Tim Naylor
Veteran
I got it yesterday and immediately tore open the box to see what the fuss is all about. The parts come in custom fitted foam inserts. Very nice. I plan to put these directly into one of pelican cases. Nice way to pack. Foam inserts of this quality would cost you at least a 100.00.
Anyway, to the matte box. I built it it in a matter of minutes with no instructions - that's a good sign. You just screw the rod bracket to the swing way play and the arm to the 15mm rods and it's ready to go. You have vertical adjustment on the rod bracket of about an inch. And about two inches of fore and aft adjustment along the 15 mm rods stemming from the swing way bracket (these are separate from your 15mm baseplate rods). These are excellent features which not all matteboxes have. I can't tell you how many times I had to switch from short to medium rods to accommodate different lenses last week on a Chrosziel that had no fore and aft. Also, it's much easier to fine tune the height on the mattebox end than the baseplate end. Together they'll save you loads of time and aggravation especially if you're like me - going through the full arsenal of lens sizes by lunch.
Which brings me to the donuts. Neoprene construction I think, they are quite rugged and slide onto your lens and then tuck into the donut space of the mattebox. They come in four sizes to accommodate most any lens front. What I really like is the seal. Hard donuts even if they have the slightest gap can give you back end reflections on your filters. This system, though it may seem somewhat less slick than other "pro" models it really works and is easy to set up. Perhaps the only system that may work better and obviate the need to have multiple parts would be a system like Zacuto's "sack" universal donut. Eitherway, it's a simple and effective solution.
The swingway, is beautifully constructed and solid. The lock has minimal play. This hinge always is the weak point of any swing way mattebox because of the amount of torque a fully loaded box applies to it. Only time over extensive field testing will reveal its build virtues. If something's going to go on an MB - it'll be the swingway pivot. So far though this one instills confidence. I've seen nothing like this in this price range. This mechanism is really on par with MB's costing three times the RRock.
This MB is not light. Forget about visions of Vocas or the lightweight Chrosziel Sunshade. The size is more on par with the full size Chrosziel swing way or Arri MB. Now it might be overkill on your DVX 100, but if you like to use large 80mm or larger front lenses or wide angle lenses, the breadth of this MB will accommodate all. Larger filters demand larger MB;s. As it can take 4 x 5.56 filters this adds a whole new dimension compared to 4 x 4 MB's. I like to use all flavors of grad filters and with wide angle or large fronts. But the amount of adjustment you have is limited in 4 x 4. 4 x 5.56 allows me to adjust a grad into small corners or a bottom 1/5 th of a frame without vignetting. In short it's more precise. The trays, however, let me use 4 x 4, so filters like my 4 x 4 ND's or Pola, I can still keep around. For wide angles I can just put them on the near tray to avoid vignetting .
So let's talk about the tray system. Full 360 degree rotation. That's awesome. Lockdown on both the rotational position and the tray position. Both stages rotate. What I like most is the easy access to the lockdown knobs. So many matteboxes, chrosziel included, certain positions make it difficult to get your fingers to the lock down knob. Not here. That's a time saver. The procedure with the Chrosziel I've been using often would be to position the filter then hold it in place and carefully rotate the tray so the locking knob is no longer blocked by the MB frame, lock it down and rotate it back in position. If you slipped before tying it down, you'd have to do the process over. Not a good look in when you're in a rush. In fact it sucks. This aggravation is gone with the RR.
What else do I like? The internal hardmatte. It will come in handy for blocking extraneous light.
I also bought the eyebrow / sidebrow kit. This I'd say is the only weakness of the system. The eyebrow attaches much like the Chrosziel eyebrow. The eyebrow has two slots along the rear edge that you slide onto two knob/screws on a rail along the top of the MB. Tighten the knobs down and the eyebrow is secure. To position its angle, tilt it up or down and then tighten the screw at the end of the top rail. Pretty simple. The only issue I have is that the weight of the eyebrow and perhaps the smallness of the rail knob precludes me from getting it as tight as I like it. Meaning it can slip after much semi-hazardous use. This won't be an issue for most folks or on a tripod but in heavy winds, vehicle work and hand held it will be. I'd be more likely to resort to black paper tape or a French Flag.
