Matte Box for Z5

[Leslie Wand]

here's my final selection:

Wish List | B&H Photo Video

any comments / suggestions most welcome.

[Rob Morse]

Out of those I think I would go for the Chrosziel or Petroff. I guess the worse thing that can happen is you have to pay for shipping to return it. I originally liked the Petroff myself and the Chrosziel seems light. Decisions, decisions.

[Leslie Wand]

ok, to be quite contrary, i opted for a

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/544600-REG/Century_Precision_Optics_0DS_MB44_WCS_0DS_MB44_WCS_4x4_Wide_Angle.html
it's light, and relatively compact so i can leave it on the camera - a thought for my run 'n' gun horse shoots.

i'll come back with hands on experiences when i have some ;-)

btw, what prompted this turnaround was:

a. as i wrote earlier - i really need a revolving stage for a cpl filter
b. due to the nature of my work it needed to remain on camera permanently (ie. no time for setup breakdown)
c. needed to fit in my kata 193 bag for travelling
d. no rail system (would be too cumbersome and awkward for hand help use)
e. with the above in mind, it needed to be pretty small and robust.
f. my cheap indian one is cheap (anyone want it for $50us + postage?). it works, but there's NO moving parts other than the clamp. i'm not sure i'd trust their quality on a box that had many moving parts as the general build is 'cheap'
g. i don't intend buying another one! this should last this camera out, and probably any foreseeable ones!!!

[David Dwyer]

Thats $975 I think I will just get the cheaper cinecity option.

Though its still $99 on that link not $69?

[Rob Morse]

Keep us posted

[Jack Tran]

while the chrosziel i havent isnt as cheap, it has taken quite alot of abuse. (i think ~600?)
Used on my A1 rig, currently being used to protect my lens (5d rig). Its a clamp on style, so you dont need rail support.

differences between cheap vs chrosziel:
chrosziel built of hard sturdy plastic, actually has a filter tray (1 stationary, 1 rotating), wider (could be a con depending on how you look at it). Havent tried other matte box, but id say chrosziel is a good option if you can afford it.

[Rob Morse]

Well, I wound up purchasing the Genus matte box with rails. It seemed the best one for the money. Well, the best for what I wanted to spend (Under $1,000). I'm going to shoot with it this week and I'll let you know how it worked out. I also purchased a 16X9 fish-eye lens. I'll let everyone know about that as well.

[Leslie Wand]

which fish-eye? zoom through?

haven't shot with my vocas box yet - start next week.

good luck

leslie

[Leslie Wand]

ok, out for a week with my new matte box:

DV MATTE BOX 4X4 MKII WIDE - Schneider Optics

pros.
exceptionally, and i mean exceptionally, well constructed.
great eye-brows, almost no need for included sunshade.
extremely light.
screw on very, very secure, and the clamp is limpet like

cons:
well, it's bigger than i really wanted - so it has to come off for transit. not a big deal though thanks to great engineering (the clamp is tremendous) so it's very, very quick to mount.
with the standard adaptor (72mm>105mm) both filter holder 'knobs' foul the built-in mic. however, the front (non-rotating) can be inserted from the bottom, and the rotating stage from the side - which gives me more than adequate rotation for my cpl (and is much more practical to use in the field).
have just ordered the alternative adaptor - which looks to extend the box far enough forward to give 'knobs' clearance.

i'm very pleased indeed, though to be honest, i think i would have been better off with the compact version as i bought this with the intention of getting a wa lens later in the day, but having worked with the z5 in a number of shooting situations makes me think i'll probably get away without having to get one.

if you have the mb200 and are looking at a mb250 for use with a wa, we should talk ;-)


leslie

[Dale Guthormsen]

Leslie,

how about a picture with it assembled??


Dale

[Leslie Wand]

will do when i get the second adaptor so you can see the difference (if any!)

