Do I need a mattebox/filters

L

Lkorver

Well-known member
newbie to 35mm world here, excuse my ignorance..

I almost always use a polarizer when shooting exteriors with my dvx/hvx's. If I were to shoot with 35mm adapters, would I be screwed without the mattebox/filter set-up or does all the glass between the image and the censors help to cut down on the highlights?

Basically I'm trying to keep the rig as simple/light as possible and want to know the ramifications of not using a polarizer. I've shot once with the adapters but it was very overcast, I had no issues with the non filtered image.

thanks!
 
I always shoot with a mattebox because of 2 reasons.

1. I use uncoated lenses.

2. A (big arse) mattebox ist THE single item that divides man from mice.
There is no other gear that makes you look more pro and impresses clients and actors more than a big box. Period.

Catching glare and unwanted light plus the posibility to use cool filters is an other bonus.

Heck you can even bolt a mattebox to an I phone and look pro. ;-)

No, serious - you can still use round screw on filters on your photo lenses, no problem - thou I recomend at leastany form of lens hood or sunshade.

Frank
 
Lkorver said:
newbie to 35mm world here, excuse my ignorance..

I almost always use a polarizer when shooting exteriors with my dvx/hvx's. If I were to shoot with 35mm adapters, would I be screwed without the mattebox/filter set-up or does all the glass between the image and the censors help to cut down on the highlights?
Click to expand...


No, you would not be screwed. Contemporary lenses are very flare resistant. I have yet to put a matte box on my HVX200A. More often than not I struggle to even get intentional flares with my Nikkor lenses and generally just use a normal lens shade.

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so its just for looks pretty much... unless shooting on super clear sunny day it may come in handy... filters... mmm not such a fan of special fx filters rather do that on post...
 
There is no other gear that makes you look more pro and impresses clients and actors more than a big box. Period.

If you need to impress the client with how our gear looks then its necessary. Its not necessary for anything that has to do photography unless you want to use grads. If you want to use polas or any other filters they are cheaper in round versions but I suggest you get them all in one size big enough for your largest possible lens ( at least a 77mm) along with a shade and get adapter rings to adapt to all your lenses.
 
A mattebox is necessary. Regardless of coatings, any dust or specs on the lens will just light up if direct sun strikes the lens... plus, you lose contrast and color saturation when sunlight directly strikes a lens.

Some people prefer doing effects in post and there are certainly pros and cons for both post and in camera techniques... but there are SOME filters used in a mattebox that are NOT able to be replicated in post. Simple and true. So are filters necessary? Yes... for some photography techniques you do.

Examples include but are not limited to:

Polarizing filters
Grad ND filters
UV/haze filters
infrared filters
Closeup/Diopters
Low Contrast Filters
 
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First of all this has been asked here many, many times so you might also want to do a search and read other responses.

Yes, they are helpful for reducing glare and keeping crap out of your lens. But, as Len wrote, you're not obligated to use a MB to use filters. I use screw on filters and my 35mm lenses hoods and it works fine for me. Yes, using a grad is the one exception where a real MB would be helpful, but I can improvise with a makeshift MB in those situations.

It's pretty easy to improvise a MB by holding or clamping some cardboard to block the glare.

I think a lot of people go down the MB trail because it looks cool but they could achieve the same results by using lens hoods or improvising. Would I eventually like one, yes. But some of the MBs (depending on your camera) can cost $1500 and I bet you could use that money elsewhere. Consider renting one if you really must use square drop-in filters.
 
Ryan Patrick O'Hara said:
A mattebox is necessary. Regardless of coatings, any dust or specs on the lens will just light up if direct sun strikes the lens... plus, you lose contrast and color saturation when sunlight directly strikes a lens.
Click to expand...


Which is why you should always use at least a lens shade and/or flag light from actually striking the surface of the lens and/or filtration.

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