Matte box

Don Bloom · January 3rd, 2014, 10:44 PM

I purchased the ENGRIG from DVTec a number of years ago when I went back to full sized cameras. I still have it but unfortunately I could never make it work with my JVC HM700 since the front foot for the mounting plate is quite different than on the JVCHD100 or the JVC GY-DV5000/5100 or the Sony DSR cameras. I think one of the manufacturers does offer a plate for it but right now I'm not to concerned about it.
Anyway the point is...is that the rig worked 100% fantastic on all of the cameras I've used it on. They were all pretty well balanced for me with an AB battery and at least 1 receiver hanging off the back but the ENGRig really made a difference not only with the balance and the weight but the stability issue especially if using the lens at the long end was great. ALMOST (notice the emphasis on ALMOST) as good as a tripod.

Chris Harding · January 4th, 2014, 12:08 AM

Hi Don

I remember you telling me about it a while back. It really is a HUGE asset for me especially when your back is starting to fade towards the end of the wedding and you have to film a first dance, mom/son and father/daughter all in one hit.

I took one look at the DVTech price and swallowed hard ... especially that shipping from USA to here is crazy prices unless you want to send mail seamail which takes 3 months!! My "rails" are simply two 8" lengths of 1/2" aluminium tube and they have two pieces of 1"wide aluminium flatbar which allow the rails to attach to the camera tripod screw mount at one end and gives me a connector at the other end. In the end plate (which sits under the lens hood) I have a mini-ballhead bolted into the plate under the hood and the other end clips into a little bush (piece of scrap tube) so the spring rod can slip into it and this makes a universal joint between the spring rod and the camera rail.

CineCity (talked about here) make a camcorder rig called a Glider and this comes with a fancy rig for ones camcorder but also has a spring rod and a waist belt ! I asked them to sell me just the rod and the belt and they sold that to me for $50 plus shipping so my whole ENG rig cost me under $100 and it works like a dream. - The belt is nicely made and the rod is good too ...now and again I give it a squirt of silicone spray so it slides smoothly.

I bet with a little aluminium frame like I have it would also work on your JVC!! I simply pop riveted the 4 bits together and it weighs almost nothing too ... if you wanted to leave it on then you also need another thicker plate almost under the camera mounting plate with a tapped 1/4" thread and voila you can mount any QR plate onto the rails.

They now actually sell just the rig and they are on eBay ..cheap as chips and they work too!!!

Camtree Shoulder Rig Rod Adapter Waist Support for Camera Weight Upto 11 Lbs | eBay

Chris

Chris Quevedo · January 4th, 2014, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Van den Berghe

Chris, I looked at kamerar, looks very good price/quality. But the french flags are so big. That scares me off.

isn't that the point a matte box? to add big flags to the front?

Chris Quevedo · January 4th, 2014, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Van den Berghe

still in the search for a mattebox. Nobody has a mattebox on the NEX-EA50?

i think b&h in the usa has a set in their store:

Chrosziel 450-R2 Mattebox Kit for Sony NEX-EA50

unfortunately very expensive. i still would go for the Kamerar model. french flags are about the same size and its cheaper but still decent quality i think

Chris Quevedo · January 4th, 2014, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Nice Ray

You have me now hankering after a matte box for my cameras! The only issue there is that the rails block the shoulder pad so you can't use the camera on your shoulder ! What people make a matte with rails that don't protrude back into the shoulder pad?? Do those exist? I know on my Panasonics I had to make my own rails that stopped just short of the shoulder pad.

Who makes the one on your camera?

Chris

again, check out the kamerar offering at kamerar.com its all modular and they have a version that would not go past the tripod mount

Tom Van den Berghe · January 4th, 2014, 03:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Hi Steve

Just having some fun really!! I sometimes get tired of being Mr Practical and like to get a bit funky but the bottom line is still really ..why do you need a matte box?? I certainly could never justify spending $500-$600 per camera on a plastic box either.

For me it would be purely to "look cool" and I don't need that although I can see the reason to pimp up a small camcorder when that's all you have and your client is expecting something large on your shoulder.

I don't have any 4x4 filters either so if I bought a matte box or two it would be purely a cosmetic exercise. Cripes for $1200 I can get some really nice lenses for the camera!!

So, Tom, do you really need a matte box? are you planning to use lots of 4x4 glass filters OR are you simply trying to make your EA-50 look more "cool" ?

Chris

I want to look theNEX-EA0 more cool but In the future I will buy an ND filter for outside to have my shoots with more blurry backgrounds. And off course to avoid the sun coming into the lens is also a good ting with a mattebox.

So the kamerar/camtree (looks smulair) is cheap and very pro lookng for me.

Tom Van den Berghe · January 4th, 2014, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

I know Chris, I was having fun too. $600.00 can get you a lot more than a plastic box!

