Matte Boxes.... really?

D

dominichicks

Active member
I mean, really? £400 on these things? Are they really that essential? As in, can somebody show me a comparison of footage with and without? Or are they mainly for show...
And why do they cost so much!!
 
No, they definitely are not essential. If you want to use glass filters, then yes they are, and a mattebox without glass filters is kind of a waste.

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Yeah, but it looks more impressive. Sad but true. Not important for personal work. But might be for jobs with clients.
I´m speaking of the mattebox here.
But for the SUV comparison: if your financial consultant drives a small Honda, you might become skeptical about his skills...
 
Spartacus said:
But for the SUV comparison: if your financial consultant drives a small Honda, you might become skeptical about his skills...
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exactely, that's what I meant.
Not necessary but impressing...but I can't blame clients for not knowing these small DSLRs are capable of "big" images.
 
ydgmdlu said:
They are necessary if you want to pass the Kiefer test!
Click to expand...

Exactly what I thought! They do help impress "normals" that's for sure. And I'd say if you do any kind of out-door shooting they are pretty much a must have.

john
 
wow, what ever happened to blocking lens flares? That's all i use it for.. which is VERY essential. but they are overpriced..
 
For a DSLR they are essential. DSLR' have no internal ND filters like most if not all pro-sumer cameras. If you want more control over the light hitting the lens MB's are very useful for flare and contrast control of the image. If you don't want to use one don't but don't say they aren't useful. And yes a lens hood is a cheap alternative.
One last comment, Nancy Schreiber mentions in articles about shooting the feature "November" with the then state of the art DVX100, that by attaching rods and matteboxes to the little camera gave it a more impressive look and made the actors more comfortable about shooting with it. You're not selling the steak you're selling the sizzle!! Ya Follow?
 
Ya I made mine out of a Kellogg's cereal box! I have Tony the Tiger where ever I go now! I duct tape my old Oakley lenses on the front. Works like a charm...
 
Of course, you won't be impressing anyone with such a makeshift mattebox. There are some cheap matteboxes out there. For instance, the recently noticed cinecity mattebox for $100. Pretty good price compared to all the other matteboxes out there.
 
For some people they are considered a must-have. For many others, they are not. To me a Fader ND (or something similar) is absolutely essential for most outdoor video shooting with DSLR type cameras. I don't think you can use a mattebox with this, though I'm sure someone has figured out how. I've found a nice rubber lens hood on the end of the Fader ND cuts down on most errant light. This is also a very intuitive way to control light input, like controlling an iris wheel on a video camera.

If you need to add other filtration (besides ND) you can screw it onto the end of the Fader, but you'll probably start getting some visual weirdness. At that point a mattebox would be preferable...or stacking screw-on circular filters.
 
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I've got the $100 CineCity mattebox. Went from a GearDear to that. Like I said before, I use it mainly as a hood ornament and occasionally for flare reduction. It's more cost effective to get FaderND filters than 4x4s. But if you've already got the 4x4s than I can see investing in a good quality mattebox.
 
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