My Chrosziel 450HDV has arrived! at DVinfo.net

Jonathan Lee · March 1st, 2005, 11:52 AM

Hello,
Took delivery of my 450-hdv kit today and was quite surprised. I was expecting a slightly re-designed 411-53 box (chrosziels dv matte box for the DVX;XL2 etc.).
However the 450 is a completely new design. Clearly designed for a 16:9 camera it is a little heavier in build quality, deeper than the 411 and 16:9 in shape. It has two filter holders: a rotating 4x4 and a fixed 4 x 5.65 tray.
Strangely, it is not a side loader but bottom loading. But because of the support bars you will still have to remove it from the camera to load the filters!
Still, it looks pretty good and was worth the price.

Jonathan

Chris Hurd · March 1st, 2005, 11:55 AM

Congrats, Jonathan!

If you feel like it, please take some pics and email them to me; I'd love to host them for our readers. Be sure to give us a report about how you're liking it -- when you get a chance, that is!

Jonathan Lee · March 1st, 2005, 12:04 PM

Thanks Chris- happy to do that. What is your e-mail address?

Jonathan

Bryan McCullough · March 1st, 2005, 01:24 PM

There needs to be a new rule that you can't post about new gear you've got unless you post pictures! :)

Can't wait to see the kit!

Shannon Rawls · March 1st, 2005, 01:30 PM

You have to remove it to add/remove filters??????

(shakin' my head)

Tony Robinson · March 1st, 2005, 01:51 PM

How much does something like that cost and where did ya get it? Also, did you get the focus control?

Jonathan Lee · March 1st, 2005, 02:30 PM

Well, first, I promise I will post some pics tomorrow, hopefully!

Shannon, I was, like many, expecting side loading trays but they have gone for bottom loading. You can rotate the 4x4 so I suppose you can slide the box forward a little on the rails to load. But the other tray is fixed so it would have to come off. Blame Sony for making things awkward!

Bryan, Tony I bought it here from a dealer in the UK for £650 (about $1,250) plus a 17.5% sales tax that foriegn buyers don't pay. For that you get the MB, lightweight support, 15mm rods, french flag, mountings on the MB for side wings and a 72mm adaptor ring. I do also have the Follow focus rig, , (which I bought for my old DVX100) but am waiting for the focus gear from chrosziel to arrive.

Jonathan.

Derek Serra · March 1st, 2005, 02:33 PM

"But because of the support bars you will still have to remove it from the camera to load the filters! "

You've got to be kidding! That's not very practical - and you say this is redesigned for the Z1! More reason for me to start work on my own matte box.

Soeren Mueller · March 1st, 2005, 02:40 PM

Hi Jonathan!
Did you have or use the 411-53 before with your DVX - do you still have it or tried it with your Z1 (or FX1)? I'm currently using a DVX100A with the 411-53 too and plan to switch to the Z1 - thus I'm interested if the 411-53 can still be used without to heavy vignetting or other negative effects (when fully zoomed out / max wide angle)...
Thanks!

Jonathan Lee · March 1st, 2005, 02:58 PM

Hi Soeren,
Yes I had the 411 on my DVX and also hoped it would fit the Z1 but no luck- that mic overhang has really caused problems. I had a couple of engineers look at my 411 to see if it could be re-assembled to fit the Z1 but they both said it would be very difficult and doubt it would work anyway.

Vocas did tell me their professional MB's the '300' '320', '350' would fit a Z1 but it didn't look like it to me. The fact that chrosziel came up with a 16:9 shaped MB says a lot.

You may just have to sell on your kit and use it to buy a replacement as I did.

Jonathan

Soeren Mueller · March 1st, 2005, 03:56 PM

*sigh*
And I thought the MB would be the least thing that I'd have to sell and buy a new replacement for. :-/

What was the biggest problem or what problems did you encounter? That "internal" (hrhr) mic thing being in the way of the filter holders or other things too?
And vignetting?

To my knowledge a 16:9 MB from Chrosziel is already available for quite some time... perhaps they only packaged it into a new "HDV kit" or does anybody know if they really came up with a complete MB redesign? Somehow I doubt that...
:-(

Jonathan Lee · March 1st, 2005, 06:08 PM

Ultimately, it was the issue of clearance underneath the mic that was the problem, I fear. As well as the height adjustment issue on the lightweight support to get it to actually fit the lens.

It may well be an adaption of a current product (it does look like the 416 series of 16:9 MB's).

Strangely enough, if you watch the Joey Eldred clip at Sundance he has a Z1 fitted with a Chrosziel MB and it definitely isn't the new 450 kit. They must have found a way of getting one to fit the Z1 somehow!?

