Matte Boxes.... really?

MDKfilms said:
For a DSLR they are essential.
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I've never seen a professional photographer running around with a matte box.
If you have one and a set of filters, use it, it's great for impressing clients but it's nowhere near being essential and provides nothing that can't be achieved with less expensive photography gear.
 
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stip said:
provides nothing that can't be achieved with less expensive photography gear.
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The french flag on my matte box vehemently disagrees with this and has gone off now to sit and pout angrily in a corner.

Lake Films said:
Anyone have some good links to the rubber lens hood or a decent priced matte box?
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Hama has a several rubber hoods for various front sizes, here's one for 58mm: http://www.hama.de/portal/articleId*39015/action*2563
Nice thing about them is that they can be folded back for wide lenses and collapsed for smaller storage.

For a decent priced matte box how 'bout this one with 3 ND glass filters for £400 (to make the OP a bit happier too): http://www.formatt.co.uk/matte-boxes/fm600-matte-box-with-3-filters.aspx

I got that matte box but under the True Lens Services 'Kestrel' moniker (not sure if there's any difference between them). Made my own custom rail mount with a Shoot35 Rod Clamp and a piece of aluminium L-profile. But it comes with one screw-on ring included for attaching directly to a lens.

The Fader ND is good for many kinds of shots but it is still a polarizer and has some drawbacks - the most commonly mentioned is how skies can be affected on wides but another one is how it can make skin look dull and lifeless - just like a single polarizer filter. Also when panning/dutching over reflecting surfaces such as cars in sunlight it yield pretty odd shimmering effects. Which is why I prefer having real ND glass filters.
 
I have the ProAim mattebox on mine, currently using 2 ND filters.

It has a rotating filter housing, flags mount snug (doesn't move at all), comes with donuts to fit virtually all lens diameters, adjustable height.

My only real complaint is that I wish it was a swing out type mattebox, to make swapping lenses easier. But its not really a problem, loosening the bracket, and sliding the mattebox forward works just fine.

IMG_2378.JPG
 
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stip said:
It's like driving a SUV when you're living in the city.
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Have you seen nyc streets in the winter? Suv's are almost neccesary... I bottomed out my car last week on a 1' deep crater....

And yes, matte boxes are usefull. Though not "neccesary"... in the same way a follow focus isn't "Neccesary"...
 
A cheaper alternative to a mattebox are the filter holders from HiTech, Cokin, and Lee. They literally hold filters in front of the lens so you can use grads, ND's, polarizers, etc...

Plus, they do make a cool bellows hood and a more simpler hood extension that both act as lens shades. What I like about the system is you only have to buy as many adapter rings to fit the different diameters of the lenses you own.

Stay away from the Cokin filters, but by all means buy the Cokin adapter rings, and holders. Buy the filters from Lee and HiTech instead.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=189551

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=190130
 
The HiTech filters are the low cost brand of Formatt so you'll find them at the same site where I linked to their matte box package under 'Stills Filters'.
 
stip said:
I've never seen a professional photographer running around with a matte box.
If you have one and a set of filters, use it, it's great for impressing clients but it's nowhere near being essential and provides nothing that can't be achieved with less expensive photography gear.
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Two different worlds.

I have never seen a film crew work without having an MB on camera.
 
yes, but a film crew works with a (digital) filmcamera and a photographer with a (presumably) DSLR. We're talking DSLR here.
What I meant is, I don't see a sudden need for matte boxes on DSLRs as photographers obviously successfully fought flares and used filters the last decades with dedicated photography gear only.

I'm not hating on matte boxes, I just think they're not essential for shooting (great) DSLR video and I don't want anyone to go out and buy one for good money because some people said so.
 
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stip said:
yes, but a film crew works with a (digital) filmcamera and a photographer with a (presumably) DSLR. We're talking DSLR here.
What I meant is, I don't see a sudden need for matte boxes on DSLRs as photographers obviously successfully fought flares and used filters the last decades with dedicated photography gear only.

I'm not hating on matte boxes, I just think they're not essential for shooting (great) DSLR video and I don't want anyone to go out and buy one for good money because some people said so.
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Point taken, and well said.

Though, I must state that film makers who tend to use matteboxes, generally are setup in a more immobile state, fixed tripod, or crane. I said generally - I myself use a mattebox without flags (for filters) when I'm running and gunning.

Photographers are able to achieve less flare with a lens hood, and there are now alternatives to matteboxes (as for using filters), but a mattebox is still far better than a lens hood for its' purpose.

Granted - a person just getting into video/film shouldn't be putting a mattebox on his "first things to buy" list though.
 
PaPa said:
wow, what ever happened to blocking lens flares? That's all i use it for.. which is VERY essential. but they are overpriced..
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Yeah no kidding - especially if you are using older lenses that don't have modern coatings - matteboxes are essential for blocking flare - as soon as you put it on you notice a big difference.

While it's not the best out there - I got a Cinetactics Matteblox w/oversized flag and I love it for what I do with my GH1 - that's about a $100 setup and it works very well - it "looks" impressive too if you need that but that is not why I bought it - old MF lenses flare a lot.
 
KeithAndrews.TV said:
A cheaper alternative to a mattebox are the filter holders from HiTech, Cokin, and Lee. They literally hold filters in front of the lens so you can use grads, ND's, polarizers, etc...

Plus, they do make a cool bellows hood and a more simpler hood extension that both act as lens shades. What I like about the system is you only have to buy as many adapter rings to fit the different diameters of the lenses you own.

Stay away from the Cokin filters, but by all means buy the Cokin adapter rings, and holders. Buy the filters from Lee and HiTech instead.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=189551

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=190130
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Any links to where these items can be purchased?
 
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