This may be an absolutely retarded question, but I was just flipping through my BH catalog and saw some like $1,500 matte boxes and discovered I have no idea what a matte box does or what it would be used for (other than the "pro" look) Sorry if this question has been asked before, but I'm still a little of a noob...

My understanding is a mattebox stops light reaching the lense, so no glare or unwanted lighting effects from spill.
Good ones I think have adjustable doors and filter holders.

Perhaps more importantly, it allows you to use large (3" x 4", 4" x 4" and more ) filters in front of the lens - Graduated neutral density etc etc.

Robin

Protection from lens flare, providing removable and/or rotating filter or 'matte' holders, and in models that mount with rods, a platform for adding focus pullers.

Cool, thanks for the info..."Focus Puller's?" I assume you mean something that can shorten your depth of field? Are there significant benefits to using a square matte box filter as oppossed to using the circular ones that screw onto the front of a lens?

Have a look at this picture:

http://www.chrosziel.com/products.htm

The follow focus is the white knob that is added beneath the lens. Mounted on the rods and attached to the focus ring.

On film shoots an assistent takes care for the focussing with this knob. He/she is called a focus puller. It can also be done wireless with a remote system like this one:

http://www.arri.com/prod/cam/wrs/wrs.htm

From Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_puller):
"In cinematography, a focus puller or first assistant camera (1 AC) is the member of a film crew responsible for keeping the camera's focus right during a shoot. Often this requires pulling the focus with a follow focus device during the take without looking through the camera (the camera operator is doing that), to compensate for camera or subject movement. The margin for error is often very small, as little as 1/4 or 1/8th of an inch (3 - 6 mm). Most people on the set will agree that the focus puller's job is the most technically difficult of any during production."

Regards,
Erwin

Don't forget my favorite and inexpensive option, Cinetactics. Good as a lens shade. Comes with filter holders if you buy the kit. Not as sturdy or professional perhaps as the Chrosziel or some others but great to get started.

http://www.cinetactics.com/

Sean McHenry

Don't forget my favorite and inexpensive option, Cinetactics. Good as a lens shade. Comes with filter holders if you buy the kit. Not as sturdy or professional perhaps as the Chrosziel or some others but great to get started.

http://www.cinetactics.com/

Sean McHenry

Has anyone identified a good matte solution for the HDR-HC1? I've looked at the matte blox but are there others?