Jonathan

Soeren Mueller · March 1st, 2005, 06:53 PM

Thanks for the info!
Yes I had exactly the same thought or impression when watching the Eldred clip... it gave me sort of hope that it would work out with the "old" one. ;-)
Nonetheless it looked kind of very close/tight and kind of "wrong" or at least sort of improvised...
Well I'll try it out myself and post here if it was successful or a big failure. 8-)

March 1st, 2005, 11:52 AM	#1
Jonathan Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: London UK Posts: 83	My Chrosziel 450HDV has arrived! Hello, Took delivery of my 450-hdv kit today and was quite surprised. I was expecting a slightly re-designed 411-53 box (chrosziels dv matte box for the DVX;XL2 etc.). However the 450 is a completely new design. Clearly designed for a 16:9 camera it is a little heavier in build quality, deeper than the 411 and 16:9 in shape. It has two filter holders: a rotating 4x4 and a fixed 4 x 5.65 tray. Strangely, it is not a side loader but bottom loading. But because of the support bars you will still have to remove it from the camera to load the filters! Still, it looks pretty good and was worth the price. Jonathan

March 1st, 2005, 11:55 AM	#2
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,366 Images: 513	Congrats, Jonathan! If you feel like it, please take some pics and email them to me; I'd love to host them for our readers. Be sure to give us a report about how you're liking it -- when you get a chance, that is! __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

March 1st, 2005, 02:33 PM	#8
Derek Serra Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cape Town, South Africa Posts: 76	"But because of the support bars you will still have to remove it from the camera to load the filters! " You've got to be kidding! That's not very practical - and you say this is redesigned for the Z1! More reason for me to start work on my own matte box. __________________ Derek Antonio Serra Indie Filmmaker www.indv.co.za

March 1st, 2005, 12:04 PM	#3
Jonathan Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: London UK Posts: 83	Thanks Chris- happy to do that. What is your e-mail address? Jonathan

March 1st, 2005, 01:24 PM	#4
Bryan McCullough Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 842	There needs to be a new rule that you can't post about new gear you've got unless you post pictures! :) Can't wait to see the kit!

March 1st, 2005, 01:30 PM	#5
Shannon Rawls Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 853	You have to remove it to add/remove filters?????? (shakin' my head)

March 1st, 2005, 01:51 PM	#6
Tony Robinson New Boot Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 4	How much does something like that cost and where did ya get it? Also, did you get the focus control?

March 1st, 2005, 02:30 PM	#7
Jonathan Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: London UK Posts: 83	Well, first, I promise I will post some pics tomorrow, hopefully! Shannon, I was, like many, expecting side loading trays but they have gone for bottom loading. You can rotate the 4x4 so I suppose you can slide the box forward a little on the rails to load. But the other tray is fixed so it would have to come off. Blame Sony for making things awkward! Bryan, Tony I bought it here from a dealer in the UK for £650 (about $1,250) plus a 17.5% sales tax that foriegn buyers don't pay. For that you get the MB, lightweight support, 15mm rods, french flag, mountings on the MB for side wings and a 72mm adaptor ring. I do also have the Follow focus rig, , (which I bought for my old DVX100) but am waiting for the focus gear from chrosziel to arrive. Jonathan.

March 1st, 2005, 02:40 PM	#9
Soeren Mueller Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Düsseldorf, Germany / Denver, CO Posts: 137	Hi Jonathan! Did you have or use the 411-53 before with your DVX - do you still have it or tried it with your Z1 (or FX1)? I'm currently using a DVX100A with the 411-53 too and plan to switch to the Z1 - thus I'm interested if the 411-53 can still be used without to heavy vignetting or other negative effects (when fully zoomed out / max wide angle)... Thanks!

March 1st, 2005, 02:58 PM	#10
Jonathan Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: London UK Posts: 83	Hi Soeren, Yes I had the 411 on my DVX and also hoped it would fit the Z1 but no luck- that mic overhang has really caused problems. I had a couple of engineers look at my 411 to see if it could be re-assembled to fit the Z1 but they both said it would be very difficult and doubt it would work anyway. Vocas did tell me their professional MB's the '300' '320', '350' would fit a Z1 but it didn't look like it to me. The fact that chrosziel came up with a 16:9 shaped MB says a lot. You may just have to sell on your kit and use it to buy a replacement as I did. Jonathan

March 1st, 2005, 03:56 PM	#11
Soeren Mueller Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Düsseldorf, Germany / Denver, CO Posts: 137	sigh And I thought the MB would be the least thing that I'd have to sell and buy a new replacement for. :-/ What was the biggest problem or what problems did you encounter? That "internal" (hrhr) mic thing being in the way of the filter holders or other things too? And vignetting? To my knowledge a 16:9 MB from Chrosziel is already available for quite some time... perhaps they only packaged it into a new "HDV kit" or does anybody know if they really came up with a complete MB redesign? Somehow I doubt that... :-(

March 1st, 2005, 06:08 PM	#12
Jonathan Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: London UK Posts: 83	Ultimately, it was the issue of clearance underneath the mic that was the problem, I fear. As well as the height adjustment issue on the lightweight support to get it to actually fit the lens. It may well be an adaption of a current product (it does look like the 416 series of 16:9 MB's). Strangely enough, if you watch the Joey Eldred clip at Sundance he has a Z1 fitted with a Chrosziel MB and it definitely isn't the new 450 kit. They must have found a way of getting one to fit the Z1 somehow!? Jonathan

March 1st, 2005, 06:53 PM	#13
Soeren Mueller Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Düsseldorf, Germany / Denver, CO Posts: 137	Thanks for the info! Yes I had exactly the same thought or impression when watching the Eldred clip... it gave me sort of hope that it would work out with the "old" one. ;-) Nonetheless it looked kind of very close/tight and kind of "wrong" or at least sort of improvised... Well I'll try it out myself and post here if it was successful or a big failure. 8-)