It is kind of funny that Tom has Noa's EA50. Because Noa has the guts to show up and shoot the academy awards with a handycam if he had a choice! Tom, are you listening? I am not busting on you. Many of us in the EA50 sub forum are so regular here you feel like you get to know each other. I understand....each to their own. Size does matter!

Steve

Steve,

I have NOa's NEX-EA50. Noa does this for professional work but for me it's more hobby. The jobs I do is for free but after the job I have make a DVD or blu ray of it. With the sale of this I earn some money. So filming carnival, stage performances,... So people look at my gear and think. Looks like a "pro" so I will buy a dvd, it will be good. That's my experience.

Tom Van den Berghe · January 4th, 2014, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray Lee

Photos so you can see just how large it is and with regular length 15mm rods

I really like this setup Ray. I don't see a donut ring on your lens? Or is this not really necessary if you put lens close or in the mattebox?
Which rails rod is this Ray? Like the red color in it like the red in the mattebox.

Ray Lee · January 4th, 2014, 11:11 AM

I either use the "skirt" version that came with it or just the 72mm rubber hoods I have on all the old prime Nikon lenses I use on the video cameras

Tom Van den Berghe · January 22nd, 2014, 02:56 PM

I received my mattebox this weekend. I bought the camtree (simulair to Camerar I think) @Camerakings.co.uk. with free shipping all over the world!

I really like the look of it. I didn't attached the 3 flags. Maybe on a sunny day.

Steven Digges · January 22nd, 2014, 03:38 PM

Good for you Tom. That is what you set out to do and you did it. I hope it works out for you. Funny how different we all are. Noa sold that cam to you because he does not like the size of a semi-shoulder cam. To big for his taste. You are purposely turning it into a behemoth to suit your taste. A couple of wireless mics, a 10" monitor on the cold shoe, and you will be all set....don't forget the fuzzy dice!

Steve

Paul Abbaszadeh · January 22nd, 2014, 05:06 PM

I have the Kamerar mattebox, it's not bad for the price...it's made of plastic but it's pretty solid (the flags are aluminum)

Chris Harding · January 22nd, 2014, 07:00 PM

Nice Tom

Is that the "CamShade" model by Camtree that you have that Camerakings sell for GBP 125 ??? It looks pretty darn good too.

There is no mistaking your camera for a pro camera now and I like the fact that the rails are short so it doesn't interfere with the shoulder mount pad! Is that the Camtree Quick release rail you have? I think they are 300mm long so they should be just the right length and also have both camera plates and tripod plates. I had a look at CineCity and they have the CamShade for $130 and the Mini rail for $110 !! (That's without shipping of course) but still a good price for a very neat system. I think I might be tempted to get one for each of my cameras so I can also have two behemoths ..they look pretty cool I must admit!!!

Just for interest Camtree also make the ENG rig and belt that takes all the weight off the front of the camera for you and it fits your rail system perfectly too... if you are doing handhelds it's really worth getting!

Chris

Tom Van den Berghe · January 23rd, 2014, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Abbaszadeh

I have the Kamerar mattebox, it's not bad for the price...it's made of plastic but it's pretty solid (the flags are aluminum)

the camtree flags are the same. Also alumium, at least not made of plastic.

Tom Van den Berghe · January 23rd, 2014, 01:27 PM

Hey Chris,

Yes, the camshade mattebox for GBP 125. Pretty cheap and good quality to me.
And the camtree hunt mini quick release rod support, also from the same shop but this was not listed on their website! But they had it but still not published on theit website.

The camtree eng rig looks nice but I only need the shoulderpad and counterweight.

Like you see in the picture I have a counterweight from 1,2 kg. Handheld made by a person specialised in making all things of metal (don't know the wright word for this)

With his "saw" he cut a piece from a metal round bar. IS this good he asked? I said just perfect. He painted it black with special black metal spray. He tapped a new screw (M6) into the shoulder pad of the sony.

Maybe I go back for a heavier one (or an extra one, there are 2 holes in the shoulder pad). At that time I didn't had the mattebox. Now there is more weight in the front. Hope this helps

Chris[/QUOTE]

January 3rd, 2014, 10:44 PM	#31
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Matte box I purchased the ENGRIG from DVTec a number of years ago when I went back to full sized cameras. I still have it but unfortunately I could never make it work with my JVC HM700 since the front foot for the mounting plate is quite different than on the JVCHD100 or the JVC GY-DV5000/5100 or the Sony DSR cameras. I think one of the manufacturers does offer a plate for it but right now I'm not to concerned about it. Anyway the point is...is that the rig worked 100% fantastic on all of the cameras I've used it on. They were all pretty well balanced for me with an AB battery and at least 1 receiver hanging off the back but the ENGRig really made a difference not only with the balance and the weight but the stability issue especially if using the lens at the long end was great. ALMOST (notice the emphasis on ALMOST) as good as a tripod. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

