To matte box or not?

[Steve Cottrell]

Pretty much like everyone else has already said ( I have a Vocas with one rotating and one not) for polariser, ND grads, and the flag. I work on news and features and it's on maybe 25% of the time - but one thing I haven't seen mentioned: rain. If it's raining and I'm outdoors, the matte box is on, and the flag is up! Invaluable for keeping rain off the lens unless you're in a good breeze as well. Moving between shots and put the flag down. Love it.

HTH

[Simon Wyndham]

I agree. I use mine to keep rain off the lens a lot. Must get around to buying a Spintec!

[Ben Ruffell]

I have an Arri MMB-1. It is a great mattebox. I use it on my PDW-700, my EX-3, My EX-3 with Letus and my 5D2.

I went with Arri because it is so versatile and well made.

By being able to go on so many different cameras easily, it gives me options.

On the EX-3 I will often just use a screw in Pola.

But, of course depending on the shoot and the shots being able to put the mattebox on is great. Not just for flare control, but for adding filters also.

(Pola's must be circular for the EX3).


Ben Ruffell

[Marcus Martell]

I'm about to buy a Chrosz MB for my z1(sorry if im in your exthread) and i'm living the same worries. Which filters should i buy for my MB?

[Gareth Watkins]

Yeah I forgot the rain protection.. watch out for the "ding, ding" of the rain drops in that get picked up by the mic though...

As to which filters... I find by far and a way the two or three most used filters are ND grads, and a polarizer. Once you got those you're unlikely to need much else on 90% of shoots.

Cheers
Gareth

[Dean Harrington]

Originally Posted by Simon Wyndham

I agree. I use mine to keep rain off the lens a lot. Must get around to buying a Spintec!

What is a spintec and do you have a link?

[Ben Ruffell]

Spintec is a rain deflector.

They are very very useful sometimes.

They add noise and weight.... but they stop water drops!

There are a few brands out there. Some very expensive.

[Victor Matos]

OK, Just to add some discussion points, I'm also in the market for a mattebox for my EX-1r. Considering the Chroziel CRB-R20 for the starting point price, and the Arri MMb-1 . The Chroziel has two rotating filter holders, the Arri just 1. The Chroziel loads from the top or bottom, the Arri from the side. I will be involved in a shoot in which we will be shooting a lot outdoors. Sunrises & sundowns are in the list of shots. When using grad filters and loading from the side(ARRI) how do you deal with a horizon that is not perfectly centered? I know tilt up or down! :) Can you insert a grad from top or bottom( Chroziel) and put the grad filter where you need it or will it show the edge? If you had to add a polarizer to the mix, is having two rotating filter holders a better choice or am I just overthinking this?

any ideas out there are welcomed,
Victor

[Ben Ruffell]

I use a 138mm pola in the rear that rotates.

Solid ND in one tray if required.

A SE ND Grad sometimes. 4x5.65. Sure, I cant raise or lower it - sometimes a pain - but mostly thats fine as I would need a bigger filter anyway, and I can usually make it work. SE lets me hide the line easier than a HE grad.

Hardly ever need to rotate one of the trays.

Personally I have always found Chrosziel matteboxes to be a bit crap and they always fall apart. I wouldn't own one.

[Matt Davis]

Originally Posted by Darren Ruddock

do you find them invaluable?? Are they essential to really improve the quality of your output?

You will know when you need one.

I was shooting new buildings in bright sunlight wishing I had a polariser and more ND.

Went out and bought the Genus which fits under the mic bridge of the EX1 whilst allowing one rotating and one fixed stage. It also fits the Century 0.6 wangle. Doesn't need rails if you're going to be careful. The package I bought has ring, Flag and five filters for the cost of three filters. Pola, ND Grad and ND are most useful, yet to use Pro Mist in earnest.

Went to shoot interviews in South Africa, didn't need it - interviewees didn't like it. Even shooting GVs, not enough time to deal with its 'fiddle'. Took it on another European shoot, never got used. Its not exactly Run and Gun, but the Matte Box just turns everything into a shoot with setups and strikes and twiddle time, and it just so happens that my work doesn't seem to allow for that.

Since then, it has been universally unpopular with producers and interviewees, and I've even considered selling it.

But come Spring, doing those Ext GVs or Beauty shots, I know I'll be thanking my lucky stars that I've got it. Even if it ends up on the front of a Canon 7D.

[Mika Tertsunen]

Originally Posted by Victor Matos

OK, Just to add some discussion points, I'm also in the market for a mattebox for my EX-1r. Considering the Chroziel CRB-R20 for the starting point price, and the Arri MMb-1 . The Chroziel has two rotating filter holders, the Arri just 1. The Chroziel loads from the top or bottom, the Arri from the side. I will be involved in a shoot in which we will be shooting a lot outdoors. Sunrises & sundowns are in the list of shots. When using grad filters and loading from the side(ARRI) how do you deal with a horizon that is not perfectly centered? I know tilt up or down! :) Can you insert a grad from top or bottom( Chroziel) and put the grad filter where you need it or will it show the edge? If you had to add a polarizer to the mix, is having two rotating filter holders a better choice or am I just overthinking this?

any ideas out there are welcomed,
Victor

Hi Victor,

I have the Arri and quite love it. Beautiful build quality, stays on my EX3 all the time.
Sure you can adjust the horizon; you will find that there are two types of 4x5,65 grads, horizontal and vertical. Get a vertical, "portrait", one; insert it into the rotating stage, turn 90 degrees and off you go :-)

-mika-