GH2 Looking for an ultra cheap matte box for my GH2

About looking professional....

When I camera tech for my friend who shoots celebs, we always set up more gear than needed. Why? Production value and line item costs. When a client comes in, they wanna see what they are paying for in action. If we just set up a softbox or beauty dish, some clients might wonder why they are paying all that money for something your just graduated art student can do. It's part of what we call Shock n' Awe. Lot's of shooter do this.

Now, the only thing is you have to deliver an image that is worthy.

So having a Mattebox to impress is not ridiculous. But for real, if you're not gonna load any filters in the box, it's really just a waste of time. Set up some lights or just slap all your lenses on a cart so the client can see all your gear.
 
Jim Simon said:
But if the matte box opening is behind the front of the lens, just how does that stray light get in?
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Light sources can be positioned behind the camera and can cause flaring and loss of contrast even when hitting lenses or filters from the side/back.
 
David W. Jones said:
Might just be cheaper to get a few black T-Shirts printed with the words "Film Crew".

Do you honestly think that adding a sub $200 matte box to your camera is going to enstill confidence in your abilities from clients you don't have yet? Rather invest that money into gaining clients so you can earn income and purchase the gear needed to satisfy your client demands and earn even more income.
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yes YES and YES. A professional looking rig will ABSOLUTELY instill confidence in a client.

I have 2 clients I'll be doing a video for at the end of the month already to go. Just by talking with them, I got a very strong sense of what they're expecting. I am going to benefit from having a matte box on my rig, that's not up for debate in my situation.

You'd be pretty surprised what minor aesthetic changes can do to someone's unconscious opinion about not just video, but many other aspects of life. Will a nice haircut guarantee me a girlfriend? No- however it will help more than you think on a subconscious level. I could sit here all day shelling out analogies of how aesthetic or superficial modifications lead to perceptual changes, but I'm not gonna go there.
 
Jim Simon said:
But if the matte box opening is behind the front of the lens, just how does that stray light get in?
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the mattebox will slide forward and back on the rail- and so depending on your lens/crop factor you may have the MB a couple of inches infront of the lens to block a particular flare. Once I had the MB right up on the lens, with the opening behind the lens as you say- and it did not block the flare. Only by sliding it forward about 2" did it block the flare. But even then the donut would have made no difference- infact the donut can sometimes vingette your frame by the time the box/flags block the flare.
 
dustylense said:
About looking professional....

When I camera tech for my friend who shoots celebs, we always set up more gear than needed. Why? Production value and line item costs. When a client comes in, they wanna see what they are paying for in action. If we just set up a softbox or beauty dish, some clients might wonder why they are paying all that money for something your just graduated art student can do. It's part of what we call Shock n' Awe. Lot's of shooter do this.

Now, the only thing is you have to deliver an image that is worthy.

So having a Mattebox to impress is not ridiculous. But for real, if you're not gonna load any filters in the box, it's really just a waste of time. Set up some lights or just slap all your lenses on a cart so the client can see all your gear.
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You bet, I agree with you 100%. If I didn't have confidence in my own ability to shoot something professional, the least of my worries would be a friggin matte box : ) Like you say, I'm not really bothering with filters and other add on's, just adding a tiny bit of panache to an overall plain rig. $130 is a very reasonable investment, even if it just slightly bolsters the confidence or opinion of the equipment being used or the talent behind the camera- it will be worth it.
 
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as far as impressing people, I have found that yes- some talent/clients are impressed by the "big camera" look a MB gives. But being on time (better yet- early), introducing yourself to everyone, having shotlists and storyboards organized in a binder, a set schedule planned, delegating, knowing your gear... these things tend to impress them more.

And radiate un-deniable confidence- very important, and it doesn't cost a thing. Even if things are going to hell on set.
 
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Ed Kishel said:
as far as impressing people, I have found that yes- some talent/clients are impressed by the "big camera" look a MB gives. But being on time (better yet- early), introducing yourself to everyone, having shotlists and storyboards organized in a binder, a set schedule planned, delegating, knowing your gear... these things tend to impress them more.

And radiate un-deniable confidence- very important, and it doesn't cost a thing. Even if things are going to hell on set.
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Definitely, I think this goes without saying. Obviously your skills, talent and logistical capabilities to implement a good production far outweigh what camera or accessories you bring to the table. This should be self-evident to anybody that wants to take video seriously.
 
It should go without saying- but as teacher (video production for beginners @ community college) I see too many kids compaining that they don't get a decked out RED to use, but at the same time they don't want to be bothered with the "restrictions" of a shotlist or schedule.
 
dustylense said:
About looking professional....

When I camera tech for my friend who shoots celebs, we always set up more gear than needed. Why? Production value and line item costs. When a client comes in, they wanna see what they are paying for in action. If we just set up a softbox or beauty dish, some clients might wonder why they are paying all that money for something your just graduated art student can do. It's part of what we call Shock n' Awe. Lot's of shooter do this.
.
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I guess I'm just a different bird then. I don't pull something from the truck unless it is a needed item.