The other mixed feelings I have regard the side brows. They are wonderfully designed to allow complete adjustability so it mates perfectly with the eye brow angle. The builld and material is top notch. The attachment though is a tongue and groove system that requires all the strength I can summon or robogrips to get them attached tightly. The current system requires the knob to actually constrict a slotted piece of metal around the "tongue" of the sidebrow. This requires immense torque. I feel they should've used the same slot/screw to attach the eyebrow. Or perhaps larger toggle style knobs like the ones they use on the rod attachment. That would make a huge difference in crank down power. This may also work on the angle lock for the eyebrow as well. Sure it's not as slick but requires less than half the torque and is much easier on the fingers. For now the robogrip method will be my finger saver.
However, the sidebrows themselves are so well constructed, you can use them to support the eyebrow if needs be. That's really my only beef with the system. Brian has already assured me his engineers are looking into this.
When you look at the Chrosziel eyebrow system, it employs a much lighter brow and a larger fastening screw.
So why the comparisions to a system that runs about three times as much. Well because nothing in its price range is close. Not Hyson, Indimatte, Cinevate, Etc. I'm not so much comparing price but quality and performance and this MB is in the league with the big boys at minor league prices. The grievances I have I feel can be easily remedied in updates and for now at 700.00, robogrip and maybe a French Flag in certain situations is a small price to pay. In the meantime, I'll try to find a way to modify the brow system so I can feel confident in using them in just about any situation.
The other item I'd really like to see made either by RR or someone offering up their DIY ingenuity would be a good system of hardmattes. RR already has a decent one inside the box. I'd love to see a set of five that'll accommodate wide to long lenses. Anyone out there have some ideas on a cheap way to make them? Canal Plastics NYC, here I come. I personally like using hardmattes over eyebrows and sidebrows as they make for a lighter and more compact system. And for an already large MB, I'd take whatever size savings I can. Especially with hand held work up close and near talent, the last thing you want are the blades of your eyebrows sticking out.
So that concludes my first impressions of the RR MB. I've got a few days on the job coming up and I'll follow up with an in the field review. Overall, in spite of a few misgivings with the leafs, I think it's truly a revolution in price to performance. It's really a full size narrative/dramatic work mattebox. It would not be my first choice for run/gun ENG style work where a two stage clip on makes more sense. But for feature work, this is a winner.
In a few months, I'll know how the real high stress areas like the swing way hold up.
Tim Naylor -DP
www.timnaylor.com
Anyway, to the matte box. I built it it in a matter of minutes with no instructions - that's a good sign. You just screw the rod bracket to the swing way play and the arm to the 15mm rods and it's ready to go. You have vertical adjustment on the rod bracket of about an inch. And about two inches of fore and aft adjustment along the 15 mm rods stemming from the swing way bracket (these are separate from your 15mm baseplate rods). These are excellent features which not all matteboxes have. I can't tell you how many times I had to switch from short to medium rods to accommodate different lenses last week on a Chrosziel that had no fore and aft. Also, it's much easier to fine tune the height on the mattebox end than the baseplate end. Together they'll save you loads of time and aggravation especially if you're like me - going through the full arsenal of lens sizes by lunch.
Which brings me to the donuts. Neoprene construction I think, they are quite rugged and slide onto your lens and then tuck into the donut space of the mattebox. They come in four sizes to accommodate most any lens front. What I really like is the seal. Hard donuts even if they have the slightest gap can give you back end reflections on your filters. This system, though it may seem somewhat less slick than other "pro" models it really works and is easy to set up. Perhaps the only system that may work better and obviate the need to have multiple parts would be a system like Zacuto's "sack" universal donut. Eitherway, it's a simple and effective solution.
The swingway, is beautifully constructed and solid. The lock has minimal play. This hinge always is the weak point of any swing way mattebox because of the amount of torque a fully loaded box applies to it. Only time over extensive field testing will reveal its build virtues. If something's going to go on an MB - it'll be the swingway pivot. So far though this one instills confidence. I've seen nothing like this in this price range. This mechanism is really on par with MB's costing three times the RRock.
