Robert Goodman is a respected author of a VariCam manual. However, in that article he fails to mention several important drawbacks of the Formatt FM500 matte box with the DVX100.
1. "works at any wide angle without vignetting"
Perhaps that's because the unit only mounts to lenses with a 86mm or smaller lens diameter. Considering all the Century Optics lenses for the DVX are at least 93mm and larger, it's not difficult to see why there is, "no vignetting at wide angles."
2. You have to put the filters in upside down.
That's right. On the DVX100, for reasons clarifiable by a forum search, you have to put the filters in bottom side up. What this means is that it's not only inconvenient to use this matte box, it's also easier for your filters to fall out. So, better watch it!
3. There aren't any filter trays, and Formatt filters are a non-standard thickness.
The industry standard thickness for Tiffen and Schneider filters is 4mm. Formatt filters are 3mm.
... the list goes on ...
... and on ...
... and
I guess you could say I looked into that matte box and I'm not a fan. Unfortunately, any matte box targeted for the budget user will lack several key components necessary to sell it at the higher price. The thing you lose when buying a cheap matte box is not build quality. It's versatility. Hope this helps.
