Matte box

mountainmedia

mountainmedia

Well-known member
Is anyone using and/or can recommend a good, relatively inexpensive ($600 or less) matte box? I want a clip-on "sunshade" type, not one that requires support rods, etc. Thanks!
 
*DING* You win! :D And no, I didn't say "cheap," I said "inexpensive." But seriously, that looks like a decent option. Do you know anything about the company?

Thanks!
 
I just ordered that matte box - hopefully it's not a piece of junk. I'll post here when I receive it and have had a chance to try it out.
 
OK, I received my Cine City "Jumbo" matte box yesterday. Having ordered it last Friday, that was FAST (coming from India)! My initial thoughts as I picked up the shipping box was "this is a lot heavier than I thought it would be!" Inside was the matte box, 82mm adapter (per my request), french flags, side flags, rod adapter (nice that was included) and other adapters that I didn't need or want.

So, first thing first - is this thing Chrosziel quality? No. But it's really not bad, I have to say. I used it extensively today and it held my filter (black pro mist) securely. The build quality is decent (not great - but what do you want for $200?) and it fits tightly to the lens using the included 82mm adapter ring.

Three annoyances thus far:

1) The adapter ring thread was difficult to screw onto the front of the lens. I gave up after a half-dozen or so attempts for fear of stripping the threads on my lens. I ended up mounting the adapter ring to a UV filter I have for protecting the front of my lens and then screwed that into the lens - problem solved.

2) The rotating filter stage rotates a bit too freely and I haven't discovered a way to solve this in the long term. In the short term, a piece of gaff tape holds it well.

3) Either the paint wasn't completely dry or it's something else but after messing with the matte box, adapter ring and french flags, my finger tips had nice black smudges all over them. A little Fast Orange solved it and I think this will eventually stop happening (I hope).

So, in conclusion, if you don't have the money right now for a Chrosziel or similar matte box - but need the functionality of one (like me), this offering from Cine City is definitely worth the $200 (plus shipping). The build quality is decent, it secures to the front of the lens well (doesn't feel like it's going to fall off) and it holds filters securely. Heck, it also looks damn cool on the HPX300 (don't say you don't care, I know you do!). I'll post a more long range review as I continue to use it. But so far, I'm satisfied. Here are some pictures:

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Wow, that doesn't look bad at all. Glad it worked out ok. Did you email the folks you got it from about some of the build issues so when I order mine they will have fixed everything? Lol.
 
Haha, right, will do. :)

Yeah, I don't think it's a bad investment at all for $200 (+ shipping). If it were in the $500 range, I'd look at another product, but this company definitely seems to be trying hard. The shipping time - via FedEx - was amazingly fast!
 
Not as far as I know, Cees. It only weighs about a pound (with filters) and attaches securely. I used to use a Chrosziel clip-on matte box with my last camera (a JVC D9 rig) and it never did any damage or caused any stress. Numerous companies sell the clip-ons, so I've got to believe many others are having success with this method as well.
 
Thanks for the photos.
The few things you mention in your review that are wrong with it are no reason to not have a matte box anymore. I just bought one, for $220 bucks after shipping it is a good price.
If I had an extra $850 laying around I would get the Chrozel, it is nice!
By the way there is also a version of this with rods, for anyone interested it's $425 US
Matte Box With Rails
 
mountainmedia said:
So, in conclusion, if you don't have the money right now for a Chrosziel or similar matte box - but need the functionality of one (like me), this offering from Cine City is definitely worth the $200 (plus shipping). The build quality is decent, it secures to the front of the lens well (doesn't feel like it's going to fall off) and it holds filters securely. Heck, it also looks damn cool on the HPX300 (don't say you don't care, I know you do!). I'll post a more long range review as I continue to use it. But so far, I'm satisfied. Here are some pictures:
Click to expand...
Seems like a copy of Vocas MB250, with half decent result...
AG-HPX300_sideL%20met%20MB250%20en%20supprgb.gif
 
I have a cinevate mattebox that I would love to throw on my HPX. I see that CineCity sells adapter rings that may enable my cinevate box to directly attach to the lens. Any thoughts?
 
I can happily say, it HAS held up! It's very important to note that it's no Chrosziel but for what I've needed, the Cine City has been adequate. I'm still a bit annoyed by the rotating stage (it rotates way to freely), but a small piece of gaff tape once I've set the angle solves this issue. In summary, I feel you get quite a bit for your money, the matte box has proven to be pretty rugged and it works for my basic needs. Overall, I'd recommend it.
 
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