my forthcoming Sony EX1. I have only to change the lensmount...
And if you use it with SLR lenses, you can slide it easily on the rods back and forth to adjust it to the length of your lenses. Yet I never missed swing-away...


Marc
Click to expand...

But is it a solid piece of gear?
I like the modular concept of Geardear, but it kind of looks like sth built with LEGO...?
Can it stand some field abuse?
And the Kits on the site are confusing me, I always think there might be some part missing :huh:
 
Well, I can tell you that the Cinevate Mattebox has survived two falls, fully rigged with camera, Brevis (and once with flip) on tripod, to the floor and the only damage to the mattebox was a bent top flag. It projects a great deal to the left and right and is the first thing to hit. At the price point, we think it's excellent.
 
Brian,
How modular is the RRM mattebox going to be? What are some of the various options that are going to be available? I recall a representative of Redrock discussing these on FreshDV's NAB tour.

~Joseph
 
jstunzi: yes, we did have a chance to talk to FreshDV.com though that was some time ago, and prior to our last preview version (the pics you see above)

We think the microMatteBox is alone in its capabilities and price range.

Here are the basic microMatteBox facts:

- universal mattebox for video, 35mm adapter, and film cameras
- stackable stages (as many or as few as you want)
- all stages rotate
- choice of 4x4 or 4x4.5" stages (stages can support up to 6" circular filters)
- swing-away
- sunshade designed for wide-angle lens support
- slots for fitting optional bottom flag and side wings
- solid metal construction at all critical points
- works with RED camera

base configuration of three rotating filter stages, french flag, and swing-away for target price of $500 US
 
brian,
the real question is when we can buy it.
we are waiting from long time.........but i can wait for this new revolution.
best
 
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