Matteblox & A1

Ferdi Willemse

Ferdi Willemse

Well-known member
Hey guys,

Does anyone have any experience with the Matteblox and the XH A1? Also which one would be best to use, the HD or Anamorphic one? Also, is the Screen Hoodie worth it?

Thanks!
 
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Ferdi:

I use the Hoodman screen hoodie with magnifier with great results on my A1. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=392230&is=REG&addedTroughType=search.

I have the Matteblox for my DVX and it worked great as a large shade but using it with filters is tedious especially with ND grads. You have to fiddle with the placement of the filter case to get it right and then make sure that you are not zoomed out to wide so you see the edge of the filter carrier. The A1 LCD is overscan leaving a small portion of the actual image unseen. If something is in the way you won't know it.

As a sun shade its great but if you shoot outdoors a lot and need or use ND grads or other filters it takes some patience but for the price you get trade offs.

Look at the IndeSnap hood it has a slip in filter carrier and may do the job as well. http://www.indiesnap.com/

S Cannon
 
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Thanks, S Cannon. I will mainly use it for the shade, that's why I didn't want to spend too much on it. So far I haven't had the need for ND grads, and I doubt if I will here in our overcast little country =). Thanks for pointing out the hoodman, looks like a nice hoodie, I'll check it out.

Thanks again!
 
Speaking of the indiesnap mattebox, we haven't been able to find a way for it to work with our RedRock M2, that is, the rails and the 35mm lens on the front. Any thoughts?
 
DammitJanet said:
Speaking of the indiesnap mattebox, we haven't been able to find a way for it to work with our RedRock M2, that is, the rails and the 35mm lens on the front. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Step up rings. 52mm to 72mm should do the trick. Cheap. Just check your lense diameter first - xx to 72mm.
 
Whats the reason one would use a "mattebox" in the XH-A1?

isnt the canon hood effective?
 
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Using a mattebox gives you the ability to add extra glare protection, as well as most importantly, the ability to use custom filters such as ND Grads, UV's, Polarizers, etc. As well as imaging filters like Promist filters, StarGleam, etc.
 
Yeah basically, but the reason I need a mattebox with the A1 is because I'm filming a helicopter company here. When the helicopters fly pretty high into the sun, I get a lot of glare.
 
Ferdi Willemse said:
Hey guys,

Does anyone have any experience with the Matteblox and the XH A1? Also which one would be best to use, the HD or Anamorphic one?
Click to expand...


Unless you have a need to use square filters, the stock lens shade works fine on the A1. If you're shooting wide and you have issues with light going in the lens, almost nothing will help you other than changing camera position or eliminating the light. If you're shooting toward the end of the focal range, you CAN put matte black paper tape on the lens shade as a temporary matte.

Huge matteboxes on a small camera (like the A1) make NO sense, especially the Indiesnap light funneling mattebox.

The best small mattebox I've used for DV or HDV is the Vocas unit.

A useful mattebox will allow for putting hard mattes on the front, or will have the internal eyebrows (as with the Vocas unit).

Redrock Micro has started a waiting list for their mattebox, which looks very nice.
 
ncje said:
Step up rings. 52mm to 72mm should do the trick. Cheap. Just check your lense diameter first - xx to 72mm.
Click to expand...


Hmmm...I've searched B&H for a step up ring for my lens (Nikon 50mm) but I can't find any rings for 50mm to 72mm.

Any thoughts?
 
Ah I see. Im not exactly sure what sizes are available off the top of my head but I use a Kenko 52mm - 72mm.
 
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