Butterfly overhead, 1.2K HMI, Matte Box, Dolly, Audio Kit, Cooke Zoom, Lighted Makeup Station, Prompter, Jib, whatever, It does not get pulled from the truck unless it is needed. My thoughts... If you want to impress a client do so by working efficiently within the given budget, and deliver a product on time which meets or exceeds their expectations.

All the Best!

Dave
 
David W. Jones said:
I guess I'm just a different bird then. I don't pull something from the truck unless it is a needed item.

Butterfly overhead, 1.2K HMI, Matte Box, Dolly, Audio Kit, Cooke Zoom, Lighted Makeup Station, Prompter, Jib, whatever, It does not get pulled from the truck unless it is needed. My thoughts... If you want to impress a client do so by working efficiently within the given budget, and deliver a product on time which meets or exceeds their expectations.

All the Best!

Dave
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Then you don't up your budgets with line item costs. I own all me gear. But every time I shoot, I make sure my clients are renting that gear on the final line item. Why? So that not only my gear costs get recouped, but my gear costs to client give me the ability to purchase updated gear or fix gear that was broken on set. It's making your gear pay for your gear, so that your $'s made shooting pay you. When you estimate a job and you bring a $1 battery, do you charge the client $1 for the battery? I charge $2 for the battery so that I can buy another battery for the next job. When you drive to a job and use $50 in gas, do you charge the client $50 for the gas? I charge the client $100 for the gas, so that I can maintain my car and get to the next job. This way, my shooters fee isn't paying for these items. "Line item". You already got hired because someone likes your work. Saying stuff like, "let your work speak for itself" is silly. Well, your work involves gear. Let your gear pay for your gear and your work pay you.
But if you line item your gear, then don't "show" it, you might be in for a heap of trouble. It's called production value. Why not make money off your investments (lenses, camera, car, or your lighted makeup station?) Let the assistants pull them out of the truck. The money I make from clients renting my gear pays for new gear. Who here doesn't like new gear?
 
David W. Jones said:
Charging for your gear is one thing, adding line items to pad out the budget is altogether different.
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Then you don't line item your gear, gas, and all that support a shoot? The other advantage is that when you submit an estimate for bid, you get a bit a leverage if your estimate is too high. If a client comes back and says "you need to reduce this estimate" now you are reducing the costs that don't dive into your shooter fee. On the other hand, you could also go back and say that if you cut those costs, the client is cutting the production which might end up hurting the overall production. They then turn around and ask if you can cut a certain percentage of the production cost. Either way, the cutting never comes out of your personal pay. Remember, if your asked to submit a bid, it's because they like what they see in your work. Why cut into that? Do you like cutting into your shooters fee (your talent) or something?

So yes, if you think a matte box is going to help in perceived production value, I say GO FOR IT. Just make sure you make money from it.

These guys taught me this theory. Since then, my gear makes me money on top of my work.
www.sebreephoto.com
www.tomburkhartphoto.com
www.tobypederson.com

Me, I'm just an architectural photographer and video guy.
 
OldCorpse said:
FWIW, I just bought this a couple of days ago, still waiting for it to arrive - directly from the kamerar site which gives you free shipping and 35% OFF which comes to a shade under what's on amazon:

http://kamerar.com/products/matte-box-max-1
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Cool!, I just ordered mine this morning. This must be really new, cause it seems like everyone is just finding out about it. It's not going to be the greatest thing in the world, but for the price I don't know how you could beat it. Guess I missed out on saving a few bucks as well, good catch.
 
Personally I don't understand why people say it will not be usable for its intended purpose: filters and shade. I understand there's only one tray and it's not super convenient (doesn't swing away, instead it's an awkward slide-in tray), but if I'm using it for narrative work, why wouldn't this work? Convenience is worth something, but from what I can see, you can't get any better than this box until you spend somewhere toward $500... personally, I'm on a super-low budget and saving $400 means something to me - as long as what I buy is not totally non-functional. I guess I'll find out once I receive it, but I would be very disappointed if I couldn't use it for filters in narrative work - maybe it won't be super fast to change filters, but it should still do its job. When you are on a budget, you do give up some convenience - unfortunately. If you have the $, by all means buy an Alexa and top of the line equipment. But I don't, and I still expect the box to work for its intended purpose. We'll see once I receive it.
 
maranfilms said:
So your saying, nylon and velcro looks professional?
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Mine isn't for "looks". It's for function. Fits on some lenses (Lumix 20mm f1.7 for instance) I'd have a hard time fitting another type to, and doesn't need rods or rails. Takes 2 sizes of "flags".

Very effective at blocking stray light and shielding the lens.
 
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