Matte Box for Z5

Leslie Wand · March 23rd, 2010, 06:55 PM

ok, no time for pics.....

the adaptor arrived and YES, it moves the box forward enough to be able to use the rotating stage properly.

HOWEVER, it wouldn't work without the uv filter's extra couple of mm's.

an added advantage is that without the matte box the adaptor isn't too bad a sun shade!

have a major out door project coming up at the end of next month - so i'll report back after that.

leslie

Dale Guthormsen · March 25th, 2010, 04:06 PM

Leslie,

Thanks for the pictures.

dale

Leslie Wand · March 26th, 2010, 12:26 AM

pleasure dale.

will take some with the new adaptor asap. but it's not hard to imagine everything on the matte box moving forward about 7mm - as i wrote, enough to operate the rotating stage properly.

i will repeat though, the uv filters 3mm IS important for it all to work.

leslie

Chris Duczynski · March 26th, 2010, 12:40 AM

Has anyone used a polariser with this cine city set-up - how would you rotate it?

Leslie Wand · March 26th, 2010, 01:32 AM

which cine city set-up are you referring to?

if you're talking about the one i had (fixed), that's what i bought it for - however, since (more often than not) i always shot with the sun directly behind me a rotating stage was a luxury i could ill afford at the time. when the sun was elsewhere, it was a matter of taking the filter out, rotating it 45 degrees to where it worked best, and then putting it back in the box.

with a surfeit of (well-paid) work i now have the luxury of a rotating stage, which gives me perfect control - and i now realise that my original set-up (non-rotating) was close to perfect with the sun behind me, but another 20 degrees (either way depending on time of day) IS perfect!

leslie

Chris Duczynski · March 27th, 2010, 02:38 AM

How do you control the amount of filtration with a non-rotating polariser?
The cine set-up I'm talking about is the $99 version with the 4x4 filter tray mentioned in the first few posts.
Apart from a UV I don't see any other filter as being too useful these days.
Grads can be added in post, CC filters are non-existent, star filters are cheesy, pro mists maybe - what else do you use the matte box for apart from the flags.

Leslie Wand · March 27th, 2010, 03:43 AM

hi chris,

a. by positioning yourself relative to the sun. as i wrote, with the sun directly behind me my cpl was spot on, as the sun moved, so did the cpl's effectiveness - it was either repositioning myself, or losing the 100% effectiveness....

b. i prefer a screw on uv (also acts as a lens protector)

c. well, i like real life grads, even with magic bullet and the like i prefer the look of the real thing. pro mist's are a fantastic tool, especially with 'older' on screen talent. and added nd's make for a more flexible exposure. oh, and not to forget contrast filters.

but in truth, i find the cpl packs a great deal of production value compared to the others, and the cost of a decent matte box with rotating stage is quickly made up by clients coming back for more....

Chris Duczynski · March 28th, 2010, 08:25 PM

leslie... "by positioning yourself relative to the sun..."
I'm not sure if waiting for the sun to move is a very effective way to get the right amount of filtration from a polariser..isn't that, sort of limiting.
But basically what you're saying is that there is no rotating polariser for this box!
Yes I have a screw in UV and a screw in polariser, but the lens shade has to be removed to use both - which is why I thought this set-up may work.
Instead of promists you could fiddle with the skintone detail in the menu and assign it as a profile - that way you can avoid that 80's soft look and lack of contrast. It is a very handy tool.

Leslie Wand · March 28th, 2010, 10:42 PM

hi chris,

well, my main reason for the cpl was shooting horses, and i could move both them and myself at any time (thankfully).

nope, there's no rotating stage on the box - though cine city do make a cheap imitation of the vocas with a rotating stage. i decided that since the horses were paying, i'd get a proper one - otherwise, given my experience with the cheap one described above, i would have gone with the indian copy. bear in mind, you get what you pay for though.

your points are valid re. skin tone, but to be honest, i prefer my grads and mists in camera - i'm old school and yes, i know what can be achieved in post is pretty bloody impressive, i'm still happier doing it on camera.

all the best

leslie

Chris Duczynski · March 30th, 2010, 02:31 AM

Thanks for your feedback leslie-it's been very helpful.
good luck with the shooting

Leslie Wand · March 30th, 2010, 02:56 AM

pleasure chris.....

