View Full Version : Rail mounted matte box?


Colton Davie
May 19th, 2006, 11:58 AM
I'm not sure if this is the best place to put this, but anyway...

I have a Redrock M2 (http://www.redrockmicro.com) on order as well as a collection of still lenses. I am looking for a matte box to go with my M2/XL2 set up. I don't want a matte box that connects directly to the lens, as I have lenses of several different diameters (52mm, 72mm, 77mm, etc.). Since the M2 is coming with standard 15mm rails, I figured a rail mounted matte box would be best. That said, I need your advice as to what brand best suits my needs.

Here's what I need:
Rail mounted (obviously)
Compatability with a range of lens diameters
French flag/eyebrow

Here's what I want:
Adjustable height
At least 1 rotating filter stage (preferably 2 or more stages total)
Side flags
Finally, it should be durable

I understand I might not be able to find one matte box with all of these features but I can try. ;) If you have any suggestions please share.

Thanks.

Andy Graham
May 19th, 2006, 05:03 PM
Thats a tall order!, have a look at this .......it comes with a nylon diaphram that alows you to fit lenses from 70mm - 85mm you could order a fixed stepdown ring to fit the 52mm. No side flags though

it will sting your pocket though!

hope it helps.

Andy.


http://www.visualproducts.com/storeProductDetail01.asp?productID=527&Cat=11#bigPic

Colton Davie
May 27th, 2006, 08:57 PM
Thanks for the link. I like the flexible ring. What other matteboxes have that option?

Colton Davie
July 20th, 2006, 10:07 PM
Okay, well I finally decided on a mattebox. I did lots of looking at different matteboxes, trying to find something that would work with the M2. Like I said, most importantly, I wanted something rail mounted, able to adapt to different lens diameters, and durable. Finally, I settled on the Vocas DV MKII Wide-Angle, albeit still a little unsure. However, I didn't want to buy a whole kit, because I didn't need the rails and such. Instead I pieced together my own kit from their catalog. This is what I ended up purchasing: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/WishList/1BC5D6EAB1&BI=28. I was still a little unsure if it would work, but as I set it up today for the first time all those unsureties vanished. This is a perfect solution to my needs. The flexible light baffle kit even included a ≈52mm ring that fits perfectly on my Nikons. I have yet to test this out on a lit set, but with the large french flag, side wings, and internal eyebrows, it seems one would be hard pressed to get flares with this thing. I am very satisfied with the Vocas mattebox and how well it works with Redrock's excellent products.