seeking your opinions on a matte box for DSLR use

A

AlexCFrey

Member
Hello all,

I am in the market for a new matte box for use with my 5dmarkiii and Zeiss ZF2's with Duclos cine-mod.

I'm hoping to get something of high-quality for $1,200 or less.

From my experience as an assistant cameraman, Chrosziel and Arri shine the brightest, but are out of my price range.

I've been researching Genus, Vocas, and Zacuto, but can't really seem to find any accounts of people's experiences with these.

I would love to hear your opinions on these different makes of matte boxes if any of you have worked with them, or if you have any other recommendations for matte boxes.

I know you get what you pay for, and am willing to pay a little extra if it will prevent things like screws not tightening all the way, french flags not locking, wobble, etc. However, keeping the price down will help me invest in more 4x4 or 4x5 filters.

Cheers!
 
Really like using my Vocas MB-250 (new version is the MB-255). There are fancier ones available from Vocas, but the light weight and internal eyebrows are great features for me. I'd say a quick release rail mount add-on is a must (the MB-250 is a screw tightener). Two filter stages, one rotating is enough for my use. I owned a larger swing away model, but the size and weight stopped me from using it regularly.
 
Nate Haustein said:
Really like using my Vocas MB-250 (new version is the MB-255). There are fancier ones available from Vocas, but the light weight and internal eyebrows are great features for me. I'd say a quick release rail mount add-on is a must (the MB-250 is a screw tightener). Two filter stages, one rotating is enough for my use. I owned a larger swing away model, but the size and weight stopped me from using it regularly.
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Love my Vocas MB-255. Really perfect with CP.2's. I actually prefer their boxes to Arri's. (Owned by the same company though).
 
David W. Jones said:
This is a lot of matte box for the money.... http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/839017-REG/Movcam_MOV_301_0201_MM1_Matte_Box.html
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The Movcam is a great box for the money, but there are still a couple of things not quite happening with it.
One is that the swing away component doesn't disengage and then swing away. It just swings at a 45 degree angle.
This means that it is fine working with donuts, but on a lens with a big front like a Cooke 20-100 (144mm) it will get stuck on the end of the lens. Thus you will have to slide it forward on the bars first, defeating the whole purpose of a swing away.
Further, they don't make an alternative straight up bar attachment.
Other things, the screw down knob is very basic and will leave a mark on a lens as you tighten it down on the clamping mechanism. Lastly it does also accept 5.65x5.65 filters (though they dont tell you this) but the corners protrude over the edges of the stage and will hit the bars unless your swing away is at the very end of the rig. I think they could use a slight design update to really take it to the next level.
 
yoclay said:
but on a lens with a big front like a Cooke 20-100 (144mm) it will get stuck on the end of the lens. Thus you will have to slide it forward on the bars first, defeating the whole purpose of a swing away.
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That does not really bother me. If I'm using a Cooke zoom, I'm not changing lenses or moving the matte box.

When I purchased this it was a low cost replacement for an Arri MB20-II which was liberated from a shoot, and chose it over the MB-255 because of it's larger 144mm rear over the 114mm rear on the Vocas, as I was still using my 20-100mm at the time.
 
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Second the people recommended the Vocas MB210/250.
Really did my research on a Mattebox. Most of my work is with rented equipment and Arri matteboxe.

I went to my local rental house and asked what they recommend for my small DSLR personal use and they all said the Vocas are the best in it's class.
using it over a year now coupled with the 15mm LWS and it's fantastic.
I actually used it a couple of times on shoots with the Red Scarlet when I needed something really compact on the camera and it worked great. for about 300$ used you can't go wrong. Movcam is pretty good but more expensive, if you're using a Cooke 20-100 (which I love btw) you should better off using a 6x6 Arri mattebox, but from the sound of it you're a DSLR shooter looking for something compact and well build, Duclos cine-mod is only 80mm so the Vocas is all you need.

Just saw this sell about to end on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vocas-DV-Co...002?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cda9d697a
 
You have a DSLR - I doubt you will be using Cookes or 114mm lenses.

Have you decided the filter size you will use - can you get away with 4X4 or will you be using larger.

IMO a 4X4 is good for 18mm on S35, maybe 24 on fullframe

Overall I would suggest Matte boxes are heavy and large - probably you want the smallest one you can - which is not a 114mm mb.

I have a TLS (Falcon? the cheapest) from the UK but I think they use the same body as Genus

Maybe dig through newshooter.com old posts as I know Dan has studied the right box for a DSLR..

S
 
Thanks for the feedback guys! Very appreciated.

I'm leaning towards the Vocas MB-255 at this point. There's a dealer that supplies them here in LA so I plan to go check them out.
 
morgan_moore said:
You have a DSLR - I doubt you will be using Cookes or 114mm lenses.

Have you decided the filter size you will use - can you get away with 4X4 or will you be using larger.

IMO a 4X4 is good for 18mm on S35, maybe 24 on fullframe

Overall I would suggest Matte boxes are heavy and large - probably you want the smallest one you can - which is not a 114mm mb.

I have a TLS (Falcon? the cheapest) from the UK but I think they use the same body as Genus

Maybe dig through newshooter.com old posts as I know Dan has studied the right box for a DSLR..

S
Click to expand...

I'm thinking I will be using 77 mm screw on filters for now, and just using the matte box to shade the lens (the hoods that come with the lens don't really do this well).

However, for the future when I upgrade to 4x4 filters, are you saying I can't shoot my 21 mm Zeiss ZF2 on a full-frame camera like the 5dmark iii without vignetting?
 
I'm not telling you any thing. I'm suggesting you do some research. My experience with 4x4 filters is that they struggle to clear an 18mm on an s35 sensor which does not have as wide fov as a ff24..
 
maranfilms said:
I concur, 4x4 filters are not always big enough
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That depends how close they sit to the lens.

Most DSLR lenses are 77mm or less so 100mm (4X4) filter (96 with a holder?) will work but only sitting really close to the front element.

It is the combination of MB and 4X4 that can cause issues.

Of course a 4X4 wont cover somthing like a 14prime on a FF camera in any configuration..

S
 
AlexCFrey said:
I'm thinking I will be using 77 mm screw on filters for now, and just using the matte box to shade the lens (the hoods that come with the lens don't really do this well).
Click to expand...

My most used accessory on a DSLR with 77mm filters is a 3 in 1 rubber lens hood I got from Genus. It is fantastic, light and can be collapsed for wide angles and extended to shade longer lenses. Plus they are dirt cheap and buy you time to sock away good money for when your ready to upgrade to bigger lenses or buying 4x4 or bigger filters.
 
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