Leslie Wand · May 21st, 2010, 12:30 AM

just thought i add (if anyone's interested), thoughts on my new tripod:

my sachtler fsb4, single stage mid spreader arrived - haven't been out in the field (literally) with it yet, but just playing around with the head is a joy.

holds my z5 and mb quite firmly. counterbalances very well considering how front end heavy it is.

head movement in all planes is wonderful - can forget all those old elastic band tricks!!!

the legs look flimsier than my old miller ds10 ones, but they appear to do
the job just as well - pretty similar to what i thought when changing from miller
wooden ones to alloy....

the miller ds10 head was great, but no real comparison to the sachtler, and my main reason for getting new legs was the extra 4cm or so in height - it's now perfect for my eye line with the legs fully extended and locked off.

if your camera and accessories are 1.5kg more than the z5, i'd suggest the fsb6.

i think in the field i might just start off with adding some extra weight to the spreader till i really feel confident - it's so much lighter than the miller (though it doesn't display any tendency to twist with firm pan settings - something light tripods always seemed to do).

Chris Duczynski · May 30th, 2010, 09:45 PM

Got my cine city matte box today, barely a week after I ordered it. Looks great, fits great and a bargain!!
Ok, it's not a swingaway Chroziel, but for simple filter work and a flag it's sensational.
Good find whoever dug this up.

March 25th, 2010, 04:06 PM	#32
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Leslie, Thanks for the pictures. dale __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

March 23rd, 2010, 06:55 PM	#31
Leslie Wand Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: upper hunter, australia Posts: 1,410	ok, no time for pics..... the adaptor arrived and YES, it moves the box forward enough to be able to use the rotating stage properly. HOWEVER, it wouldn't work without the uv filter's extra couple of mm's. an added advantage is that without the matte box the adaptor isn't too bad a sun shade! have a major out door project coming up at the end of next month - so i'll report back after that. leslie

March 26th, 2010, 12:26 AM	#33
Leslie Wand Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: upper hunter, australia Posts: 1,410	pleasure dale. will take some with the new adaptor asap. but it's not hard to imagine everything on the matte box moving forward about 7mm - as i wrote, enough to operate the rotating stage properly. i will repeat though, the uv filters 3mm IS important for it all to work. leslie

March 26th, 2010, 12:40 AM	#34
Chris Duczynski Major Player Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: sydney Posts: 304	Has anyone used a polariser with this cine city set-up - how would you rotate it?

March 26th, 2010, 01:32 AM	#35
Leslie Wand Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: upper hunter, australia Posts: 1,410	which cine city set-up are you referring to? if you're talking about the one i had (fixed), that's what i bought it for - however, since (more often than not) i always shot with the sun directly behind me a rotating stage was a luxury i could ill afford at the time. when the sun was elsewhere, it was a matter of taking the filter out, rotating it 45 degrees to where it worked best, and then putting it back in the box. with a surfeit of (well-paid) work i now have the luxury of a rotating stage, which gives me perfect control - and i now realise that my original set-up (non-rotating) was close to perfect with the sun behind me, but another 20 degrees (either way depending on time of day) IS perfect! leslie

March 27th, 2010, 02:38 AM	#36
Chris Duczynski Major Player Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: sydney Posts: 304	How do you control the amount of filtration with a non-rotating polariser? The cine set-up I'm talking about is the $99 version with the 4x4 filter tray mentioned in the first few posts. Apart from a UV I don't see any other filter as being too useful these days. Grads can be added in post, CC filters are non-existent, star filters are cheesy, pro mists maybe - what else do you use the matte box for apart from the flags.