January 4th, 2014, 12:08 AM	#32
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Matte box Hi Don I remember you telling me about it a while back. It really is a HUGE asset for me especially when your back is starting to fade towards the end of the wedding and you have to film a first dance, mom/son and father/daughter all in one hit. I took one look at the DVTech price and swallowed hard ... especially that shipping from USA to here is crazy prices unless you want to send mail seamail which takes 3 months!! My "rails" are simply two 8" lengths of 1/2" aluminium tube and they have two pieces of 1"wide aluminium flatbar which allow the rails to attach to the camera tripod screw mount at one end and gives me a connector at the other end. In the end plate (which sits under the lens hood) I have a mini-ballhead bolted into the plate under the hood and the other end clips into a little bush (piece of scrap tube) so the spring rod can slip into it and this makes a universal joint between the spring rod and the camera rail. CineCity (talked about here) make a camcorder rig called a Glider and this comes with a fancy rig for ones camcorder but also has a spring rod and a waist belt ! I asked them to sell me just the rod and the belt and they sold that to me for $50 plus shipping so my whole ENG rig cost me under $100 and it works like a dream. - The belt is nicely made and the rod is good too ...now and again I give it a squirt of silicone spray so it slides smoothly. I bet with a little aluminium frame like I have it would also work on your JVC!! I simply pop riveted the 4 bits together and it weighs almost nothing too ... if you wanted to leave it on then you also need another thicker plate almost under the camera mounting plate with a tapped 1/4" thread and voila you can mount any QR plate onto the rails. They now actually sell just the rig and they are on eBay ..cheap as chips and they work too!!! Camtree Shoulder Rig Rod Adapter Waist Support for Camera Weight Upto 11 Lbs \| eBay Chris

January 4th, 2014, 11:11 AM	#39
Ray Lee Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: South NJ US Posts: 138	Re: Matte box I either use the "skirt" version that came with it or just the 72mm rubber hoods I have on all the old prime Nikon lenses I use on the video cameras

January 22nd, 2014, 02:56 PM	#40
Tom Van den Berghe Major Player Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: BELGIUM Posts: 395	Re: Matte box I received my mattebox this weekend. I bought the camtree (simulair to Camerar I think) @Camerakings.co.uk. with free shipping all over the world! I really like the look of it. I didn't attached the 3 flags. Maybe on a sunny day. Attached Thumbnails

January 22nd, 2014, 03:38 PM	#41
Steven Digges Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,828	Re: Matte box Good for you Tom. That is what you set out to do and you did it. I hope it works out for you. Funny how different we all are. Noa sold that cam to you because he does not like the size of a semi-shoulder cam. To big for his taste. You are purposely turning it into a behemoth to suit your taste. A couple of wireless mics, a 10" monitor on the cold shoe, and you will be all set....don't forget the fuzzy dice! Steve __________________ www.CorporateShow.com Been at this so long I'm rounding my years of experience down...not up!

January 22nd, 2014, 05:06 PM	#42
Paul Abbaszadeh Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 35	Re: Matte box I have the Kamerar mattebox, it's not bad for the price...it's made of plastic but it's pretty solid (the flags are aluminum)

January 22nd, 2014, 07:00 PM	#43
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Matte box Nice Tom Is that the "CamShade" model by Camtree that you have that Camerakings sell for GBP 125 ??? It looks pretty darn good too. There is no mistaking your camera for a pro camera now and I like the fact that the rails are short so it doesn't interfere with the shoulder mount pad! Is that the Camtree Quick release rail you have? I think they are 300mm long so they should be just the right length and also have both camera plates and tripod plates. I had a look at CineCity and they have the CamShade for $130 and the Mini rail for $110 !! (That's without shipping of course) but still a good price for a very neat system. I think I might be tempted to get one for each of my cameras so I can also have two behemoths ..they look pretty cool I must admit!!! Just for interest Camtree also make the ENG rig and belt that takes all the weight off the front of the camera for you and it fits your rail system perfectly too... if you are doing handhelds it's really worth getting! Chris Last edited by Chris Harding; January 23rd, 2014 at 08:39 AM.

January 23rd, 2014, 01:27 PM	#45
Tom Van den Berghe Major Player Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: BELGIUM Posts: 395	Re: Matte box Hey Chris, Yes, the camshade mattebox for GBP 125. Pretty cheap and good quality to me. And the camtree hunt mini quick release rod support, also from the same shop but this was not listed on their website! But they had it but still not published on theit website. The camtree eng rig looks nice but I only need the shoulderpad and counterweight. Like you see in the picture I have a counterweight from 1,2 kg. Handheld made by a person specialised in making all things of metal (don't know the wright word for this) With his "saw" he cut a piece from a metal round bar. IS this good he asked? I said just perfect. He painted it black with special black metal spray. He tapped a new screw (M6) into the shoulder pad of the sony. Maybe I go back for a heavier one (or an extra one, there are 2 holes in the shoulder pad). At that time I didn't had the mattebox. Now there is more weight in the front. Hope this helps Chris[/QUOTE]