[Rob Morse]

Here is what I purchased.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/544772-REG/Genus_GMKGMB_72_GMKGMB_72_Matte_Box_with.html
It actually has gone up around $130 since 2 weeks ago. I have to finish a job in the next few hours and will try to give you my opinion then. Here are some quick photos.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/members/...s-mattebox.jpg

[Leslie Wand]

very nice indeed!

the genus was my preferred choice until i was offered the vocas at a discount price. couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth!

it looks like there's great clearance on the filter stages, and it seems quite compact on the camera.

how do you go about transport? i've got a kata 192 bag which is great for the camera, but not with box. and i doubt the next size up would accommodate it either - though i maybe wrong. meanwhile i have a neat little case that works a treat for it, and all my audio gear (has pick 'n' pluck foam inside):

https://www.haldexdirect.com.au/inde...y_id//offset/0

why the rails? are they really needed or is it that you prefer the added 'strength / stability' they afford? i found them to be rather cumbersome for my work (doco - hand held), but great when on a tripod for the horses. however, the hand held won out...

am still waiting for the adaptor so i'll post pics when it finally arrives.

[Rob Morse]

I think the reason there was a price difference was B&H had it listed at the same price as the model without the rails. I asked about it but the person I spoke with didn't know. Well, that's why I like dealing with B&H. They never complained about the wrong price, they just gave it to me for that price. Anyway, back to the matte box.

I was expecting it to be a little flimsy, due to the price, and was surprised to find it felt solid. I actually put it together without the instructions as everything just fell into place. I need a wide angle lens, which will be an 82 mm opening, although this matte box came with a 72mm, it will accommodate a wide variety of lenses for $30. I haven't purchased any filters yet. I had to go to Daytona to shoot some footage of Bike week, so I really needed it mainly as a sun shade but really could have used some filters. Anyway, it has 1 stationary and 1 rotating adaptor whish seem to operate very smoothly. Due to the mic on the camera, you would need to slide it off to change the filters but no problem to rotate the filter. One problem I see is that the French flag blocks the camera mic. I think that would be an issue with any matte box though. I used a multi shoe attachment with a shock mount and that brought the mic well above the shade. In addition, the rails are great. When I’m hand holding, I have my left hand under the rails and it allows easy access, with my thumb, to the focus, zoom and aperture. It also keeps the weight off the lens. By the way, I can still keep my quick release on the bottom of the rail. That was originally a concern for me.

Right now I can take off the matte box and turn it sideways and it just fits in the bag but it takes up too much room in my bag. My headphones don’t really fit with it in the bag. I have a Petrol rolling bag and it’s big but I would need a different bag if I want to keep the matte box mounted. There are some small screws on the bottom of the matte box that hold the bracket for the rails. I’m going to go to Home Depot and if I can find some thumb screws to replace the small screws, I would be able to leave the bracket on the rails and take the bracket off quickly. Then I think everything will fit in the bag (I hope). If not, I have a Porta Brace production bag that I may try to modify. That would probably be the only suggestion I have to make the matte box better. I’ve only used it a few times and have yet to use all the features but I’m very happy with the product. It does not feel cheap at all, it's very solid, and it fits the Z5 very well. Actually, I think it’s the perfect size. I really think Genus will take off in this arena.

[Leslie Wand]

ok, don't know where the other adaptor has got to (probably still in transit), but meanwhile here's a couple of compiles:


as you can see, the indian is a rip-off of the kompendum / century optics. however, for the price it can't be beat - though i would warn about the screw on adaptor - cheap ally, and i reckon it wouldn't take much to strip the thread. the sun-shade lock mech. also leaves a bit to be desired (unless you want to bring the curtain down slowly in the middle of a shot ;-0) in terms of reliability - but it's a relatively deep box, so the sunshade is, in general, superfluous. of course, NO rotating stage, and you have to remove the box to change filters as they'll catch on the shot-gun mic (they clear the built-in.

the other is the vocas - with standard adaptor. pics speak for themselves. great piece of engineering. sunshade sits directly under shotgun - but i have a rode sm3 adaptor for my sennie shotgun that lifts it well clear. you can see the built in mic fouling problem - though as i pointed out, easily overcome, and i can rotate my cpl from the side easily enough.

will post final with new adaptor IF it changes the game significantly. if not, bugger, that's another $150 (au) down the drain....

btw - i use a B+W uv filter screwed permanently to the lens. this is mainly for protection (horses sneeze - UGH!, and flying dirty from galloping ones can make you very protective ;-)). it's b&w's most expensive one with a brass double thread, so no fear there of stripping.

rob, i have to admit that i can be really dumb sometimes - Right now I can take off the matte box and turn it sideways and it just fits in the bag but it takes up too much room in my bag. i just tried it and it's a reasonably comfortable fit!!! so, i can put my headphones where i cut out for the mb. in my audio case - so that wraps it all up pretty (anally) neatly! thanks for the prompt.