March 27th, 2010, 03:43 AM	#37
Leslie Wand Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: upper hunter, australia Posts: 1,410	hi chris, a. by positioning yourself relative to the sun. as i wrote, with the sun directly behind me my cpl was spot on, as the sun moved, so did the cpl's effectiveness - it was either repositioning myself, or losing the 100% effectiveness.... b. i prefer a screw on uv (also acts as a lens protector) c. well, i like real life grads, even with magic bullet and the like i prefer the look of the real thing. pro mist's are a fantastic tool, especially with 'older' on screen talent. and added nd's make for a more flexible exposure. oh, and not to forget contrast filters. but in truth, i find the cpl packs a great deal of production value compared to the others, and the cost of a decent matte box with rotating stage is quickly made up by clients coming back for more....

March 28th, 2010, 08:25 PM	#38
Chris Duczynski Major Player Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: sydney Posts: 304	leslie... "by positioning yourself relative to the sun..." I'm not sure if waiting for the sun to move is a very effective way to get the right amount of filtration from a polariser..isn't that, sort of limiting. But basically what you're saying is that there is no rotating polariser for this box! Yes I have a screw in UV and a screw in polariser, but the lens shade has to be removed to use both - which is why I thought this set-up may work. Instead of promists you could fiddle with the skintone detail in the menu and assign it as a profile - that way you can avoid that 80's soft look and lack of contrast. It is a very handy tool.

March 28th, 2010, 10:42 PM	#39
Leslie Wand Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: upper hunter, australia Posts: 1,410	hi chris, well, my main reason for the cpl was shooting horses, and i could move both them and myself at any time (thankfully). nope, there's no rotating stage on the box - though cine city do make a cheap imitation of the vocas with a rotating stage. i decided that since the horses were paying, i'd get a proper one - otherwise, given my experience with the cheap one described above, i would have gone with the indian copy. bear in mind, you get what you pay for though. your points are valid re. skin tone, but to be honest, i prefer my grads and mists in camera - i'm old school and yes, i know what can be achieved in post is pretty bloody impressive, i'm still happier doing it on camera. all the best leslie

March 30th, 2010, 02:31 AM	#40
Chris Duczynski Major Player Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: sydney Posts: 304	Thanks for your feedback leslie-it's been very helpful. good luck with the shooting

March 30th, 2010, 02:56 AM	#41
Leslie Wand Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: upper hunter, australia Posts: 1,410	pleasure chris.....

May 21st, 2010, 12:30 AM	#42
Leslie Wand Trustee Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: upper hunter, australia Posts: 1,410	just thought i add (if anyone's interested), thoughts on my new tripod: my sachtler fsb4, single stage mid spreader arrived - haven't been out in the field (literally) with it yet, but just playing around with the head is a joy. holds my z5 and mb quite firmly. counterbalances very well considering how front end heavy it is. head movement in all planes is wonderful - can forget all those old elastic band tricks!!! the legs look flimsier than my old miller ds10 ones, but they appear to do the job just as well - pretty similar to what i thought when changing from miller wooden ones to alloy.... the miller ds10 head was great, but no real comparison to the sachtler, and my main reason for getting new legs was the extra 4cm or so in height - it's now perfect for my eye line with the legs fully extended and locked off. if your camera and accessories are 1.5kg more than the z5, i'd suggest the fsb6. i think in the field i might just start off with adding some extra weight to the spreader till i really feel confident - it's so much lighter than the miller (though it doesn't display any tendency to twist with firm pan settings - something light tripods always seemed to do).

May 30th, 2010, 09:45 PM	#43
Chris Duczynski Major Player Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: sydney Posts: 304	Got my cine city matte box today, barely a week after I ordered it. Looks great, fits great and a bargain!! Ok, it's not a swingaway Chroziel, but for simple filter work and a flag it's sensational. Good find whoever dug this up.