This MB is not light. Forget about visions of Vocas or the lightweight Chrosziel Sunshade. The size is more on par with the full size Chrosziel swing way or Arri MB. Now it might be overkill on your DVX 100, but if you like to use large 80mm or larger front lenses or wide angle lenses, the breadth of this MB will accommodate all. Larger filters demand larger MB;s. As it can take 4 x 5.56 filters this adds a whole new dimension compared to 4 x 4 MB's. I like to use all flavors of grad filters and with wide angle or large fronts. But the amount of adjustment you have is limited in 4 x 4. 4 x 5.56 allows me to adjust a grad into small corners or a bottom 1/5 th of a frame without vignetting. In short it's more precise. The trays, however, let me use 4 x 4, so filters like my 4 x 4 ND's or Pola, I can still keep around. For wide angles I can just put them on the near tray to avoid vignetting .
So let's talk about the tray system. Full 360 degree rotation. That's awesome. Lockdown on both the rotational position and the tray position. Both stages rotate. What I like most is the easy access to the lockdown knobs. So many matteboxes, chrosziel included, certain positions make it difficult to get your fingers to the lock down knob. Not here. That's a time saver. The procedure with the Chrosziel I've been using often would be to position the filter then hold it in place and carefully rotate the tray so the locking knob is no longer blocked by the MB frame, lock it down and rotate it back in position. If you slipped before tying it down, you'd have to do the process over. Not a good look in when you're in a rush. In fact it sucks. This aggravation is gone with the RR.
What else do I like? The internal hardmatte. It will come in handy for blocking extraneous light.
I also bought the eyebrow / sidebrow kit. This I'd say is the only weakness of the system. The eyebrow attaches much like the Chrosziel eyebrow. The eyebrow has two slots along the rear edge that you slide onto two knob/screws on a rail along the top of the MB. Tighten the knobs down and the eyebrow is secure. To position its angle, tilt it up or down and then tighten the screw at the end of the top rail. Pretty simple. The only issue I have is that the weight of the eyebrow and perhaps the smallness of the rail knob precludes me from getting it as tight as I like it. Meaning it can slip after much semi-hazardous use. This won't be an issue for most folks or on a tripod but in heavy winds, vehicle work and hand held it will be. I'd be more likely to resort to black paper tape or a French Flag.
The other mixed feelings I have regard the side brows. They are wonderfully designed to allow complete adjustability so it mates perfectly with the eye brow angle. The builld and material is top notch. The attachment though is a tongue and groove system that requires all the strength I can summon or robogrips to get them attached tightly. The current system requires the knob to actually constrict a slotted piece of metal around the "tongue" of the sidebrow. This requires immense torque. I feel they should've used the same slot/screw to attach the eyebrow. Or perhaps larger toggle style knobs like the ones they use on the rod attachment. That would make a huge difference in crank down power. This may also work on the angle lock for the eyebrow as well. Sure it's not as slick but requires less than half the torque and is much easier on the fingers. For now the robogrip method will be my finger saver.
However, the sidebrows themselves are so well constructed, you can use them to support the eyebrow if needs be. That's really my only beef with the system. Brian has already assured me his engineers are looking into this.
When you look at the Chrosziel eyebrow system, it employs a much lighter brow and a larger fastening screw.
So why the comparisions to a system that runs about three times as much. Well because nothing in its price range is close. Not Hyson, Indimatte, Cinevate, Etc. I'm not so much comparing price but quality and performance and this MB is in the league with the big boys at minor league prices. The grievances I have I feel can be easily remedied in updates and for now at 700.00, robogrip and maybe a French Flag in certain situations is a small price to pay. In the meantime, I'll try to find a way to modify the brow system so I can feel confident in using them in just about any situation.
The other item I'd really like to see made either by RR or someone offering up their DIY ingenuity would be a good system of hardmattes. RR already has a decent one inside the box. I'd love to see a set of five that'll accommodate wide to long lenses. Anyone out there have some ideas on a cheap way to make them? Canal Plastics NYC, here I come. I personally like using hardmattes over eyebrows and sidebrows as they make for a lighter and more compact system. And for an already large MB, I'd take whatever size savings I can. Especially with hand held work up close and near talent, the last thing you want are the blades of your eyebrows sticking out.
So that concludes my first impressions of the RR MB. I've got a few days on the job coming up and I'll follow up with an in the field review. Overall, in spite of a few misgivings with the leafs, I think it's truly a revolution in price to performance. It's really a full size narrative/dramatic work mattebox. It would not be my first choice for run/gun ENG style work where a two stage clip on makes more sense. But for feature work, this is a winner.
In a few months, I'll know how the real high stress areas like the swing way hold up.
Tim Naylor -DP
www.timnaylor.com
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