Tim Naylor
Veteran
Before people start ripping on me for not singing its praises, please understand, I wanted this to be the Holy Grail of indy matteboxes - you know perform like a pro for a paupers price. But so far I found in the mattebox world you still get what you pay for.
So here it goes:
Finally got my hands on a Hyson X Mattebox. The three stage, swing way, etc.
Pros:
- It folds up nice and tight
- looks impressive from a distance
- Adjustable x/y axis makes centering on lens
Cons:
- It's bulky as all hell. Clumsily designed. Nobs and screws loose fitting and cheap materials.
- Poor build. Very "homemade" in every respect. Lots of flex and jiggle. Would not stand up to car mount work.
- Large gaps between eyebrows and box which would be susceptible to glare.
- Trays are not dual (4 x 4 and 4 x 4.56, just 4 x 4.56)
- None of the mechanics (trays, swing way, 15mm mount, etc) are smooth to operate.
- Mechanics on swing not well machined or designed. Seems like a weak point for bending or alignment issues.
- Donut continually falls out
- Donut holder attaches in a somewhat dicey way
- Way too heavy. Stiff and rigid weight is one thing. But flimsy weight in this case is downright scary.
- In short, feels cheap.
I wouldn't use this in any paying or client based situation. Definitely not well suited for hand - held or vehicle work - too flimsy.
I was really hoping for something that performed as well as the pics - the holy grail of matteboxes, pro quality for indy prices. There's been so much hype about how well designed Hyson MB is. After using it, I feel this has been generated by folks who never had the chance to work with a quality MB and perhaps compared it too Cinecity, Formatt and the like.
If you're expecting Arri, Chrosziel, Petroff or Vocas like performance from the Hyson for half the price, keep looking. I'd rate if just a few ticks above Cinecity. Where Cinecity falls slightly short of Hyson in build quality, it ranks better in terms of simplicity. One poster claimed it was better built than a Petroff, that you need to take a hammer to dent it. Perhaps, as it's heavy but in terms of build and performance, Petroff is in a different league all together. For 200 dollars more you can get a simple Chrosziel two stage Sunshade for 15mm that will blow the doors off this in terms of usability and durability.
Hyson needs to simplify and design something sturdy for cheap. I feel it's trying to perform too many tasks and doing none of them well (3-4 stages, all rotating, four way eyebrows with adjustable leafs, swing way, etc. ) To have all these items and not machine well or use good materials, the rigidity and robustness decreases with each added feature. It's heavy and rickety. I think if they forwent the four way leafs in favor of hard mattes, they'd have something that's lighter, stiffer and with fewer moving parts. Also, if you can't do a swing way well, lose it. I find a light weight Chrosziel easier and faster to remove than swinging the Hyson clear.
That's my review. Wasn't out to piss on anyone's parade. Just called it how I saw it. I really wanted this to be a performer.
Tim Naylor - DP
Just my objective review
__________________
Cinetim
So here it goes:
Finally got my hands on a Hyson X Mattebox. The three stage, swing way, etc.
Pros:
- It folds up nice and tight
- looks impressive from a distance
- Adjustable x/y axis makes centering on lens
Cons:
- It's bulky as all hell. Clumsily designed. Nobs and screws loose fitting and cheap materials.
- Poor build. Very "homemade" in every respect. Lots of flex and jiggle. Would not stand up to car mount work.
- Large gaps between eyebrows and box which would be susceptible to glare.
- Trays are not dual (4 x 4 and 4 x 4.56, just 4 x 4.56)
- None of the mechanics (trays, swing way, 15mm mount, etc) are smooth to operate.
- Mechanics on swing not well machined or designed. Seems like a weak point for bending or alignment issues.
- Donut continually falls out
- Donut holder attaches in a somewhat dicey way
- Way too heavy. Stiff and rigid weight is one thing. But flimsy weight in this case is downright scary.
- In short, feels cheap.
I wouldn't use this in any paying or client based situation. Definitely not well suited for hand - held or vehicle work - too flimsy.
I was really hoping for something that performed as well as the pics - the holy grail of matteboxes, pro quality for indy prices. There's been so much hype about how well designed Hyson MB is. After using it, I feel this has been generated by folks who never had the chance to work with a quality MB and perhaps compared it too Cinecity, Formatt and the like.
If you're expecting Arri, Chrosziel, Petroff or Vocas like performance from the Hyson for half the price, keep looking. I'd rate if just a few ticks above Cinecity. Where Cinecity falls slightly short of Hyson in build quality, it ranks better in terms of simplicity. One poster claimed it was better built than a Petroff, that you need to take a hammer to dent it. Perhaps, as it's heavy but in terms of build and performance, Petroff is in a different league all together. For 200 dollars more you can get a simple Chrosziel two stage Sunshade for 15mm that will blow the doors off this in terms of usability and durability.
Hyson needs to simplify and design something sturdy for cheap. I feel it's trying to perform too many tasks and doing none of them well (3-4 stages, all rotating, four way eyebrows with adjustable leafs, swing way, etc. ) To have all these items and not machine well or use good materials, the rigidity and robustness decreases with each added feature. It's heavy and rickety. I think if they forwent the four way leafs in favor of hard mattes, they'd have something that's lighter, stiffer and with fewer moving parts. Also, if you can't do a swing way well, lose it. I find a light weight Chrosziel easier and faster to remove than swinging the Hyson clear.
That's my review. Wasn't out to piss on anyone's parade. Just called it how I saw it. I really wanted this to be a performer.
Tim Naylor - DP
Just my objective review
__________________
Cinetim
Last edited:
